N.C. Gov. McCrory's comments link college funding to employment

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Should public universities and colleges in North Carolina be judged and funded primarily by how well they groom students for the job market?

Yes they should, Gov. Pat McCrory said this week in a radio interview, offering pointed criticism for college courses he says offer no path to jobs.

Citing the need for more engineers, technicians and mechanics, McCrory said he has instructed his staff to draft legislation that could alter the way the schools are funded, ?not based on how many butts in seats, but how many of those butts can get jobs.?

His comments drew fire from UNC system faculty and others who said higher education should teach more than job-specific skills.

But in interviews with business leaders and educators Wednesday, both themes kept emerging: In a job market struggling to recover, students with specific job skills ? whether from a community college or a four-year university ? stand the best chance of being hired. Yet it?s also important to turn out students who can think critically and be prepared to adapt their skills in a world of rapid change.

Melissa McGuire, director and co-owner of Sherpa LLC, a Charlotte company that helps connect job seekers and employers, says the global economy needs some people with a liberal arts background, some with trade skills and some with advanced degrees.

?Liberal arts is a long-term way of looking at your future, instead of a short-term, get-a-job-immediately kind of way,? she said. But today?s job market makes specialization more important, she said. Companies that once hired several hundred per year and looked for candidates with varied education backgrounds, now might only have a handful of openings ? and they?re looking for specialists.

?People get more specific in this economy,? McGuire said. ?And while the liberal arts is a wonderful education background to have, it isn?t specific to the task needed. (Companies) are really going to hunker down for who exactly fits that role. In a game of inches like this, when the economy isn?t as robust as it could be, you want to have an education that?s specific to what the companies are hiring for.?

Sometimes they?re looking for college graduates with expertise in engineering, informational technology or computer programming. And other times, they need the type of skills only a community college training program can provide.

That?s the case for Siemens AG, which operates Siemens Energy Inc.?s $350 million gas turbine in Charlotte. The company has hired close to 800 people in the last two years and has grown to be the second-largest employer in the Charlotte region?s growing energy cluster, after Duke Energy.

Mark Pringle, director of operations for Siemens? Charlotte plant, said the company?s partnerships with UNC Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College have helped the company hire well-trained personnel. UNCC engineering students fill many of Siemens? white-collar jobs, and CPCC students are trained specifically to fill many of Siemens? blue-collar roles.

Tony Zeiss, president of CPCC, sees working with companies as core to the school?s mission.

?We?re facing one of the greatest skills gaps in America?s history,? Zeiss said. ?Our job is to reach out, out to ... companies, try to find candidates for jobs, and get them the skills they need. If we?re not performing, frankly we shouldn?t be funded.?

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/31/3209847/nc-gov-mccrorys-comments-link.html

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