LO in Higher Ed LO7559

Benjamin E. Wagner (bwagner@umd5.umd.edu)
Wed, 22 May 1996 21:33:50 -0400 (EDT)

In reply to: LO in Higher Ed LO7516

James P. NeedhamÕs list of essential skills for college grads
made me wonder. Are businesses expecting (hoping) for
too much? Are these skills essential or desired? I compare
it to the baseball manager who wants a player who can go
deep, hit over .300, has good speed, an excellent glove, and
a rocket arm. There are a few superstars with those skills, but
the majority are merely good players who improve their skills
over the years.

If we are to be life-long learners, then it seems odd to expect
business superstars right out of college. Part of being a
learning organization is developing the skills of your workers.
Businesses often have better resources to provide the specific
training that is necessary.

While I believe it is important to teach these skills, I think it is a
shared responsibility between the individual, the education
system, and business. I would expect that the party with the most
to gain, would take on most of the responsibility.

---Ben

Benjamin E. Wagner
bwagner@umd5.umd.edu
Baltimore County Public Schools
Maryland

--

"Benjamin E. Wagner" <bwagner@umd5.umd.edu>

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