The Correlation Between Education and Work
This week’s readings all showcase a correlation between education and work. The Employment Projections for 2015 show that unemployment rates are highest among those with less education and the rates drop as the level of education rises (www.bls.gov). Articles in Slate and USA Today share a somewhat anti-for-profit colleges rhetoric, as this education does not guarantee work for graduates. Finally, The New York Times reports cultural and educational institutions that are being built by those with little to no education via exploitation.
In “Raising the Floor, Not Just the Ceiling”, Tressie Cottom disagrees with the president that for-profit colleges help expand educational access to populations who come from minority backgrounds (Cottom, 2014). She finds that giving more people the opportunity to get higher educations is not the best solution for ensuring all Americans are earning a living wage. As an alternative, Cottom suggests that a federal job guarantee is necessary (Cottom, 2014). By raising the minimum wage, indiviuals as well as whole societies, gain economic security (Cottom, 2014). Additionally, not everyone actually wants to attend college, or do the work required at the jobs one gets with a degree, and should not have to go to and pay for college just to ensure financial security (Cottom, 2014).
In his summary of a report on a two-year investigation of for-profit colleges, “Congressional Report Slams For-Profit Colleges”, Paul Fain explains that for-profit colleges are meant to be alternatives to community or state colleges that may not be suitable options for some non-traditional students, such as working adults (Fain, p.3). But he points out how a large percentage of students do not graduate from these schools, yet a large amount of their resources are being spent on things besides education (Fain, p.1). According to this report, for-profit schools are more concerned with enrollment rates and collecting tuition than in actually ensuring their students graduate and go on to have successful careers.
To further highlight the correlation between education and work, Andrew Ross reports on the phenomenon of kafala sponsorship programs, in which wealthy regions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are hiring and exploiting migrant labors from nearby countries to construct of their latest luxury buildings (Ross, p.1). One such example is Saadiyat Island, where there are villages for the workers to reside and policies in place that are supposed to ensure the workers are treated as well as paid fairly (Ross, p.2). But Ross uncovers the exploitation of workers on Saadiyat Island as well, who are not being paid as promised, having their wages garnished, and their passports taken away (Ross, p.2). This horrific exploitation of uneducated citizens living in poverty does not only take place in these far-away regions. It also happens on a daily basis in the U.S. In order to promise a future that does not involve hard labor at low pay and dangerous conditions, for-profit colleges are on the rise. They recruit individuals with lower levels of education from low-income backgrounds who are just the people that could be susceptible to being exploited for manual labor. Unfortunately, according to the congressional report, many of these students will not graduate, possibly leaving them vulnerable to exploitation anyway.
