Jobs -What do tech companies owe students?

Posted By: Joe Wilson | Jul 10th, 2006 @ 1:29 PM

I decided to ditch the HS reunion information any further, comments were light and its clear that's not somethign anyone wants to really re-live. Especially me now that I've had some time to look behind me. Whew.....scary stuff, you should have seen my hair!

This week I'm thinking a lot about jobs for students and to what degree major corporations are responsible for this. You'd think we should be out there singing praises of students to make them come to work to our company or any others but it seems that we always come up short with the really hard work of connecting them to jobs. Sure, we have training programs and so on but what they really want is for every company to say...hey! I want you to come to work here right now! I'll change your life and give you a big fat paycheck.

I think corporations however, stop at the edge of skills training and the concept of employability when they should push right on over the edge to setting up job boards that cater to their set of partners and customers looking for talent. Let's just take it all the way and connect the freakin dots here.

There is however, liability with this and an expectation that comes with it. Just becasue we make technology does that automatically equal a job? Hmmmmm.....if we're asking you to learn and use our stuff should we connect you to jobs??

Love to hear the opinions on this one.

Joe

Tags: education

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system

Pingback from Gregory Wurm's Blog : Jobs -What do tech companies owe students?

akaBigWurm

In reply to system

#Jul 11th, 2006 @ 11:12 AM

Yeah I know trackbacks are anoying, but it was a way to test it out

Dengin

We don't owe students anything. If they want a job, they can get it the way everyone else gets it. By being outstanding, looking for a while, and start from the bottom.
That's my main problem with the bottom of the barrel, the Chubb graduates. They're being brainwashed into thinking they're the shiznit, and come to an interview with 18 months of theoretical 'experience' acting like I should be honored to have them working for me. Excuse me, but F that.
If companies have a college hire program, that's great, mostly, as long as the hiring process is fair, and really taps into the skills and talents of the graduate, whether technical or not. Employees should have employee skills, contractors should have technical skills.

benfulton

In reply to Dengin

#Jul 11th, 2006 @ 1:39 PM

That is only true if the available talent pool is greater than the number of companies looking to hire. If there are more companies looking than there are students at the top of the barrel, the companies have a choice: take someone from the bottom of the barrel, or make the barrel bigger.

ayson

with software competitions like the "imagine cup" I think microsoft should arrange an internship program at least

Buba

I think it’s a great corporate philosophy to want to help young people achieve, but relying on the private sector ultimately will limit where the opportunities exist. By no means am I a believer in big government, but there needs to be a national apprenticeship/job shadowing program that will benefit kids across all social-economic levels. Kids get experience and companies get a tax break or other incentive. Kids should be leaving senior year with some useable skill and not just a head full of names and dates. Working in schools for several years, I have seen so many kids leave senior year unprepared for college or entry into the working world. Those that go onto college at least have some more time to prepare but as someone who has to do hiring, even after obtaining an undergrad, only the top ones can come onboard and be productive without quite a bit of hand holding. The best employees are those which are passionate about what they are doing (obviously). If they find this passion while at college great, if not public education needs to foster this desire and help find an area they will excel at. Couple that with getting real world experience and you would have a productive employee before they are old enough to hit the pub on Friday. Plus you can pay them nothing and throw caffeine and maki rolls at them to keep them going (half-kidding, worker exploitation is wrong).

Briace