Education and Training

H-1B Training Fees

H-1B fees fail to lessen reliance on imported IT skills    eWeek, September 18, 2000

Overproduction of Graduate Degrees

American Universities are one of the three pillars of evil (along with immigration lawyers and industry lobbyists) pushing the H-1B program. One of the absudities of visa debate is that unversities turn out more people with graduate degrees in technical field than there are jobs while at the same time industry claims a shortage of technical people.

A fundamental problem with American universities is that their primary focus is graduate education. Professors are measured, not on their teaching school, but on the number of papers they produce and the amount of grant money they bring in. As a result they want more graduate students. At the same time Universities (the major source of employment for people with graduate degrees) are cutting back on full-time staff.

Because university graduate programs have grown beyond what they law of supply and demand can support, they cannot attract enough Americans to fill them. Universities are forced to fill their bloated graduate programs with foriegn students. In computer science 6% of undergraduates are foreign while a majority of graudate students are. In addition, there are financial incentives for universities to enroll foreign graduate students. Universities view the H-1B program and its potential for a job in the U.S. as an incentive for foreign students to enroll.

Sen. Abraham and Congresswoman Lofgren have asked what the logical behind educating foreign students then sending them home. I ask what the logic is of using taxpayer dollars to pay for the education for foreign graduate students in the first place.

Here's How to Get U.S. Universities to Address Tech Worker Shortfall  Los Angeles Times June 16, 2000

Ronald Brownstein acknowledges the apparent paradox between industry cries of a tech worker shortage and the lack of jobs for people with graudate degrees in technical fields.

The report mentioned in this article is in PDF format and can be found here.

Wanted: American Physicists    New York Times July 23, 1999

National security issues ought to force the U.S. to look at its education policies.

Piled Higher and Deeper     American Outlook Fall 1999

"The alleged shortage of highly educated workers in the U.S. is a myth. In fact, we're suffering from a chronic surplus of Ph.D.s."

Distorted Incentives (PDF Format)   February 2000

A report on the financial incentives for universities to enroll foreign graduate students.

Foreign Training

Byting the Bait    The Week August 29, 1999

A description of computer training in India in preparation for an H-1B: A correspondence course college degree and trade school.

Offshore programming talent pool is costly, dwindling     ComputerWorld May 16, 1997

Indian students pay to take training courses in the U.S., leading to an H-1B visa.

Dealflow: Labor importer Peak XV brings home $21 million    Red Herring, July 17, 2000

A H-1B Bodyshop as a stock pick.

Maharishi University of Management

A clever mechanism to take advantage of current proposals that would not apply the H-1B quota towards people with graduate degrees from U.S. schools.

H-1B visa: Your trip may be harrowing     Times of India, April 11, 2001

A description of fraudulent credential mills in India designed for H-1B

Training in the U.S.

Tuition payments, in-house classes on decline, two new studies show    ComputerWorld    March 30, 1998

U.S. companies complain about not being able to find workers at the same time they cut back on training.

By the Numbers     Washington Post March 29, 1999

A report on a training program in the U.S.

Company in the Spotlight: No rest for Blue Hammock     Pittsburgh Post-Gazette August 13, 2000

How a company trains H-1B workers before bringing them to the U.S.