COMMENT
A4
MONDAY, OCT. 21, 2013
When skills, jobs at odds BY GWYN MORGAN SPECIAL TO THE ADVOCATE What is the return on a university education? Sadly, many students graduate to find that their $30,000 debt (cross-country average) has bought them employment prospects no better than what they had when they left high school. After four or more years on campus, they emerge on the wrong side of the skills without jobs/jobs without skills gap that the Canadian Chamber of Commerce estimates will see over half a million post-secondary graduates working in low skills jobs by 2016, while 1.5 million skilled jobs go unfilled. So what’s the problem? A study released recently by CIBC World Markets reached the unsurprising conclusion that too few students
are choosing to study in high demand areas. Deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal, co-author of the report stated: “Despite the overwhelming evidence that one’s field of study is the most important factor determining labour market outcomes, today’s students have not gravitated to more financially advantageous fields in a way that reflects the changing realty of the labour market. Across subjects, the biggest bang for the buck comes from fields such as medicine, law and engineering. A look at the dispersion of earnings across fields of study shows there is a much greater risk of falling into a lower income category for graduates of the humanities and social sciences. ... Most Canadians are aware that, on average, your odds to earn more are better with a degree in engineering than a degree in medieval history.” The CIBC study comes after commentators, including me, have pointed
out the folly of continuing to waste precious educational dollars to turn out huge numbers of surplus arts and social science students, while turning away applicants for in-demand fields. Compounding their appalling academic inertia, universities are dealing with revenue shortfalls by cutting back engineering, medicine and other skillsshort enrolment in equal proportion to skills-surplus programs, killing the aspirations of an even greater number of high achieving students, while further reducing the economic competitiveness of our nation. Even tiny steps towards reducing arts funding meet with vocal opposition. Last months’ decision by the University of Alberta to axe 20 arts programs, none of which had more than 10 students enrol at any point in the past eight years, came under heavy fire from ever vigilant defenders of arts funding.
Feeling the heat, academia’s vested interests have shifted into defence mode, as evidenced by a commentary headlined Universities educate, employers train by Max Blouw, chair of the Council of Ontario Universities and president of Wilfrid Laurier University, which ran on Sept. 3 in the Globe and Mail. It is simply incomprehensible to me to assert that the role of universities is to graduate students without such basic foundation knowledge and then to expect employers to provide it. It’s time for Blouw and his colleagues to put the interests of their students, and our country, ahead of defending their elitist perch in those hallowed ivory towers. Gwyn Morgan is a retired Canadian business leader who has been a director of five global corporations. This column was supplied by Troy Media (www.troymedia. com).
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Post-secondary funds defy logic I write this letter to clarify recent funding shifts in Alberta post-secondary education (PSE) and to raise a voice of dissent against the ministerial handling of education funds. The minister’s tactics and explanations in these matters are bullying and highly motivated toward industry interests. These changes do little to serve the overall project of education as a way to benefit society; rather, the changes serve industry needs and further narrow the economic, political and cultural scopes of the province. On March 7, 2013, minister Thomas Lukaszuk announced budget cuts to PSE. Revoking a promised two per cent increase and implementing a 7.2 per cent cut, Lukaszuk effectively diminished PSE funding by 9.2 per cent. Across the 26 provincial institutions, a total of $147 million was cut. Programs were closed. Courses were cut. Class sizes increased. Employees lost jobs. Employees who kept their jobs saw workload increases with no pay adjustment. When these cuts happened, I wrote to the minister to ask for a reconsideration of these actions. His response stated that the province was “strategically repositioning the system to be more efficient, effective, and sustainable so we can continue to deliver world-class education into the future.” He also claimed that PSE funding over the past 10 years, increasing 45 per cent, were unsustainable. These words sound impressive — particularly sustainability and the need to be parsimonious — yet the total outcome of the cuts, at that point in time, was an across-the-board slash to education facilities and delivery. I would see this “world-class” move in line with other international economic cuts like Greece, Portugal and Spain, not somewhere like Norway. After claiming that PSE cuts were due to fiscal restraint and sustainability, it was with great disbelief that I read, on Oct. 9, the news of a new grant for the University of Calgary of $142.5 million to upgrade the engineering school. Given Lukaszuk’s explanations, I wondered about the source of the finances. The explanation is that the U of C grant was for infrastructure whereas the cuts in March were from operating budgets. On the surface, this appears quite devious, but it is actually worse than it appears. Effectively, the minister has cut 26 institutions, across all faculties, all programs, all courses and redirected the money not simply to one institution, but to one faculty and one program. So much for diversification. Yet, to rationalize this as infrastructure budget rather than operating budget simply raises the question of the future operating budget of this new school. Who will staff and maintain the building? Who will teach courses and conduct research? If infrastructure and operating budgets are separate, would it not stand to reason that we must draw further from operating budgets to make the engineering building tick? This means a greater drain on operating budgets from the all other sectors of the PSE landscape recently damaged by the cuts. A more naked display of industry partisanship is difficult to imagine. The cynicism is acute. I can, perhaps, do little to change anything. I am simply connecting the dots here, but I think this situation deserves more coverage and context than it has received. Public education is a social good, not an industry tool. It worries me, as I believe it should worry most people, that our provincial government would so clearly narrow the educational and vocational opportunities for our current and future students. The fortuitous resource wealth of Alberta should open up opportunities and possibilities, not shut them down. Roger Davis Red Deer
CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER Published at 2950 Bremner Avenue, Red Deer, Alberta, T4R 1M9 by The Red Deer Advocate Ltd. Canadian Publications Agreement #336602 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation Fred Gorman Publisher John Stewart Managing editor Richard Smalley Advertising director
An orange-and-black mystery What weighs less than a paper- under the weight. This past winter clip, tastes terrible and can travel scientists estimated only 60 million thousands of kilometres without a made it — a decline of more than 80 map? Hint: this delicate critter is per cent. tawny-orange with black veins and Why are monarch populations at white spots and has been mysteri- a 20-year low? Although the Mexiously absent from Canada this sum- can government has halted indusmer. trial logging in their winIt’s the monarch butter home, serious threats terfly. Each year, eastremain, including illegal ern populations of these logging. Scientists say amazing frequent flythe main threats, though, ers flit between forests are record-setting heat in central Mexico and waves (which reduce resouthern Ontario. productive success) and It’s the only North pervasive use of genetiAmerican butterfly cally modified crops. known to migrate and, One of the most impormost surprisingly, no sintant reproductive areas gle butterfly makes the for the monarch is the return trip. In spring the U.S. Midwest, which has DAVID butterflies depart from historically been blanSUZUKI Mexico for states like keted with milkweed. Texas, where they breed This plant contains small and die. The offspring amounts of cardenolide, continue northward, rea foul-tasting substance peating the reproductive cycle three that can be toxic in large quantities. or four times before arriving in On- The monarch caterpillar eats only tario. milkweed for this reason. Predators Toward the end of summer, a dislike the cardenolide stored in generation of super-monarchs is the monarch’s body, so they learn to born that survives for seven or eight steer clear of flittering things with months and makes the incredible orange and black wings. journey south. Even though they’ve Despite the conversion of much never been to Mexico’s volcanic of the arable land in the Midwest to mountains, the butterflies use an agriculture during the past couple internal compass and landscape of centuries, milkweed continued to to guide them to the forests where grow along edges and between rows their ancestors hibernated the pre- of crops — feeding millions of monvious winter. arch caterpillars. Unfortunately, the past year has Over the past decade, about 150 been bad for monarchs. Histori- million hectares of farmland in the cally, about 350 million overwinter region — an area about the size of in Mexico, so densely covering the Saskatchewan — have been planted coniferous branches that they bow with soybean and corn genetical-
SCIENCE
Scott Williamson Pre-press supervisor
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ly modified to tolerate herbicides, known as “Roundup Ready” crops. Instead of tilling fields, farmers spray herbicides that kill all plants but the crop. This has wiped out much of the milkweed. With a decline of monarchs in Mexico and pervasive threats during migration, it wasn’t entirely surprising that they arrived in Canada six weeks later than normal this summer in unprecedented low numbers. Point Pelee National Park in Leamington, Ont., even cancelled its annual monarch count because of lack of butterflies. While the future of the monarch looks bleak, we can all help ensure its survival. At home you can create a butterfly garden to provide habitat and food for monarchs and other pollinators. Plant milkweed and nectar-producing native flowers, like wild bergamot, New England aster and black-eyed Susans — especially ones with yellow, pink, orange and purple flowers. Adding these plants to gardens, balconies, parks and green spaces — and encouraging local schools, businesses and institutions to do the same — will help bees and butterflies stay healthy and well-fed. So, while the monarchs have already begun their journey south, I encourage you to start preparing for next year’s butterflies. Head to your local nursery and get your milkweed on. And do what you can to bring nature to your neighbourhood. Scientist, author and broadcaster David Suzuki wrote this column with Jode Roberts. Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.
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