Title: The role of education in technological competitiveness

Authors: Frank Press

Addresses: President, US National Academy of Sciences, Washington DC, USA

Abstract: According to the author, the educational system in the USA is in trouble. In 1986, for instance, half of the high schools in the USA failed to provide a single physics course, and one quarter offered no chemistry courses. The reason for this is a lack of qualified science leathers. Since the mid-1970s the numbers of bachelor and PhD degrees awarded to US citizens has levelled off, while demand has continued to increase. The resulting shortfall puts US technological competitiveness at risk. The author asks what can be done about this situation, and offers some suggestions.

Keywords: educational system; USA; United States; technological competitiveness; skilled labour force; demographic change; doctoral qualifications; bachelor degree qualifications; higher education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.1991.030366

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 1991 Vol.1 No.4, pp.311 - 318

Published online: 15 Dec 2009 *

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