sparky wrote:My big question is, why do institutes like BCIT, SAIT, NAIT etc keep pumping out "graduates" when this is no market for them? .... All you get with your diploma now is the reminder that you're $20,000.00 plus in debt and no great career on the horizon.
Back in the early 1970s, I remember reading the Vancouver Province with a couple of pages dedicated to listing all of the UBC grads for the year. I was shocked at the huge numbers for some areas with almost zero chances of getting a job. Of course, some continued their education to become more employable with a Masters degree or PhD, but I still couldn't help thinking: Who is going to hire a freshly minted Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology? Then, as now, a Bachelors degree even in a highly employable area like Psychology wouldn't allow you to hang out your shingle as a Psychologist.
Universities have long hidden behind their Academic Freedom to get out of any suggested requirements that they match their output of graduates to the needs of the job market. They even shield most of their Faculties from the need to match their graduates' knowledge base with the needs of employers.
Technical schools like BCIT, SAIT and NAIT came into being to fill that gap. They seem to have lost sight of that as they try to look more and more like universities.
Over the years, I have talked to many a concerned parent about their child wanting to enroll in Radio at a technical school. Often after years of putting off their post-secondary education. My advice remains the same. Rather than discouraging the kid, I suggest being very supportive. The skill set acquired from a decent Radio program can easily be applied to a number of other fields, especially the Presentation and People skills.