Volume 5, Issue 2, 2000
Table of Contents

Economic Development

Defining the Future of Work Through Economic Development

By Tom Evans
President
Education and Training Services International

If there is one common bond among parents around the world it is that they desire some form of economic success for their children. Many believe that the globalization of business will be the catalyst of a new world economy. Many also believe that the major component of a future working environment will be learning - learning new concepts, facts, skills, techniques and technologies. At the same time, the question posed to educators is: are we preparing the next generation to "learn their way forward" so that they will be active participants in this new world of work?

In responding to this question, we must recognize that there is no simple answer as the issues involved are many and complex. The first step is to look at economic trends and their impact on the future work force. After a decade of globalization, and the emergence of four or five major trading blocs, it is fair to say that the evolving economy is dynamic but perilous and does not recognize national borders. Globalization, a double-edged sword, has led to improved living conditions by forcing a "race for the top" but, in so doing, has generated significant disparities between the "have" and the "have not" nations and between the rich and poor within a country.

As economic integration intensifies through trade and capital flows and the movement of skilled labour, countries with very different sets of values, norms, institutions and preferences compete more directly in labour, capital and product markets. Deeper and wider integration can have important implications related to a nation’s ability to sustain autonomous policies and programs. As such, the globalization of business has had an undeniable and fundamental impact on the socio-economic world of work, not just in terms of national and international competitiveness but also in terms of the individual’s capacity to acquire and apply the requisite skills and knowledge in such a dynamic environment.

Facing significant challenges to retain and increase their market share within a highly competitive, rapidly changing market place, business leaders recognize that their competitive advantage is dependent on the quality of their people, the skills of their workforce and an explicit economic development strategy that targets human resource development.

A case in point would be Jordan. Deprived of an abundance of natural resources, Jordan is heavily dependent upon its neighbours for the import of water and other resources as well as the purchase of Jordanian exports. At the same time, Jordan is attempting to chart its own economic course regionally and internationally with the intent of becoming more economically self-sufficient. To realize this goal and bring new financial resources into the country, thus facilitating the development of autonomous policies and programs, Jordan decided to upgrade the quality of its production methods, products and workforce. Supported by the development and implementation of a strategic economic development plan, Jordan has re-organized part of its post-secondary education and training system and has plans to reform the elementary and secondary systems.

Implementing a strategy for the current work force and the next generation to "learn their way forward" has been the focus of many human resource development partnerships between Canadian colleges and institutes and overseas institutions and organizations. The goal of the Canada-Jordan Economic Development through Technical Skills Project was that Jordanian business and industry would have access to skilled labour responding to productive sector and national development priorities and that the Vocational Training Corporation could effectively respond to the vocational skills requirements of Jordanian industries. Canadian colleges and institutes worked with the Jordanian Ministries of Education, Higher Education and Planning, the National Centre for Human Resources and Development and the Vocational Training Corporation to develop a strategic plan for technical-vocational education and training that would meet the needs of government, business, industry and labour. The second phase of the project is underway and assisting Jordan in further developing its human resources to the competitive levels required to foster economic growth, both regionally and globally.

Canadian colleges and institutes also worked in Hungary for several years in connection with the World Bank-funded Adult Retraining Project. In 1991, Hungary began the transition to a market-based economy. With mass layoffs and retrenchment resulting from privatization, the demand for skills upgrading for the remaining employees and adult retraining for the unemployed meant that the government had to focus on human resource development or jeopardize the success of a market-oriented economic development strategy. Canadian colleges and institutes helped to establish eight adult training centres, strategically located across Hungary, to provide basic education, English language and industry-responsive skills training programs designed to reintegrate the unemployed into an internationally competitive labour force. Seven years after their inception, the training centres are progressing towards economic independence and many are becoming regional, and even national, leaders in terms of social and economic development initiatives.

Education and training have both a social agenda - enhancing the self-esteem and skills of the unemployed, disabled, and employed - as well as an economic agenda - meeting the needs of government, business, industry and the local community. Governments worldwide are recognizing that "learning the way forward" is therefore a key factor in socio-economic development. Education and training are no longer pre-requisites for work and productivity but key components of the overall work process. Faced with the globalization of business, the increasing velocity of change and the explosion of knowledge in every field, we can suppose that it is unlikely that any job will last a lifetime. The children of today will spend their working lives in continually changing work situations and in constantly learning new technologies, methods and tasks - even if the "job" is nominally the same.

As such, life-long learning must address three basic areas: knowledge, skills and values. While basic literacy and numeracy are absolutely essential, surviving and functioning effectively in the technology age has in itself become a basic and critical skill. Analytical and critical thinking skills, as well as communication and group interaction, are assuming greater importance to the economic success of individuals, companies and nations. Those who cannot learn and move forward may find themselves relegated to occupations with minimal financial and psychological rewards. It is also fair to say that many of the jobs that the students of today will be doing two or three decades from now have not even been invented yet. As a result, one can speculate with some degree of certainty that learning will be a major component of the work of the future.

Consequently, the challenge facing the education sector is to identify the type of learning system that would be most efficient and effective in helping people, adjust, survive and prosper in a constantly changing world, while providing the "value-added" factor in the development of sound economic development initiatives. As such, it is essential that future education and training systems allow for the development of strategic alliances and partnership arrangements on a local, national and international basis.

As significant catalysts for economic and social development within their respective communities for the past 30 years, Canadian colleges and institutes have have long realized that a sound, basic education and opportunities for continuous, lifelong training are not only necessities for today’s workplace but a passport to the future. As these Canadian education and training institutions move forward onto the global stage, their expertise and knowledge in the areas of basic skills training, vocational training, planning, partnership, strategic alliance development and change management is being shared with countries around the world.

In my view, adult and vocational education and training will become the largest segment of the education system in most countries. As educators and parents, together with businessmen and political scientists, we will have to think through the purposes, values and content of education and training. We will have to learn to define what we mean by "quality education", "quality management" and "quality of knowledge". Through the completion of this exercise and the development and implementation of sound national and regional economic development plans, our children and those of many other countries can look forward to an exciting, productive and rewarding future.

Tom Evans is the President of Education and Training Services International, a client-focused company based in Toronto. In addition to teaching at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels, he has held senior management positions with the Ontario Government and the Ontario Community College system. He has also been involved in international education and has successfully completed assignments in various countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and South America.