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IBM High School To Churn Out IT Pros
theodp writes "This week, NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the City University of New York and IBM are creating a computer science-focused school in the city that will span grades 9-14 (students leave with an associate's degree). Graduates who pass muster will reportedly be first in line for jobs at IBM. 'The idea is to create a new [educational] model for science, technology, engineering, and math — areas where companies are aggressively hiring,' explained IBM's Stanley Litow. 'If you look at hiring requirements, you won't see a huge amount of difference in a lot of entry-level IT jobs.' No word yet on the school colors or whether a uniform will be required. IBM is giving the city $250,000 to create the school, which might have looked pretty generous if that Zuckerberg kid hadn't upped the ante with his $100,000,000 donation."
Given the recent history of IBM and other major corporations and their aggressive outsourcing of formerly well paying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs, ironically the very sort of jobs that Obama is desperately trying to promote amongst America's brightest high school students, why should we accept their PR crap without looking at what they really want. No doubt IBM is hoping to use and then discard bright high school students, taking advantage of their brilliance and naivete about the real world to squeeze lots of low cost work out of them before burning them out and discarding them. How are we supposed to get bright high school students excited about the years of schooling and study required to get a STEM job only to finish years later and find that no job is waiting for them? Surely these bright high school students can see through this charade? Well, one can hope anyway. IBM and the others have much work to do if they are to regain the trust of perspective science and technology students. Perhaps if they are wise, and I'm not holding my breath, they can start here by promising not to use and then discard these bright students as they have been known to do with their present employees; loyalty is a two way street after all.
Good thing he woke up to allow comments on this story.
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What could possibly go wrong? I imagine this will end up as successful as Bill Gates' ventures into education.
Maybe these tech barons should stick to computers and stop trying to play god with children's futures.
i'm always willing to support an attempt at alternative forms of education. i honestly wish i had a similar opportunity as a high-schooler.
the only concern i'd have (and which has probably already been addressed) is to make sure the students get a diploma or GED at the end of the twelfth year. not seeing any indicator on that in tfa.
Has anyone with an Associates degree been hired by IBM lately in the US? Has IBM hired anyone in the US lately?
There's a whole lot of laid off IBM workers that are wondering the same thing, I'm thinking.
rd
Perhaps IBM is looking to hire help that has the same skillset, yet lacks the education. Following the mantra of "you don't have a college education, so we will pay you less...never mind we engineered your education to be college-free". Why go over to India if we can develop a reduced-skillset-less-pay workforce at home?
IBM gets some tech people with only a HS education. I'm sure they will be paid as well as college grads.
Statistically they will actually be better paid.
No word yet on the school colors or whether a uniform will be required.
... and also no word on whether the school canteen will serve wedges with sweet chili sauce, sour cream, or both.
So what?
I'm serious:
Reminded of how the owner of a local store chain that includes a pharmacy funding a pharmacy school at one of the local colleges; he didn't make it obvious beyond the "stick donor's name on the building" sense.
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
Didn't you get the memo? Look, there goes your job. Get on a plane to Bangalore and chase it.
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
Wrong country. This high school should have been started in Bangalore. Where are the poor fucks who graduate in NYC going to find work?
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
Seriously, this is just sliding into some cyberpunk fantasy where the corporations own and run everything. IBM has a special school; these kids will be exploited as little codemonsters until they grow up and decide whether to move on or accept their predetermined lot in life. New grads are cheap, but you usually have to teach them how to acceptably code and work with your tools. Well, now IBM has that angle covered. Instant productivity!
I don't like it, but if that's your bag, I won't hold it against you. Another evolution of the big business model. I bet that it will do pretty well for them until all of the other big corporations jump on board.
It would be ok...ish.... if entry to this school was not on a lottery system. What if you end up there and don't want to go into IT? What if you want to do art, or music or another subject that needs adequate funding rather than just being shoved in as a sideline (if that)? What is wrong with going about education the normal way, where you go to school to get a broad education, then go to university (or college of whatever americans do) to specialise, or go off and do a modern apprenticeship in something useful? Or basically have any choice in your future if you want to do something other than being a low level, non-university educated IT grunt worker? Would you want your child to go to this school? Because I sure wouldn't.