A couple of speakers here talking about education have emphasized the need to expand and extend training credentialing, so that skills earned in a variety of contexts - work, college, various training programs - can be universally recognized and provide more job portability for those skills. I'm not sure what I think about this. Discuss!One constant point of contention in my field has been whether university journalism school is worth the time and money. Some say anyone with decent smarts and motivation can learn all they need on the job; others say formal instruction is essential.
(In recent decades, few newspapers have been willing to train new hires from square one. I don't know much about TV, radio or other media.)
As it is, though, the news media hate the idea of "credentialing", probably because it seems similar to "licensing", which is anathema to the U.S. journalistic culture. The journalism degree has become a de facto journalism credential, but except for some certificate programs in copy editing and technical writing, nothing comparable exists.
Is that for the best? Or should we journalists (and j-teachers) start considering the value of non-degree training and credentialing programs? Especially with the diverse multimedia skills in demand these days, it may help both journalists and their employers or clients to have some recognized standards. This needs some thought.
