In the US, as like in the rest of the world, we rely on qualified professionals to undertake valuable work.

We insist that only highly qualified doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals look after us when we are ill, injured or need help. We look for trained and qualified tradesmen to build our house's, fix our electrics, and sort out our plumbing. We hire qualified lawyers and solictors to defend us, to follow up a case, or to look after our contracts. We look to qualified accountants to take care of our books. We look to trained soldiers and officers to fight our wars, defend our country and interests, and peace keep in war torn countries.

But our representatives could be any tom, dick or harry (I mean no offence by this statement as the vast majority do actually do a good job), but would a trained tom, trained dick, or trained harry not be better for more effective and efficient governance?

But, we do not have a program of educating people who have the aspirations of becoming public representatives. Sometimes we elect either someone based on party, sometimes based on if they walk the walk and talk the talk, sometimes we vote on experience, personality, vision etc...

But we, as a country, do not tend to vote on who is actually the most qualified to lead - this is mainly because there is no set route for people to learn how to become efficient and educated leaders. We do, in a round about way, teach some of these prospective representatives with courses such as politics, finance, law and those sorts of studies, but there is no specifically designed route for training our leaders. 

Is this because people do not want elites, or elitism in our society? Well if that is the reason, the fact is Essay4Students already have a form of elitism in US governance. Just look at the number of privately educated and Ox-bridge members of the Governments cabinet. The private and the Ox-bridge education, for the few who can afford it or be privileged enough to receive it, are actually taught the key skills needed to become great orators, great representatives...and so on. But, there are only so many people who have received this education, and still fewer of them that actually want to become representatives. But there are thousands of representatives we need in this country to make the decisions and steer the proverbial ship.

I do not think the issue is actually about elitism, but actually a lack of foresight, of long term planning, and of general direction. Comprehensive long term planning and foresight is lacking in the US. We need to invest in the education of our representatives - invest in the leaders of tomorrow and this should pay dividends in future decisions. (At least you can sleep at night knowing that those in charge don't just have passion, experience and understanding but that they also have a basic level of education of the job at hand).

But what can be done about this? and how can you educate the representatives of tomorrow, or even those of today?

How about: Before prospective candidates stand for election they have to complete a course on the basics. Be that a rookie to the system or a veteran.

Or even: Universities and colleges could partner with representatives to offer a courses to train them on the job, as a type of apprenticeship - some of the time in the classroom some of the time on the job.

However this is done, all I know is that representatives need experience, education, understanding and passion. One without the others is not going to lead to the most effective form of governance.

By educating the candidates, or the elected officials at least then we know that there is a minimum level of education throughout our local, devolved and national governments. We pride ourselves in knowing that an education is the way forward to a progressive and developing society, but we seemed to have forgot about the politicians. 

By educating all prospective candidates, or elected officials you are being inclusive so nobody is unfairly disadvantaged by this proposal. By educating the leaders of tomorrow, this should pay dividends in the future decisions of tomorrow - be that at local, devolved or national level.

I personally believe there should be at least a weeks intensive course to educate prospective candidates. This is just an idea. But, what do you think? Should there be some sort of intensive course or apprenticeship to educate prospective candidates or elected representatives? Or, should we systematically educate our youth to be the leaders of tomorrow - creating qualified and trained professional politicians?