What's Up?

By Mike Rives

We have an up and coming generation of 16 to 24 year olds, a generation of Xers, and a retiring baby boomer population, so what do we do now?

At the same time as the educational system is in an identity crisis, we have three distinct generations, the boomers, the xers, and the 16-24 year olds, we have to provide for.

For the boomers, who are beginning to now retire, in mass, we have to guarantee decent health care and that is by providing healthcare workers and nurses to care for them.

For the Generation Xers, we have to provide training for jobs in an economy that has become service orientated. They need meaningful productive jobs that provide more than a minimum wage and a chance to make a decent living like the boommers did most of their lives.

And, finally, we have the 16-24 group, who some call, generation N. They try Community College and they drop out. So, they struggle to find themselves inadequately trained to face the future. Those who managed to go Community College or somehow get into the state university system are so lacking in the skills to succeed that they must take remedial classes prompting the colleges involved to ask themselves what were the public schools doing by graduating these people?

This is the problem facing the Community College District. My next paper discusses some possible solutions.