OSU Institute of Technology President Bill R. Path wrote an op-ed published in the Tulsa World on Thursday, Mar. 7, addressing the need for higher education reform as it pertains to current workforce issues.

Path challenges universities to go beyond the conventional methods of serving students and to become partners with employers in realizing better economic outcomes.

An increasing demand for high-tech professionals despite a high unemployment rate is commonly referred to as the “skills gap,” and results from a shortage of advanced technology skills among the workforce. OSUIT’s job placement success has resulted from direct involvement with private industry to ensure a seamless classroom to career experience.

“If institutions of higher education are to regain the status and trust they once enjoyed, they must seriously re-examine their methods and outcomes. From the sobering trends we see in the nation’s labor force, there are many hard lessons that higher education must learn.”

Read the full Tulsa World article.