You might think this post has got nothing to do with professional writing, job hunting or resumes. But hold your horses.
Until we put a stop to them (for other reasons), we were inundated with international and local university and TAFE graduates who couldn’t write.
They don’t know the subject/object relationship or past, present and future tense rules. Business correspondence is beyond them.
How did they ever get through their degree? How you write reflects how you think.
They were ‘ticked and flicked’ by academics who know international student dollars pay their salaries. Every year, they’re churning them out by the tens of thousands.
The same goes for your local private school, high school or Catholic Year 12 graduates. In Adelaide, universities are offering candidates places before they’ve finished their Year 12 exams.
Why? Money.
The three publicly funded universities are desperate for students. Demographics is finally catching up with them.
The commercialisation of the tertiary sector has been going on for 30 years or more. Now the chooks have come home to roost in Adelaide.
Some of the local students couldn’t write before they went to university. They still can’t on graduation.
They come to us to try turn their scrambled English into standard English.
We say, “see ya later”.
It’s a miserable state of affairs.