How are my school's college grads faring? (In particular, those of the University-of-Wisconsin System?)

While we don't know exactly, the limited data paint a poor picture. Will more data save or damn the UW?

Despite rising graduate under-employment, there remains societal pressure for teenagers to be "preppies" and set their sights on a 4-year university degree, instead of "settle for" a 2-year technical degree or vocational certification.

To help disabuse the notion that one is a "failure" for choosing a "narrower" vo-tech education over the "broader" liberal arts education, I've spotlighted how the Wisconsin Technical Colleges boast job-placement rates exceeding 90 percent...

...While even the so-called "flagship" University of Wisconsin school, UW-Madison, concedes a job-placement rate of between 54 and 64 percent.*

(*Depending on whether you're counting those accepted to grad school as working full-time -- the federal BLS does not.)

Unfortunately, many youth are encouraged by their parents, teachers, and peers to pursue the riskier, 4-year degrees. (The bachelor's degrees and so-called "advanced degrees.")

They set their sights on universities, without knowing how many college graduates have been unable to get job offers for entry-level professional and administrative roles.

(-Not- executive positions, just entry-level office jobs, which remain off-limits despite earning the degree and working their way through school in unskilled positions.)

For instance, the "satellite schools" of the UW System generally do not disclose job-placement rates. Why not?

Nominally, because they're "not required," but in reality, because they're so abysmal.

-What This Petition Does-

1) This petition -removes- the excuse, "We're not required to disclose job-placement rates."

2) This petition -empowers- the student-consumer and his or her parents!

3) This petition is the solution to the disconnection between teachers and colleges saying, "We don't have enough graduates in these fields," and employers saying, "We don't care if you're a college graduate in an in-demand field. You wasted your time and money by going to that (public, nonprofit, accredited) school."

The market will thereby have the knowledge by-which-to identify the "winners" and "losers" among local schools -- because really, how-many of us -don't want- to relocate for school? -- and help us decide-if we even want-to enroll at any of the available universities, colleges, etc.

Thank you for signing.

Respectfully,

Joseph Ohler, Jr.

Manual Laborer with a Master's Degree

(Public Administration, UW-Milwaukee - 2010)