Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Is Canada’s Working Class Overcredentialed?

We are churning out more qualifications than needed when workers with the correct credentials are overlooked. How can society, parents, guidance counsellors, colleges, and universities better direct students?

By Andrew Regnerus, Ontario Construction Coordinator

The Research on Overcredentialling

I have been mulling over a new research paper on working class overcredentialling from the think tank Cardus. Working class means occupations that do not require postsecondary credentials. The authors describe technical classes and professional and management classes that do require various postsecondary credentials.

Cardus respects the “parity of esteem” for degree, diploma, and trades certificates. They carefully use the term overcredentialled and not overqualified or overeducated. Educational pursuits are not solely focused on career.

In the working class, 56 percent have a postsecondary credential (two-thirds are a college degree and one-third university), and the trend line is increasing. The overcredentialled are not paid more than their coworkers.

The Concerns

There is no problem if the working class pursue education for its intrinsic value or take a job for reasons other than matching their credentials. However, there are economic costs. Taxpayer-subsidized tuition is underused. Human capital could be deployed better. Getting a job that matches the education might pay a higher salary. There are also opportunity costs in going to school instead of earlier entry to the workforce.

The biggest trouble is frustration from taking a job that doesn’t harness your education. You may have unfilled potential and unrealized dreams. Discontentment at work often results.

Reasons and Causes

When employers look for unneeded credentials, credential inflation comes. The spiral is that applicants then do need to overshoot job requirements just to get an interview.

Society is churning out more qualifications than needed when workers with the correct credentials are overlooked. The employers who have found that overqualified applicants become unsatisfied employees buck this trend.

Couldn’t society, parents, guidance counsellors, colleges, and universities better direct students? We have a shortage of skilled trades workers while we churn out unharnessed degrees and diplomas. The knowledge economy will not employ 100 percent of the future workforce!

Only One of the Solutions: Education

Cardus makes several policy recommendations. I will focus only on education policy. Unions impact education policy and are interested in workers and workforce development.

Programs need to match credentials with job needs.
Skills are needed more than education. University grads go to community college to get skills and experience needed to compete for jobs their degree should have them prepared for. Universities have been providing more experiential learning. Co-op programs, once found mostly in community colleges, are now in universities.
Continuing education needs more attention. Because skill demands change with technology and demand, earning microcredentials is the way of the future.
Funding policy guides students. Student tuition varies with their education stream. In Ontario, ironically, trade school education is cheap (free for union apprentices). Many students incur debt earning a degree that won’t match their future job needs, whereas low trades tuition, plus years of paid experiential apprenticeship, mean trades grads have a sizeable home downpayment instead of student loans.
The system needs greater transferability (permeability) from one stream to another. Student credits between university, trade school, and college should be recognized.
Better career prep is needed at high school. Because of its high value, career consideration ought to be a credit course. It is not enough to take a career aptitude survey, host an annual career day, and have a chat with the guidance counsellor. Awareness of employment trends, personal career suitability, and the training students need after grade 12 is needed.
Parents need to know about careers and know what schools are teaching. Bring your kid to work. Introduce them to friends who practice a variety of occupations.

Conclusion

Overcredentialling is a trend. Employers can control it. Parents can help kids make better school choices. Policymakers can leverage education (and other) policy areas for desired social outcomes.

The value of postsecondary education is not only in employment outcomes. Degrees and diplomas enhance the nonworking parts of people’s lives, too.

Education is seldom a waste. However, grads with skill sets that match their job requirements are less frustrated in work and life. It is worth some effort to make this happen.

Is Canada’s Working Class Overcredentialed?

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