The tyranny of employability

Having made a distinction between education and schooling, at least in general terms, it seems reasonable to take a closer look at what that means across a broader front. Although I enjoy a good conspiracy theory as much as the next person, I'm not too inclined to take many of them too seriously, but I am sensitive, I believe, to subtle changes in attitude that, once they spread, appear to the casual observer that they were somehow planned or are part of a larger scheme.

In many of the projects in which I am involved, one word keeps reappearing which is giving me some pause for concern. The word? "Employability". At first glance, it seems relatively harmless. The idea behind it is simply to provide those seeking employment those, more or less, specific skills and capabilities that will enhance their chances of landing a job. Noble, right? I mean, who doesn't want to help people get into gainful employment? I do. (And, just to be clear on the issue: there is really no reason why everyone doesn't have a job -- and a meaningful one at that -- but at the moment, that's not how the deck is stacked, but more on that another time.) I'm sure you do, too. So what's the problem?

As with so many well meaning, well intended initiatives, this one has all the potential to become our latest Frankenstein. Why? The reason is just as simple: it's too limited a concept. If person A needs skills X, Y, and Z, and I train him (or her) to obtain those skills, what happens when technology or processes or the situation changes and those skills are no longer required? They would have to be retrained. But, in the meantime, chances are very good that they will be out of work again, because why should a business keep someone around who doesn't have the right skills? Exactly. In other words, by pursuing a strict policy of employability, we are actually condemning a large segment of our population to irregular cycles of employment and unemployment, of being in demand and of being in the way. Is that what we really want?

We moderns pride ourselves in living in such a dynamic and fast-changing world. The pace of life hasn't slowed down and it doesn't seem it's going to soon. But not everyone takes part in that world. Some are simply victims of it. Since we've got schooling down and have turned our backs on education, we are creating that very class of people who will never be a part of the world we claim to love so much. It's not their fault that they are improperly prepared, for it is our own policies that condemn us.

We need to seriously rethink our attitudes toward something as common and necessary as education. I don't think we can afford not to. And, the sooner we do it, the better for all of us.