Giving Compass' Take:

• Getting Smart reports on the opinions of Ryan Craig and his book, "A New U," explaining that colleges provide little value for their high expenses. Craig suggests students go with alternatives like postsecondary training.

• Will these types of programs begin to change future employment requirements? What can we do to address the rising costs of higher ed in this 

• Read about career and technical education programs as an alternative for young people to enter the workforce.

Unresponsive, incoherent and expensive. That’s how Ryan Craig sees higher education. He’s a leading critic of the status quo and advocate for and investor in postsecondary innovation.

The first third of Craig’s soon to be released book, A New U, convincingly outlines the problem starting with, “too much of a good thing.” He’s referring to fancy campuses, expensive amenities, big course catalogs, and not much focus. He notes worst case scenario–half of the young people that start college don’t earn a degree but leave with piles of debt.

As an alternative, Craig’s introduction highlights three examples of nontraditional (i.e., not including college) postsecondary training that serve as viable pathways to high wage employment.

Craig makes the point that everything is getting faster and cheaper. “For Millennials and Gen Z, convenience, speed and value are fundamental to American life.” His central point is that the same should be true for higher ed.

He documents “the early days of the faster + cheaper revolution that will upend the traditional college route as America falls out of love with the bachelor’s degrees, particularly from non-selective colleges.”

Craig acknowledges the benefits of selective universities especially if they come with generous aid. But he puts up big flashing red light for unaffordable non-selective schools. He posts a warning yellow light for other schools and encourages investigation of alternatives.

Outlining the growth of technical fields, Craig notes that “colleges haven’t been good at adapting to these changes in the job market.”  And, “Even for programs that appear highly relevant—BSc in computer science, for example—the curriculum is much less applied than employers want.”

Craig closes his case for change with the lack of work experience and work skills that most college graduates leave school, a timely and important concern that continues to gain recognition—organizations like JFF (Jobs for the Future) are developing ambitious initiatives to bridge gaps between educators, policymakers, and the private sector.

Read the full article about higher education by Tom Vander Ark at Getting Smart.