Sunday, July 1, 2007

Job Outsourcing and Education

After 40 years of continually declining standards, academic and behavior wise we now have a situation where our students are having trouble managing their "anything goes" attitude in the workplace. The following paragraph from Parade Magazine, July 1, expresses the ramifications very well.

How Safe Is Your Job?
You could lose your job to a foreign worker—not because he’s cheaper but because he has better workplace skills and discipline. That’s the message Labor Secretary Elaine Chao hears from U.S. executives who are worried about America’s competitive future. While losses are low thus far—one study estimates that only 280,000 jobs in the service industry out of 115 million are outsourced each year—that could change. Beyond the cheaper cost of labor, U.S. employers say that many workers abroad simply have a better attitude toward work. “American employees must be punctual, dress appropriately and have good personal hygiene,” says Chao. “They need anger-management and conflict-resolution skills, and they have to be able to accept direction. Too many young people bristle when a supervisor asks them to do something.”

Perhaps this information can provide backbone to those instructors who still believe that standards, knowledge, discipline and real achievement are valid.