[LINK] Aussie Higher Ed

[Glen Turner]

On 20/07/2013, at 9:32 AM, Jan Whitaker wrote:
> 
> Here's a controversial idea (that isn't original with me):  emphasis 
> on university in the modern era came about because of the 
> recession(s) in the 70s to remove people from the unemployment 
> figures and delay even more boomers being added to the workforce. Discuss.


I'd say there are two more likely theories:

1) Entry to university to the broad population was used by government as a way to advance the common person. That was very much the aim of the establishment of the CAE system in Australia.

2) The change in the type of work we do have moved a lot of employment-readying education from apprenticeships to university. Not too surprising: manufacturing is roughly half what it was in the 1980s; and just consider the level of drug and electronic technology in health compared with the 1970s.

-glen