The Economist's Emma Duncan explains why education's production line stinks

Emma Duncan in the middle.

The Times of London is back in the good books. Not too long ago Sir David Bell was exalting the sanctity of the traditional university degree: he smacked down the employability demands of students and exhalted the intellectual integrity of the degree. The Times reported on his worries in a report entitled, 'Intellectual integrity of degrees is at risk, says university chief.' I smacked that idea down on the Huffington Post here.

So after that the Times was in the bad books. I really wasn't impressed. For too many people, the traditional degree is causing information and skills asymmetries. The academic hand does not fit the professional working glove. To address this, universities need to teach real world skills and be associated with industry and the job market. One of my favourite quotes on this is this:

"The value of an education has nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with awareness." 

- David Foster Wallace