Does Education = Qualification?

Jeremy Gordon posted a piece on his China Business Blog talking about the real qualifications of young Chinese graduates. he asks is the Chinese graduates really had the knowledge to lead companies.

First off, are these figures on education which were provided by Joe McGeehan, Director of the Centre for Communications Research at Bristol University (speaking at the Chatham House China Communications conference. He reported that in 2005 in China there were (the referenced source was China Education and Research Network):

• Universities: 701
• Polytechnics: 1,091
• Vocational Institutes: 481

Populating these institutions were:

• Students: 23 million in higher education
• Undergraduates: 15,617,800
• Postgraduates: 978,000

So, there are a lot of students with a lot of qualifications…but the question remains: how many of them are qualified, in practical terms, to achieve things in business? A common theme in conversations recently has been the need for qualified people – not just people with qualifications (as an MBA does not necessarily a great manager make). The “war for talent” (and the fight for staff retention) is one that businesses will have to get used to fighting in China.

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