Hi there I am fascinated by the question but would be the first to admit that this is not my own subject specialism unlike the previous commentator. Can't help thinking by the way that there is more than a hint of irony in that sentence. My own general feeling is that is a world of so much specialism with depth as well as breadth of knowledge it is necessary both theoretically as well as practically to focus on particular specialist areas from quite early on. In terms of how that translates into job proficiency at the outset it doesn't.  Subject matter does not equip you with proficiency to do a job. It does however equip you with an understanding of the subject area under pinning the practicalities of the job but that knowledge is just the beginning and one must then aquire the necessary practical skills by actually performing technical tasks refining and troubleshooting skills; there is no substitute for experience 

Hi there I am fascinated by the question but would be the first to admit that this is not my own subject specialism unlike the previous commentator. Can't help thinking by the way that there is more than a hint of irony in that sentence. My own general feeling is that is a world of so much specialism with depth as well as breadth of knowledge it is necessary both theoretically as well as practically to focus on particular specialist areas from quite early on. In terms of how that translates into job proficiency at the outset it doesn't.  Subject matter does not equip you with proficiency to do a job. It does however equip you with an understanding of the subject area under pinning the practicalities of the job but that knowledge is just the beginning and one must then aquire the necessary practical skills by actually performing technical tasks refining and troubleshooting skills; there is no substitute for experience 

In courses with licensing requirement, the effectiveness of the teachers with regards to the future profession is measured by the result of the licensing exam. For other fields of study, the school can probably do a tracer study of their students of what they are doing after graduating. This might help evaluate the effectivity of the teacher. However, this is not enough as the graduate may opt to the other things not related to their degree.

Sometimes depending on where you study, you get more exposure to the industry and entrepreneurial skills along with your specific subject content. In my case, I found studying for my doctoral degree in Workforce Education and Development did not give me enough international exposure especially to developing country contexts ( more relevant to me). So, it tool a while for me to get a handle on what was going on in my own field locally before I could fit back into my professional context locally.

WOW! I am also overly fascinated with this question. It is right up my area of expertise. However, I would still feel inadequate in trying to respond to it with a definitive position. So let me offer this insight: As a buainess leader and professor I not certain if schools were ever designed to teach students about how to make a living with their professional skills vs how to be knowledgeable enough in their profession that they know where to start (that might lead to a job in a few instances but not in the majority). What I mean by “where to start” is that they understand the terrain and can make effective decisions the best place to start to help ensure a job or success. Technical or Trade Schools and Home Schools were designed to help students earn a living upon on completion. These schools contain that internships or apprenticeships climate that assist in making a living. I may be off on a tangent, so let me stop here and re-read a few other inputs and come back another day. Hope this provides some help!

In the United States where a large portion of College tuition is funded by Student Loans backed by the Federal Government a new era of accountability has forced a nationwide review of the question, " Is this tuition subsidy producing graduates that are capable of doing anything to grow the economy" Schools are being rated based on a score of the employability of their graduates.

Traditional Universities have historically avoided the subject of job skills because they considered that the purview of technical colleges, not real universities.  But given the global economy and the increased competition in all disciplines I think the issue of, "How will you create value in the marketplace for your expertise" should be an essential component  of higher education.  

This value isn't always about money. Some professions add a lot of value even though they are not financially lucrative. Grammar school teachers for example.  But whose job is it to teach college graduates how to earn a living?