If you are a fan of city-building simulation games, you might have heard of or played Cities: Skylines, a game that lets you create and manage your own metropolis. In this game, you have to take care of various aspects of urban planning, such as zoning, transportation, services, and policies. One of the most important factors that affects the success of your city is the education level of your population.
Why does education matter in Cities: Skylines? Well, for starters, education improves the happiness and health of your citizens, which in turn boosts your tax income and reduces crime. Moreover, education enables your workers to take up higher-level jobs in offices and specialized industries, which generate more revenue and innovation. Finally, education also reduces pollution and traffic congestion, as educated citizens are more likely to use public transport and green energy.
So, how do you educate your workers in Cities: Skylines? In this article, we will show you how to build schools and universities, how to choose the best locations for them, how to adjust the budget and policies for education, and how to monitor the education level of your population. We will also show you how to deal with educated unemployment, a common problem that arises when you have more educated workers than jobs available. By following these tips, you will be able to create a smart and prosperous city that attracts more residents and businesses.
How to build schools and universities in Cities: Skylines
The first step to educate your workers is to build schools and universities in your city. There are four types of educational facilities in Cities: Skylines:
- Elementary schools: These provide basic education for children aged 6-12. They have a capacity of 300 students and a radius of 440 meters.
- High schools: These provide secondary education for teenagers aged 13-18. They have a capacity of 1000 students and a radius of 880 meters.
- Universities: These provide tertiary education for young adults aged 19-25. They have a capacity of 4500 students and a radius of 1760 meters.
- Libraries: These provide lifelong learning opportunities for adults of any age. They have a capacity of 100 visitors and a radius of 440 meters.
To build these facilities, you need to unlock them by reaching certain milestones in your city’s development. You also need to have enough money and space to place them. You can find them in the Education tab of the Services menu.
To build a school or a university, simply select it from the menu and drag it to a suitable location on the map. You can rotate it by pressing the right mouse button or using the comma and period keys. You can also use the Move It mod to adjust its position and alignment after placing it.
To build a library, you need to have the Campus DLC installed. Libraries are part of the Campus Area system, which allows you to create custom campuses with various academic buildings, sports facilities, policies, and reputations. To build a library, you need to first create a campus area by using the Campus Area tool in the Districts menu. Then, you can place a library inside the campus area by selecting it from the Campus Buildings menu.
How to choose the best locations for your educational facilities
The location of your schools and universities is crucial for their effectiveness. You want to place them where they can reach as many students as possible, while avoiding traffic congestion and noise pollution.
Here are some tips on how to choose the best locations for your educational facilities:
- Place them near residential areas, especially high-density ones. This will ensure that most of your citizens can access them easily and quickly.
- Place them near public transport hubs, such as metro stations, bus stops, or train stations. This will encourage your citizens to use public transport instead of driving, which will reduce traffic and pollution.
- Place them away from industrial areas, especially polluting ones. This will protect your students from health hazards and improve their learning environment.
- Place them away from busy roads, airports, or other noisy sources. This will reduce the noise pollution that can disturb your students and lower their happiness.
- Place them on flat terrain, preferably with some greenery around. This will make them more attractive and pleasant for your students and staff.
How to adjust the budget and policies for education
Another way to improve the education level of your population is to adjust the budget and policies for education. You can do this by using the Budget and Policies menus in the City Info panel.
The budget slider for education allows you to increase or decrease the funding for your schools and universities. By increasing the budget, you can increase the capacity, attractiveness, and upkeep of your educational facilities. By decreasing the budget, you can save money, but at the cost of lower quality and availability of education.
The policies menu allows you to enact various policies that affect education in your city. Some of the policies that are relevant for education are:
- Education Boost: This policy increases the education budget by 25%, but also increases the education desire of your citizens. This means that more of your citizens will seek higher education, which can improve their skills and happiness, but also create more demand for jobs and services.
- Schools Out: This policy decreases the education budget by 25%, but also decreases the education desire of your citizens. This means that fewer of your citizens will seek higher education, which can save money and space, but also lower their skills and happiness.
- Free Public Transport: This policy makes public transport free for everyone in your city. This can increase the accessibility and affordability of education for your citizens, as well as reduce traffic and pollution.
- Recreational Use: This policy allows the controlled sale and use of recreational drugs in your city. This can increase the happiness and tax income of your citizens, but also increase their crime rate and health issues.
- Industrial Space Planning: This policy allows industries to work more effectively by ignoring safety regulations. This can increase the production and revenue of your industries, but also increase their pollution and fire hazard.
You can choose to apply these policies city-wide or district-wide, depending on your needs and preferences. You can also create custom policies by using the Policy Editor mod.
How to monitor the education level of your population
To monitor the education level of your population, you can use the Education info view in the City Info panel. This view shows you various statistics and indicators related to education in your city, such as:
- The percentage of uneducated, educated, well-educated, and highly educated citizens in your city.
- The number of eligible students and enrolled students in each level of education.
- The number and capacity of schools and universities in your city.
- The availability and demand of workers in each level of education.
- The happiness and health of your citizens.
You can also use the Data Layers mod to see more detailed information on education in your city, such as:
- The education level of each individual citizen and building in your city.
- The distance and time that each student travels to reach their school or university.
- The traffic flow and congestion around your educational facilities.
By using these tools, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your education system, and make adjustments accordingly.
How to deal with educated unemployment in Cities: Skylines
One of the common challenges that you may face when educating your workers is educated unemployment. This is when you have more educated workers than jobs available for them. This can lead to various problems, such as:
- Lower happiness and income for your citizens, as they are unable to find suitable jobs that match their skills and expectations.
- Lower productivity and innovation for your city, as you are wasting the potential of your educated workforce.
- Higher crime rate and social unrest for your city, as frustrated and dissatisfied citizens may resort to illegal or violent activities.
So, how do you deal with educated unemployment in Cities: Skylines? Here are some tips on how to prevent or solve this issue:
What causes educated unemployment and how to prevent it
The main cause of educated unemployment is a mismatch between the supply and demand of workers in different levels of education. This can happen due to various reasons, such as:
- Overeducation: This is when you educate more workers than you need for higher-level jobs. For example, if you have too many universities but not enough offices or specialized industries, you will end up with a surplus of highly educated workers who cannot find suitable jobs.
- Undereducation: This is when you educate fewer workers than you need for lower-level jobs. For example, if you have too few elementary schools but too many factories or farms, you will end up with a shortage of uneducated workers who can fill those jobs.
- Migration: This is when you attract or lose workers from other cities or regions. For example, if you have a high attractiveness or reputation, you may attract more educated workers from other places, who may compete with your local workers for jobs. Conversely, if you have a low attractiveness or reputation, you may lose your educated workers to other places, who may leave behind vacant jobs.
- Transition: This is when you change the structure or composition of your economy. For example, if you switch from a primary or secondary sector to a tertiary or quaternary sector, you may need more educated workers to fill the new jobs, while leaving behind some old jobs.
To prevent educated unemployment, you need to balance the supply and demand of workers in different levels of education. You can do this by:
- Planning ahead: Before you build schools and universities, you should plan ahead and estimate how many workers you will need for each level of education in the future. You can use the Education info view and the Data Layers mod to help you with this. You should also consider the effects of migration and transition on your workforce, and adjust your plans accordingly.
- Diversifying your economy: Instead of relying on one type of industry or service, you should diversify your economy and create a mix of different sectors that require different levels of education. You can use the Zoning and Districts menus to create different zones and districts for different types of businesses. You can also use the Industries and Campus DLCs to create custom industries and campuses that offer more variety and specialization.
- Upgrading your buildings: Instead of demolishing or abandoning your old buildings, you should upgrade them to match the education level of your workers. You can use the Building Themes mod to change the appearance and function of your buildings. You can also use the Building Level Up mod to control the level up requirements and speed of your buildings.
How to use the industry 4.0 policy and other solutions
If you already have educated unemployment in your city, you can use some solutions to reduce or eliminate it. One of the most effective solutions is the industry 4.0 policy.
The industry 4.0 policy is a policy that allows your industries to use advanced technology and automation to increase their efficiency and productivity. This policy has two main effects:
- It increases the output and revenue of your industries, as they can produce more goods with less resources and time.
- It increases the education requirement of your industries, as they need more skilled workers to operate and maintain the machines.
By using this policy, you can create more jobs for your educated workers, while reducing the demand for uneducated workers. This can solve the problem of educated unemployment, as well as increase the competitiveness and innovation of your city.
To use this policy, you need to have the Industries DLC installed. You can apply this policy city-wide or district-wide by using the Policies menu in the City Info panel.
However, this policy also has some drawbacks, such as:
- It increases the pollution and fire hazard of your industries, as they use more power and generate more waste.
- It decreases the happiness and health of your uneducated workers, as they lose their jobs or have to work in harsher conditions.
- It decreases the diversity and uniqueness of your industries, as they become more standardized and homogeneous.
Therefore, you should use this policy with caution and moderation, and consider other solutions as well. Some of the other solutions that you can use are:
- Re-education: This is when you retrain your uneducated workers to become educated workers. You can do this by building more schools and universities, increasing the education budget and boost policy, and providing free public transport for your students.
- Re-allocation: This is when you relocate your educated workers to areas where there are more jobs available for them. You can do this by building more public transport networks, increasing the public transport budget and free policy, and providing incentives for your workers to move.
- Re-invention: This is when you create new jobs for your educated workers that are not related to existing industries or services. You can do this by building more unique buildings, such as monuments, landmarks, parks, or museums. You can also use the Unique Buildings mod to add more variety and creativity to your city.
How to balance the demand and supply of workers
The ultimate goal of educating your workers is to balance the demand and supply of workers in your city. This means that you have enough jobs for all your workers, regardless of their education level. This will ensure that your city is prosperous, productive, innovative, happy, and healthy.
To balance the demand and supply of workers in your city, you need to monitor and adjust them regularly. You can use the Education info view and the Data Layers mod to help you with this.
Here are some indicators that show whether you have a balanced or unbalanced workforce:
- The percentage of uneducated, educated, well-educated, and highly educated workers in your city. Ideally, you want to have a similar percentage of workers in each level of education, or a slightly higher percentage of educated workers than uneducated workers.
- The number and capacity of schools and universities in your city. Ideally, you want to have enough schools and universities to accommodate all your eligible students, without having too much excess or shortage.
- The availability and demand of workers in each level of education. Ideally, you want to have a similar availability and demand of workers in each level of education, or a slightly higher availability than demand.
- The happiness and health of your citizens. Ideally, you want to have high happiness and health for all your citizens, regardless of their education level.
If you notice any imbalance in these indicators, you should take action to correct it. You can use the tips and solutions that we discussed earlier to do this.
Conclusion
In conclusion, educating your workers in Cities: Skylines is a vital and rewarding task that can improve the quality and performance of your city. However, it also comes with some challenges and risks that you need to be aware of and deal with. By following the tips and solutions that we shared in this article, you will be able to educate your workers effectively and efficiently, while avoiding or solving the problem of educated unemployment. We hope that this article was helpful and informative for you, and that you enjoyed reading it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How do I unlock schools and universities in Cities: Skylines?
A: You can unlock schools and universities by reaching certain milestones in your city’s development. For example, you can unlock elementary schools by reaching a population of 500, high schools by reaching a population of 2400, and universities by reaching a population of 7500. You can also unlock libraries by installing the Campus DLC and creating a campus area.
Q2. How do I increase the attractiveness and reputation of my schools and universities in Cities: Skylines?
A: You can increase the attractiveness and reputation of your schools and universities by increasing the budget for education, building more facilities and services for your students and staff, enacting positive policies for education, creating campus areas with various academic buildings and sports facilities, and achieving academic works and accreditations.
Q3. How do I deal with traffic congestion around my schools and universities in Cities: Skylines?
A: You can deal with traffic congestion around your schools and universities by building more public transport networks, such as metro lines, bus routes, or bike lanes, increasing the public transport budget and free policy, creating pedestrian paths and bridges, using traffic management mods such as Traffic Manager: President Edition or Network Extensions 2, and avoiding placing your educational facilities near busy roads or intersections.
Q4. How do I create custom industries and campuses in Cities: Skylines?
A: You can create custom industries and campuses by installing the Industries and Campus DLCs. These DLCs allow you to create different types of industries (farming, forestry, ore, oil, or generic) and campuses (trade school, liberal arts college, or university) with various buildings, policies, reputations, and productions. You can also use the Industry Area tool and the Campus Area tool to create custom areas for your industries and campuses.
Q5. How do I use mods to enhance my education system in Cities: Skylines?
A: You can use mods to enhance your education system in Cities: Skylines by installing them from the Steam Workshop or other sources. Some of the mods that are useful for education are:
- Data Layers: This mod adds more detailed information on various aspects of your city, such as education level, student travel time, worker availability and demand, etc.
- Building Themes: This mod allows you to change the appearance and function of your buildings according to different themes.
- Building Level Up: This mod allows you to control the level up requirements and speed of your buildings.
- Policy Editor: This mod allows you to create custom policies for your city or districts.
- Unique Buildings: This mod adds more unique buildings to your city that offer more variety and creativity.
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