Reskilling America: Learning to Labor in the Twenty-First Century by Katerine Newman and Hella Winston

There's been a lot of promotion of the need for education beyond the high school degree, particularly promoting easier access to a four year college degree.  I don't believe that is the only, or even best path to success  for most Americans, and neither do these authors.  Newman and Winston take a close look at what kinds of job skills are needed in the current work force and how well our high schools, technical schools, community colleges and colleges are succeeding at helping young people learn those skills. They also examine some programs in other countries, particularly Germany, where there is a very close training and apprenticeship program available to most high school students that does a superior job of preparing students for today's high tech work environment.  It ain't your granddaddy's shop floor any more; now manufacturing jobs focus on fixing the robots that perform the actual work. That takes a good degree of applied math, and great problem solving and communication skills. Good food for thought, especially for those involved or interested in the education system.  246 pages.