Comments on: Unready graduates http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/09/unready-graduates/ Thinking and Linking by Joanne Jacobs Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:37:54 +0000 hourly 1 By: markm http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/09/unready-graduates/#comment-35688 markm Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:45:26 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/09/10/unready-graduates/#comment-35688 Wahoofive, my high school tested for that every day - we were expected to be on time, clean, paying attention, and polite to the teachers. If the students make it impossible for a school to enforce such rules, school isn't the institution they belong in. Secondly, while it might be possible for the illiterate and innumerate to operate a McDonald's cash register, that's a job for a kid who doesn't yet have to support himself or herself, let alone a family. There are very few opportunities left for the illiterate to make a living. Most of the pure muscle jobs are gone. Manufacturing jobs that involved just sticking the part in the hole, and repeat for 40 hours a week, are nearly all automated now - except where changeovers are so frequent that it's better to hire a human being <i>who can read the instructions</i> and change to a new job several times a day, and that's only worth a dollar or two over minimum wage. There are better-paid jobs servicing the robots going begging, but you've got to know how to read the manual, and probably also be able to learn how to program it for a new part - which may involve mathematics as well as literacy. Wahoofive, my high school tested for that every day – we were expected to be on time, clean, paying attention, and polite to the teachers. If the students make it impossible for a school to enforce such rules, school isn’t the institution they belong in.

Secondly, while it might be possible for the illiterate and innumerate to operate a McDonald’s cash register, that’s a job for a kid who doesn’t yet have to support himself or herself, let alone a family. There are very few opportunities left for the illiterate to make a living. Most of the pure muscle jobs are gone. Manufacturing jobs that involved just sticking the part in the hole, and repeat for 40 hours a week, are nearly all automated now – except where changeovers are so frequent that it’s better to hire a human being who can read the instructions and change to a new job several times a day, and that’s only worth a dollar or two over minimum wage. There are better-paid jobs servicing the robots going begging, but you’ve got to know how to read the manual, and probably also be able to learn how to program it for a new part – which may involve mathematics as well as literacy.

]]> By: wahoofive http://www.joannejacobs.com/2007/09/unready-graduates/#comment-35687 wahoofive Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:01:35 +0000 http://joannejacobs.com/2007/09/10/unready-graduates/#comment-35687 Work readiness means different things in different places, so it's hard to assess, or even define. If your main industry is lobster trapping, you need a different skill set than if your main industry is computer design or operating a ski resort. Besides, companies have made all kinds of changes to make entry-level jobs accessible to the uneducated: cashiers no longer have to be able to do arithmetic, and often not even read: they just push the button on the register with the picture of the french fries. If the customer gives them a $20 bill, they push the $20 button and the register calculates the change. What constitutes "work ready" in such a context is the ability to show up reliably for work, sober, and not be overtly nasty to the customers. Hard to know how to test for that in high school. Work readiness means different things in different places, so it’s hard to assess, or even define. If your main industry is lobster trapping, you need a different skill set than if your main industry is computer design or operating a ski resort.

Besides, companies have made all kinds of changes to make entry-level jobs accessible to the uneducated: cashiers no longer have to be able to do arithmetic, and often not even read: they just push the button on the register with the picture of the french fries. If the customer gives them a $20 bill, they push the $20 button and the register calculates the change.

What constitutes “work ready” in such a context is the ability to show up reliably for work, sober, and not be overtly nasty to the customers. Hard to know how to test for that in high school.

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