Date: Friday, January 8th 2016

Participants (from 14 countries):

Host: Rick

Co-Host: Johny

Teams

Panel PRO (team A): Amin, Taregh, Imad, Ganaa, Behnam, Ayisha, Mohiuddin, Grace, Faiza.

Panel CON (team B): Ibrahim, Noorola.

Audience (team C): Johny, Hafsa, Seif, Amy, Tibi, Reneesh.

Panel PRO summary (Team A):

There are many people who despite having finished their studies at university and received their degree are jobless and cannot find jobs.
If these people would invest a little of their time on studying vocational skills, they may find job an interim job until they find the job meets both their educational studies and meets their long term career needs.
Most people after graduating from university find it difficult to cope up with the job they studied for. This happens because they lack practical experience which oftentimes is essential for either being effective in their new career or retaining the job once they have acquired it. Frequently these new employees will find themselves in need of extensive training from more experienced personnel, which can create inefficiencies to the bottom line of the company.
Vocational training is efficient because it is practical, faster and economical. It is job oriented and focused on specific skills sets.
Vocational training is useful for those people who thrive to know what they are capable of and to find their cup of tea.
In some places, it’s observed that vocational jobs provide a higher income than those that people receive based on their university studies. (Plumbers, electricians etc can all earn a good income in some countries).
These jobs can complement or be a lifesaver for those whose income may not be sufficient.
Vocational training and subsequent job opportunities, can give students an opportunity to pay the high university fees and expenses.
Vocational training programs help notably to decrease the unemployment rate and they also help people to be independent.
When we have something in our house that is broken, and we need some electrician or repairman, it would be better to hire a person who has at least received some training or experience in order to perform a good job with our appliances or house.
Vocational training provides a diversity of skills sets, that can always be used and also, can be used on a global level. Basic skills such as plumbing, electricians etc, are in demand just about anywhere in the world.
Vocational training gives us the tools to learn how to do something in real life and not just in theory.
Often at a national level in many countries, the economic "mapping" of needed job skills, i.e. high tech, does not correspond to educational priorities, or there is insufficient diversity within the job skills required, leading to large populations of highly educated but unemployed people.

Panel CON summary (Team B):

In institutes, academies and universities we are taught in more depth about global matters and we gain knowledge that also helps us in our character development, responsibility and other personal traits, compared to going to a vocational training center where we only obtain limited knowledge and instructions.
Statistically, there are more students in universities and institutes than in vocational training centers because there is an abysmal difference in the benefits. The reason is very simple: we will get better jobs and better salaries if we have the jobs that universities prepare us for.
We can go further if we study at universities than studying vocational training centers.
Big companies and business do not hire us unless we have received a proper university or college degree.
We can better foresee the Earth’s future if we count on proper knowledge and high university education.
The people who have often made big changes for the humanity and in technology were scientists and scientists do not get their powerful knowledge from vocational training centers.
Whether we like it or not, in many countries in the world today, your opportunities to have a stable and profitable career are dependent on whether or not you have a degree, and this is specifically true with certain career choices: Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science, Education etc.

Questions segment:

Mohiuddin’s question to team B: “Does vocational training have any bad impacts?”

Ibrahim’s Answer: It doesn’t have any. However, the kind of education given by vocational training is very basic whereas the education at universities is more complete. It makes people gather in one special place and it promotes a sense of community. It also gathers all information in just one place.

Mohiuddin’s rebuttal: How people obtain the information is irrelevant to the question. Anyhow, vocational training is as necessary and beneficial to the society as the education at universities because we all need people who can know how to perform these necessary vocations.

Behnam’s question to team B: We all need money so “what is your solution for this problem?”

Noorola’s answer: Although money is important, it’s not the only thing that matters. Knowledge is also very much important.

Ibrahim’s answer: We decide to study for either earning money for some other reasons. We don’t live in a perfect world; if the world were perfect we wouldn’t have to worry about being unemployed. In the past, there were fewer people with university degree and they use to work in low rank positions which were enough. But the world has changed and so did the market. Nowadays people need better jobs and even degrees are not enough now. If people have a lack of better education, they will have problems in this life. If not finding a job is the problem, even with a university degree, then the solution is to search for jobs in other places, in other cities.

Ganaa’s question to team B: “how do you define ‘a successful career’?”

Noorola’s answer: If you study at a university and have an academic education then you are a successful person; if you don’t then you are not.

Ibrahim’s answer: Nowadays the world has become a materialistic world. Many people think define success as “the more money you have, the more successful you are”. This concept makes people forget about the other valuable aspects of life. Enjoying what you do is what makes you be successful.

Team C summary:

Both of them are important. However, for people who need to find job fast, it’s easier and faster to find a job with a vocational training than after years of education at a university.
The problem is when we have just graduated from university because even with a degree or certificate, it’s difficult to prove oneself when we are new in a work place. But if we have some experience and practical knowledge coupled with a degree, it can make success easier to achieve. Nonetheless, companies nowadays don’t offer good positions to people absent degree or certificate. They care more about papers and documents than what the person is capable of.
Good jobs are being bestowed to people with degrees.
It depends on what you want: if you just want to have a job, you may want to take the shortest path and start working in matter of months (depending on the length of the vocational course) but if you want something more, something bigger, then a vocational training may not be enough.
Companies require degrees and certificates for higher positions.
Having a good degree can take you farther in this life

Votes (team C):

Hafsa remained undecided.
Johny voted for team B.

Team B won this debate. Thanks everyone for participating. Below are the links to listen to this discussion.

Listen Online:

Download:

Google Drive | Dropbox