2016年6月16日雅思写作真题观点语料库：高等教育与失业

Task：

Some people believe that the country would benefit a lot from more young people entering into university; however, others think that the large number of people receiving college education only leads to graduate unemployment. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

一些人认为，有很高比例的年轻人能上大学让国家收益巨大，而另一些人认为，这样只会导致毕业即失业。讨论两种观点并给出你的观点。

1.高等教育的益处

Graduate salaries and employability

The most-measured benefit of higher education is of coursegraduate salaries, and the report confirms that higher levels of education do result in higher earning power. It cites research by Greenstone and Looney (2011) of the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project, which says: “On average, the benefits of a four-year college degree are equivalent to an investment that returns 15.2% per year.”

The monetary benefits of higher education can be seen in the lifetime difference of 65% earning power when comparing graduate salaries and the earnings of those with just high school education. Median earnings of individuals with a bachelor’s degree in 2011 (latest available data) were on average US$21,100 higher than those with a high school degree.

This earnings gap increases with higher levels of degree, and also with age. The gap between those with a bachelor’s degree and those with a high school education increases from 54% for 25 to 29-year-olds to 86% for 45 to 49-year-olds.

The benefits of higher education also extend to the chances of being employed in the first place. Unemployment rates for four-year college graduates in the US fell from 4.7% in 2010 to 4.0% in 2012, while for high school graduates the equivalent figures were 10.3% in 2010 and 8.3% in 2012.

Contributions to society

The report also argues that the benefits of higher education incorporate significant contributions to society, with higher educated workers typically paying more tax.

Higher levels of education are also found to correlate with higher health insurance and pension contributions. The report argues that this in turn benefits the US economy, by preventing hospitals from providing treatment for which they are not compensated. In 2011, employers provided health insurance for 55%, 69% and 73% of full-time workers with high school diplomas, bachelor’s degrees and advanced degrees respectively.

Bachelor’s degree holders are also less likely to rely on public assistance programs, according to 2011 figures which show only 2% living in households that rely on Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, compared with 12% of high school graduates.

Other benefits of higher education

Beyond graduate salaries and employment prospects, the report is also keen to highlight some of the lesser reported benefits of higher education. Apparently those with a college education are more likely to live healthier lifestyles, with fewer incidences of smoking and obesity. The gap between smoking rates of those with high school diplomas and those with four-year degrees has risen from 2 percentage points in 1962 to 17 points in 2012.

College-educated adults of all ages, and their children, are also less likely to be obese. In addition, mothers with higher levels of education spend more time with their children, regardless of whether they are employed or not.

Additional nonpecuniary benefits of higher education include psychological benefits derived from “the material well-being of individuals and the wealth of society”, and the increased likelihood of engaging in voluntary work and understanding political issues. And in terms of job satisfaction, 56% of workers aged 30 to 45 agree that their job keeps them learning, opposed to just over 30% with a high school diploma.

On average, the more you learn the more you earn

In short, spending time and money on higher levels of education is likely to pay off – both in monetary terms and beyond. Its argument is summarized: “The evidence is clear that some form of postsecondary education is a necessary element of successful, independent lives for most people in today’s economy.”

2.大学生失业与高等教育

主要结论：Unemployment is not caused by education, but there need to be more initiatives in education to improve graduates' employability

失业绝不是教育导致的，但是现有的教育体系需要更多的措施来提升毕业生的就业能力。

One says that there is a mismatch between skills and labour market demands. Another one says that there is an oversupply of graduates for certain fields. Then some simply argue that the high unemployment rate is reason enough to reform the education system.

Several issues are tied to the debate around graduate unemployment. They include employers’ requests for students to have previous work experience from their sector and the fact that graduates are often offered temporary contracts, paid less and laid off more easily.

An array of issues contribute to a problem that is often structural, including taxation policies, lack of employers’ incentives and poor economic performance.

Education should not be used as a scapegoat to fix graduate unemployment – the barriers that exist need to be recognised and tackled and all stakeholders need to accept their responsibility in solving these problems.

It is obvious that the skills needed in the labour market go beyondformal education. They include transversal skills that are highly valued by employers, such as communication, a talent to work on projects and in teams, analytical abilities and intercultural competences.

Such skills are not only obtained in formal education and this needs to be recognised by higher education institutions and employers alike. Shifting from a narrow-minded perspective on skills needed and how education delivers a certain level of expertise is vital in driving forward the discussion on higher education reforms and how curricula should develop.

By default, our education system prepares individuals for the labour market by providing them with skills that enable them to enter the market and adapt to life at work. Instead of limiting academic freedom or study choices, we should instead ask if the quality of the education provided is good enough to prepare graduates for the future.

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