Does the degree still serve to find work? In Italy the pass remains to aim high

(by Vincenzo Cimini, Green Holdind spa Group) Big hi-tech companies like Google or Apple are changing their recruitment criteria. So much so that he began to prefer a good internal training to the degree. Already a couple of years ago Ernst & Young, one of the largest graduate recruitment companies in the UK, announced that the degree would be removed from its admission criteria as there is no objective evidence to link success to university with that of working in old age.

Therefore, the company has started to no longer put a few stakes as a requirement to access the job opportunities now open to each individual regardless of his background. "The academic titles - he told the Huffington Post [1]Maggie Stilwell, managing partner of Ernst & Young -  they will still be considered and indeed remain an important element in evaluating candidates as a whole, but they will no longer be an obstacle. Our internal research of over 400 graduates concluded that student screening based on academic performance alone was too drastic an approach for good recruitment. There is no evidence to conclude that previous success in higher education was correlated with future success in subsequent professional careers undertaken». In the United States, the increase in university tuition has led many students to have no time or money to complete their studies. And perhaps also to intercept possible talent that would have been lost with the qualification requirement, many companies have begun to offer well-paid job opportunities for those with a non-traditional level of education or just a high school diploma. Perhaps the genius capable of making a difference could nestle among these people. "When you look at people who do not go to school and make their way into the world - said Laszlo Bock, former senior vice president of People Operatrions -  you are facing exceptional human beings. And we should do everything possible to find these people». And Google and Ernst & Young are just two of the big companies that have realized that the phenomena in books don't necessarily coincide with the stars in the world of work. In Italy, despite the poor statistics on the number of graduates compared to other European countries, fortunately the academic qualification remains essential for access to the world of work.

The degree if necessary if and when the course of study is carried out with enthusiasm and spirit of achieving real learning, even better if enriched by factors capable of integrating pure school subjects. "In comparison with Europe - writes Istat [2]in the latest research on education and the world of work - Italy has a very backward positionregarding the second objective of Europe 2020 linked to education: to raise the share of 40-30 year-olds with tertiary qualifications to 34%. This objective was considered fundamental in the “knowledge society”, both to stimulate economic growth and to make growth and social inclusion compatible. In 2017, the share of 30-34-year-olds with tertiary qualifications is estimated to be 26,9% (39,9% the EU average). Despite an increase of 2008 points from 2017 to 7,7, Italy is the penultimate among the EU countries and has not managed to reduce the gap with Europe". In the knowledge report published a few months ago, created by Giovanni Alfredo Barbieri and Andrea de Panizza, we see how in Italy despite having this low number of graduates, the degree still represents a sort of pass to access the most coveted jobs . "In 2017 it is estimated that the differential in employment rates between people aged 25-64 who have achieved tertiary qualifications (bachelor's degree) and those who have at most a lower secondary qualification is 28,8 points (EU average 29,7 points). The education premium - understood as greater employability as education levels rise - is equal to 19,1 points in the transition from lower secondary to upper secondary qualification and 9,7 points in comparison between the latter and the tertiary qualification (20,1 and 9,6 points, are the respective EU values). The employment advantage of a high level of education is more marked in the female component in all EU countries and especially in Italy: women who reach tertiary qualifications have an employment rate of over 40 points higher than their peers with a low level. of education (advantage more than double that of men), and the difference between high and medium education is 16,2 points (more than three times greater than that of men) ". So the boys my most important message: the degree is needed, and how!

 

Does the degree still serve to find work? In Italy the pass remains to aim high

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