MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Boeing, Microsoft advising schools on course work

Jun 11, 2012, 7:14 AM | Updated: 8:42 am

Big companies, like Boeing and Microsoft, looking for skilled workers, are making sure that college...

Big companies, like Boeing and Microsoft, looking for skilled workers, are making sure that college graduates are ready to contribute in the workplace. (AP Photo/file)

(AP Photo/file)

Big companies, like Boeing and Microsoft, looking for skilled workers, are making sure that college graduates are ready to contribute in the workplace.

With so many scientists and engineers reaching retirement age, U.S. companies are teaming with colleges and universities to advise on curricula.

One student at Georgia Tech tells Bloomberg: “Microsoft and Google are practically part of the College of Computing.”

Rick Stephens, with human resources at Boeing, says when the graduates get a job, “they can actually do real work.”

The corporate involvement comes as state legislators cut back on funding for higher education.

Some academics worry that universities are becoming too vocational but with the unemployment rate for college graduates age 24 and younger at more than 9 percent, young engineers say the collaboration makes sense and they’re happy for the opportunity.

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Boeing, Microsoft advising schools on course work