Ah, the omniscient, always-benevolent bureaucrat who can outsmart millions of consumers and regulate our country's way back to prosperity. Let's keep such characters in fairy tales where they belong.
While I agree that it is dangerous to put so much power on a single person even well meaning people, what makes you think that the mob/masses is any more able to make the right decisions? In fact, the entire tenet of markets is that people can be lead over a precipe and show almost no critical thinking whatsoever, and can be manipulated and coerced into almost anything. I don't know what the solution is, but the notion that markets get it right is provably wrong.
This thread shows what is wrong with society in general. Since I can use any axioms I want and any assumptions, I can prove whatever I want. Therefore, one can continue to obfuscate the obvious, what is happening on the front lines in the real world, that people are becoming more desperately and less able to make ends meet. If this cannot be resolved, I swear this will escalate to a place where there will be no turning back and then EVERYONE loses. What is amazing is that it is so glaringly obvious, and yet people become more and more righteous as the days go by, entrenching themselves deeper into their static ideals.
Here is my solution. Corporations need experienced tech savvy employees. The educational system is not giving them what they need. Set up their own schools to compete with the system. Students are required to intern at sponsoring corporations to help pay their way. Upon graduation, assuming a decent grade, the person will be hired. The student will pay 1/2 of tuition over x years back. So instead of complaining (which is what they claim OWS are doing) why don't corporations put their money where their mouth is and take initiative? Include in the 10K or 10Q whatever that .01 of every penny earned instead of a dividend and .01 of buy backs go to the corporate school system. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THAT? IT WORKS NOW. EVERYONE WINS! NO MORE GIGANTIC DEBT THAT CAN'T BE PAYED BACK, AND YOU GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT FROM AN EMPLOYEE.
Because outside of the military or a union trades hall it does not in fact work. Private enterprise corporations cannot legally structure an employment contract with a non-compete binding enough to recoup their considerable investment in such a concept. The other point is that skillset requirements and technology is changing so fast, that a static academic curriculum is not really all that helpful. Do you really believe that a fresh college grad is all that useful ?
How does Siemens and other major Germany companies do it then, provide training, etc. Non competes are dependent on state and exclusivity, etc. To your point I have worked at many companies where the non compete held no water as it was deemed preventing someone from making a reasonable living. A fresh college grad relevance depends on how good their training is to their desired field. A grad with accounting and finance is probably a decent fit for HSBC, not so with a liberal arts degree. Vice versa with a finance major working as a gov. social worker.
You know the answer as well as anyone. Because corps. don't want to spend money on training that they can get their political croonies to fund. In a capitalist system everyone is motivated by their own self interest and greed. It's what keeps the system going.
Nothing at all wrong with it. It is a good idea. But realize that you are talking more about job training rather than education. And, as I'm sure you are aware, many corporations have already in place job training programs for their new hires. If you think corporations are going to be enthusiastic about subsidizing English Lit., Philosophy, or Chinese History, I would think that's unlikely.