As the cost of college in the US continues to rise, prospective students wonder how their postsecondary education will help them land a career. When universities feel the pressure to prepare students for the ever-changing job market, how does that impact the offered curriculum?

Dr. Rupert Maclean of RMIT University interrogates how a vocationally-driven education model has impacted how we view schooling, and the good—and bad—that can result from this shift. “We have to be careful, because if we move too far in that direction, we might forget that education isn’t just concerned with preparing people for work, it’s concerned with preparing them for life. Because individuals are also voters, and members of civil society. They are people who in my view should also contribute in a comprehensive way to the betterment of their society not just through the labor force.”

In this second episode, Dr. Maclean discusses the appeal of lifelong education in the information age, and how that connects to the rise of the vocationalization of education. “We have to learn over the full span of our lives. We can be assisted with this, but we must also take personal responsibility. If we don’t engage in lifelong learning, we’re going to be left behind. We’re not going to have the repertoire of skills required to continue in gainful employment.”