"THERE ARE NO unskilled jobs in the industry anymore."
I heard this statement recently in a news broadcast. But what industry is it that has no more unskilled jobs? The computer industry? Telecommunications? Pharmaceuticals?`No' to all the above.
It's the automotive industry.
The automotive industry, long a bastion of well-paying jobs for high school graduates and even for those who never finished high school, now requires sophisticated skills.
What does this tell us? And what should it be telling the 1996 presidential candidates?
Apparently the candidates are not listening. In this season's primary campaign rhetoric, one topic is conspicuously absent: higher education.
Industries are looking for employees who have more than a high school diploma. This is the growing trend across the country. While a year or two of college may equip employees for entry-level jobs, advancement increasingly depends on a four-year degree.
Technology drives our economy today, and it will drive the economy of the 21st century. Technology demands intellectual skills that take time to acquire - the kind of time that college gives. And there are other skills honed in college and vital in the workplace: problem solving, decision making, teamwork, written and spoken communication, intellectual flex-i-bil-ity, the capacity for continued learning, and more.
Those who hope to lead this country into the 21st century need to begin thinking about the role of higher education in American industries, in the nation's strength and in people's lives.
Consider this, too: The average head-of-household income in an average state - I'll take my own state of Indiana as an example - is $26,000 for someone with a high school diploma. For a person with a college degree or higher, the average annual income is $56,000.
Now the interesting point:
The break-even mark in this average state, in terms of taxation and public services, is roughly $38,000 a year. Those who earn less than $38,000 consume more in public services than they pay in taxes. Those who earn more than $38,000 contribute to the state by providing more in taxes than they use in services.
If there was ever an important investment, it is to increase the percentage of Americans who have a college education.
Today, as the federal government increasingly backs away from financial support for students and colleges, it gives up a critical tool for economic development and quality of life.
This is the wrong direction to be going. By every economic and social measure, education is a key function of good government.
Presidential hopefuls, take note.