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4. Why Geography Is So Important

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The Great Skills Gap
This chapter is in the book The Great Skills Gap
434WHY GEOGRAPHY IS SO IMPORTANTMichael L. UlicaABSTRACTGeography is much more than knowing where things are located. Without basic geographic knowledge, it is impossible to make informed decisions in our personal, professional, and civic lives. Geography is critical to our natural world and the health of the environment, to our culture and other cultures around the globe, and to the very future of humankind and our planet. Understanding geography helps us be better global citizens. Within those contexts, geography also has a vital role to play in the workplace. Geographic knowledge, skills, and technology provide a means to com-prehend the rapidly changing physical and cultural environments of the world. Further, understanding geography is essential for a workplace that is characterized by economic globalization, diversity, and job mobility and that requires a sophisticated understanding of cultures other than our own.Geography is much more than places on a map or memorizing state capitals. It is the foundation on which all other social sciences are based. Without basic geographic knowledge, it’s impossible to make informed decisions in our personal, professional, and civic lives. Geography is criti-cal to our natural world and the health of the environment, to our culture and other cultures around the globe, and to the very future of humankind and our planet. Many economic, political, and personal decisions rely on sophisticated networks. An understanding of climate and the environment, for example, enables good decision making by informed and responsible global citizens.
© 2021 Stanford University Press, Redwood City

434WHY GEOGRAPHY IS SO IMPORTANTMichael L. UlicaABSTRACTGeography is much more than knowing where things are located. Without basic geographic knowledge, it is impossible to make informed decisions in our personal, professional, and civic lives. Geography is critical to our natural world and the health of the environment, to our culture and other cultures around the globe, and to the very future of humankind and our planet. Understanding geography helps us be better global citizens. Within those contexts, geography also has a vital role to play in the workplace. Geographic knowledge, skills, and technology provide a means to com-prehend the rapidly changing physical and cultural environments of the world. Further, understanding geography is essential for a workplace that is characterized by economic globalization, diversity, and job mobility and that requires a sophisticated understanding of cultures other than our own.Geography is much more than places on a map or memorizing state capitals. It is the foundation on which all other social sciences are based. Without basic geographic knowledge, it’s impossible to make informed decisions in our personal, professional, and civic lives. Geography is criti-cal to our natural world and the health of the environment, to our culture and other cultures around the globe, and to the very future of humankind and our planet. Many economic, political, and personal decisions rely on sophisticated networks. An understanding of climate and the environment, for example, enables good decision making by informed and responsible global citizens.
© 2021 Stanford University Press, Redwood City

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. Foreword xi
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I: Talent of the Future: Are We Missing the Mark?
  6. First Introduction 9
  7. Second Introduction 11
  8. 1. Equipping a New Generation with the Skills Needed in the Automation Age 17
  9. 2. The Role of Citizen Developers in Developing Technological Literacy 29
  10. 3. The Future of Work: Four Difficult Questions I Ask Myself as an Employer 37
  11. 4. Why Geography Is So Important 43
  12. 5. Enabling a High-Performing, Human-Centered Organization in Pfizer’s Upjohn Division 50
  13. 6. How the Future of Work Impacts the Workforce of Technical Organizations 59
  14. 7. Corporate Learning and Development Has a Vital Role to Play in the Robotics Revolution—Is It Ready? 67
  15. Part II: Higher Education: Still the Solution for a Workforce in Flux?
  16. First Introduction 73
  17. Second Introduction 75
  18. 8. Supporting Unlearning to Enable Upskilling 79
  19. 9. Higher Education’s Changing Faces: Serving STEM Learners for a Lifetime 85
  20. 10. The Future of Business Education: New Economies of Automation, Certification, and Scale 92
  21. 11. Back to the Future: Fragile Workers, Higher Education, and the Future Knowledge Economy 103
  22. 12. The Evolution of the Liberal Arts 112
  23. 13. The Evolution of Liberal Education in a Technology-Mediated, Global Society 120
  24. 14. The Core and the Adult Student 129
  25. 15. Perpetual Learning as Alumni Engagement: Renewing the Social Contract 141
  26. Part III: Bridging the Gap between Learning and Labor
  27. First Introduction 151
  28. Second Introduction 153
  29. 16. Harnessing the Power and Potential of Diversity and Inclusion 159
  30. 17. Public Education and the Future of Work 171
  31. 18. Developing Workers for the Workplace: How Businesses and Higher Education Can Alleviate Worker Barriers to Retraining or Upskilling 179
  32. 19. Past as Prologue: Apprenticeship and the Future of Work 184
  33. 20. Bachelor’s-Level Registered Apprenticeship for Engineers: Possibilities and Challenges 194
  34. 21. The Agility Imperative: The Future of Work and Business–Higher Education Partnerships 203
  35. 22. Demand for the “Blended Digital Professional” 210
  36. 23. A Coherent Approach to Connect: Education and the Future of Work 217
  37. Conclusion 224
  38. Notes 233
  39. About the Contributors 257
  40. Index 275
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503628076-008

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. Foreword xi
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I: Talent of the Future: Are We Missing the Mark?
  6. First Introduction 9
  7. Second Introduction 11
  8. 1. Equipping a New Generation with the Skills Needed in the Automation Age 17
  9. 2. The Role of Citizen Developers in Developing Technological Literacy 29
  10. 3. The Future of Work: Four Difficult Questions I Ask Myself as an Employer 37
  11. 4. Why Geography Is So Important 43
  12. 5. Enabling a High-Performing, Human-Centered Organization in Pfizer’s Upjohn Division 50
  13. 6. How the Future of Work Impacts the Workforce of Technical Organizations 59
  14. 7. Corporate Learning and Development Has a Vital Role to Play in the Robotics Revolution—Is It Ready? 67
  15. Part II: Higher Education: Still the Solution for a Workforce in Flux?
  16. First Introduction 73
  17. Second Introduction 75
  18. 8. Supporting Unlearning to Enable Upskilling 79
  19. 9. Higher Education’s Changing Faces: Serving STEM Learners for a Lifetime 85
  20. 10. The Future of Business Education: New Economies of Automation, Certification, and Scale 92
  21. 11. Back to the Future: Fragile Workers, Higher Education, and the Future Knowledge Economy 103
  22. 12. The Evolution of the Liberal Arts 112
  23. 13. The Evolution of Liberal Education in a Technology-Mediated, Global Society 120
  24. 14. The Core and the Adult Student 129
  25. 15. Perpetual Learning as Alumni Engagement: Renewing the Social Contract 141
  26. Part III: Bridging the Gap between Learning and Labor
  27. First Introduction 151
  28. Second Introduction 153
  29. 16. Harnessing the Power and Potential of Diversity and Inclusion 159
  30. 17. Public Education and the Future of Work 171
  31. 18. Developing Workers for the Workplace: How Businesses and Higher Education Can Alleviate Worker Barriers to Retraining or Upskilling 179
  32. 19. Past as Prologue: Apprenticeship and the Future of Work 184
  33. 20. Bachelor’s-Level Registered Apprenticeship for Engineers: Possibilities and Challenges 194
  34. 21. The Agility Imperative: The Future of Work and Business–Higher Education Partnerships 203
  35. 22. Demand for the “Blended Digital Professional” 210
  36. 23. A Coherent Approach to Connect: Education and the Future of Work 217
  37. Conclusion 224
  38. Notes 233
  39. About the Contributors 257
  40. Index 275
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