Colorado Technical University

What if we started to discourage college degrees and started encouraging on-the-job training?

I'm sure a lot of jobs do not require college degrees, and could instead be learned by on-site training sessions.

Public Comments

1. we need both (they serve different purposes)
2. True, but people need to go to college to learn CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. College is NOT a trade school.
3. It's already been started.
4. Sure. Drive another wedge between the elite and everyone else. After all, why do us po-folk need an edumacation?
5. Upset that there's to much competition, huh?
6. I'm all for that. In reality, most jobs that "require" a college degree, don't really need a person with a college degree. A great many jobs can be done with on the job training and no college.
7. But your con employer masters would not approve of that and just hire H1B's.
8. The best way is to do both some people dont wanna do college so they need on the jobs training and some people do need to go to college. Could you answer my question. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110719101401AAmm17e
9. Companies won't hear of paying those outrageous $5/hr training fees.
10. You would have to somehow change the present reality: the fact is if you have a four-year college degree then 1) unemployment is at only 4% and 2) you will make, on average, $1 million more over the course of your career than someone who does not. I'm not saying that's how it SHOULD be, but that is how it IS. And as the global economy becomes more knowledge based, the divide between have and have-nots is increasingly going to be based on who has a degree. Rather than fight that reality; lets make college cheaper and easier for more to go. These tuition hikes are ridiculous.
11. Vo-Tech..In High School..Vocational Technical , trades...You're in the wrong State.
12. That's what vocational schools are for. You really should check them out. Junior colleges/trade schools/vocational schools are a vital part of the United States educational system.
13. Discouraging education is never a good idea. That said, I do think employers should be more flexible when it comes to "no degree, no job." The fact of the matter is the most brilliant minds do not need a formal degree to be highly effective. They also tend to be life-long learners. A 4 year degree shows you can complete a long project and achieve that goal. Many dimwits with the right parental support can do that. I have hired, managed and fired many, many "white-collar" people over the years. From my personal experience, the OTJ Trained people were more successful - and much better at their jobs - than the college degreed people.
14. Turning education into a business made tuition out of reach for many which does serve the same purpose. Reagan stopped free college as governor of California.