LIFELONG LEARNING: THE LEARNING AGE - Essay Example

LIFELONG LEARNING: THE LEARNING AGE Lifelong Learning Lifelong learning, as it is obvious, is simply the learning that takes places throughout our lifetimes. The famous saying goes 'learning from cradle to grave' accurately defines that we learn at each and every instance and moment of our lives and most times without even recognizing this. (Bartlett and Burton, 2003, 191) The concept of Lifelong Learning had been known with several names such as liberal education, adult education, continuing education, continuing vocational education, continuing professional education in European countries since the 1920s. However its importance was realized after the Second World War when the world sought to increase learner participation in education to form a strong foundation. However since then only a few countries have actually started adopting lifelong learning strategies. (Bartlett and Burton, 2003, 193) Origins The lifelong learning objectives of the government really started to draw out only by the 1990s when the labour government realized the importance of educational policy as an economic progressive factor. The Labour government have long taken credit for taking such initiatives, however Ball (1999, 197) argues that the idea that labour brought wasn't theirs but came from educational policies practiced around the globe. According to him these ideas were just "local manifestations of global policy paradigms". Even if these policies were just a copy paste scenario for the labour government, the implementation of these poses the question as to why they were implemented now. Bartlett and Burton (2003, 196) have described this time being ideal for such a move for two interrelated factors. The first factor was the sudden changes in the technological area where the information and communication technology (ITC) sector was experiencing the boom phase. This created a need for the development of such ITC channels in UK with support of learning and training through the educational policies. The second factor was that with the technological boom, globalization of world trade reached its height with UK caught unawares in between. Thus by introducing such a policy, the government focused on providing awareness, learning and training to breed more intellectual people who could compete and promote UK internationally. Obvious to the fact for the need educational reforms insight to recent technological changes, the Labour party on election formed the national Advisory Group for Continuing and Lifelong Learning (NAGCELL) to discover what problems the people were facing in light of the changes. NAGCELL found that the challenges to understand and adapt to globalization and ICT changes were a source for risk and insecurity for the people. People were uncertain where to start from, what to learn and whether adapting to global changes will be beneficial for them or not (Bartlett and Burton, 2003, 197). In response to the report submitted by NAGCELL, the government decided that the way to provide awareness, learning and training on global changes, educational reforms were required. Therefore in 1997 the labour government published the green paper on lifelong learning called the "The Learning Age" aimed to educate people about the changes and to provide a guideline to the institutions to promote lifelong learning in UK. The green paper explicitly stated that the lifelong learning policy was would not completely solve all economic and social problems, but it would help the people fight against them and help them remove many uncertainties. (Fryer, 1997) Lifelong Learning - "The Learning Age" In our subject of focus, education, the labour government's realization of continuing the learning process is indeed commendable. The fryer report (1999) made it increasingly clear that the scope for such learning was aimed at every individual living in UK. However along with the vastness of scope it was also judged that covering all educational aspects while keeping the focus on expanding the knowledge horizon was a difficult job and would require time and commitment. (Taylor, 2005) In the foreword to the 1997 Green Paper, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett stated "To achieve stable and sustainable growth, we will need a well-educated, well-equipped and adaptable labour force. To cope with rapid change we must ensure that people can return to learning throughout their lives. We cannot rely on small elite: we will need the creativity, enterprise and scholarship of all our people". These words portrayed the new policy that the new labour party brought with them and showed commitment to a long term learning process. Describing the educational situation in UK, the Green Paper recognized that UK had many universities which educated to degree and post-graduate level and set world-class standards, however it pointed out that the weakness laid in the performance in basic and intermediate skills. There were 14 million people who are qualified only to National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 2. Almost 30 per cent of young people failed to reach NVQ level 2 by the age of 19. Seven million adults had no formal qualifications at all; 21 million adults had not reached NVQ level 3 and more than one in five of all adults had poor literacy and numeric skills, putting the UK ninth in a recent international survey of 12 industrial countries. Such a situation forced the government to set strict goals and guidelines to solve the problem. Alison Wolf, author of the renowned book "Does Education Matter" and a professor of Public Sector Management at King's College London, explains very clearly the need for lifelong learning and its benefits. "Learning matters above all because of the way it determines the sort of society we live in, whether it is one of civilized, effective citizens; whether it helps us to develop our abilities and hone our intelligence; and whether it tends to integrate, or divide society. To any individual, it matters because it affects their future income and their Relative position. It does also matter for the economy - just not as perfectly or simply as our politicians believe." (Wolf, 2002) Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) PCET or more commonly known as Post Compulsory Education and Training, is the name given to educational studies completed after the of primary and secondary schooling. In the UK and in many European countries, education is compulsory for all up to the age of 16 when the secondary schooling ends. This was the main area of focus in the Green Paper of 1997 since people between the age of 16 and 20 set off to become adults and learn the importance of learning to earn for surviving. During this age people decide which field they will go towards and what opportunities await them in that field. With increased rates of dropouts at this age, there was a compelling need to create such a system where post-16 routes for many young people can be opened up in the form of continuing school based education, further education college courses and diverse forms of training. (Kehily, 2007) Goals and Targets As mentioned before, the government has set very stiff targets to attain the learning goals of the society (Taylor, 2005). The three basic goals are 1. To attain a participation rate above 50% in the age slot of 18-30 by 2010 2. To improve the basic skill levels of 1.5 million adults between 2001-2007 3. To reduce by at least 40% the number of adults in the workforce who lack NVQ2 or the equivalent by 2010, with 1 million adults achieving Level 2 between 2003-2006 Basic Themes The policy aims to attain these targets by inducting these themes into the system. Focusing on improving the basic skill set of the people followed by widening participation in the educational subjects and learning of information and communication technologies are the three themes that the government is hoping to enact to achieve their goals. (Taylor, 2005) Underpinning Values To support these themes, the Green Paper wanted to put these underpinning values into the society. These values are Building strong foundations to support learning Support learning through a better qualification system Widen participation of learners Enable Learning in the workplace Raise standards across teaching and learning Work with businesses, employees and trade unions to support and develop skills in the workplace Training Policies The growing demands of the Learning and Skills Sector in the UK enacted through the tight policies of the government have put increased pressure on training and teaching. Teachers new to the sector are now required to gain teaching qualifications, and experienced staff is expected to undertake continuing professional development. These activities are expected to meet the professional standards laid down by the Further Education National Training Organisation (FENTO). "The traditional routes to initial teacher training include stages one and two of a further education teaching certificate, and stage three which comprises either a Certificate in Education (Cert Ed) or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). These awards, delivered mainly by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with partner Further Education Colleges (FECs) have been the subject of review by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) in 2003. As a result, there is currently a consultation on the framework for inspection of initial training of further education teachers, conducted by Ofsted." (FRED, 2003) Developments in Legislations of Lifelong Learning To realize the hope for lifelong learning in the UK, the government had to enforce several legislations and policies. It started with the DFEE (1997) White paper for compulsory education to raise the standards of young people. Thereon the importance for education and inclusion for people in their teens also was emphasized in the Green Paper of 1997 The Learning Age. The Learning and Skills Act of 2000 further showed the seriousness of the government's intentions with the reform of the funding and planning of post-compulsory education and training in England. The Success for All Curriculum of 2000 introduced new vocational qualifications and new lines of learning. In the paper published by Dfes in 2001, the emphasis was on giving children an excellent start in education so that they can have a better foundation for future learning, enabling all young people to develop and equip themselves with the skills, knowledge and personal qualities needed for life and work and encouraging and enabling adults to learn, improve their skills and enrich their lives. These acts were the harbinger of similar documents to come as in the next few years several skills enhancing acts and papers were published including the Extending opportunities, raising standards Green Paper of 2002, 21th Century Skills Realizing Our Potential of 2003 and the White Paper of Education Skills in 2005. The latest two policies, the White Paper of Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances in 2006 and Raising Expectations: Staying in education and training post 16 published in 2007 aim at increasing the level of PCET and further education. (Fullick, 2004, 24ff) Developments in Structures for Lifelong Learning As mentioned before the first thing that the labour party did was forming the NAGCEL to find out the current social issues. After the decision was taken to focus on educational policies several educational groups were formed to oversee the proper developments in the lifelong learning objectives. The most important of these groups was the Learning and Skills Council whose motto is to improve the skills of England's young people and adults to ensure we have a workforce of world-class standard. Also the wave of education brought several regulatory and overseeing authorities. Several had difficulties cooperating with the universities and the government at the same time while some were not recognized. To curtail this problem, some of these bodies were merged with others to oversee bigger projects. In April 2007 the former Office for Standards in Education merged with the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) to provide an inspection service which includes all post-16 government funded education. The Higher Education Institutes and Universities were inspected by the Quality Assurance Agency. At the same time it took on responsibility for the registration and inspection of social care services for children from the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). HMCI is responsible for inspecting the standards of independent and state schools, local education authorities, child day care and child minding in England. The royal committee monitors the work of the Independent Schools Inspectorate and is also empowered and required to provide independent advice to the United Kingdom government and parliament on matters of policy and to publish an annual report to parliament on the quality of educational provision in England. (www.wikipedia.com) Ofsted also reports on the standard of learning provided for people over the age of 16. Colleges Reports on providers of learning for people aged 16 and over, including sixth-form centres and further education colleges. It also provides reports on training teachers, teacher and adult learning. (Osfed, 2007) The current government of UK has emphasized the importance of forming learning partnerships with the companies to provide on job education and training to the employees. Furthermore the government has several local strategic partners working in collaboration with the local authorities to help people find the necessary resources to learn. The National Training Organization is one such organization that provides training with the collaboration of local authorities. (Fullick, 2004, 24ff) Impact and its Effectiveness The initiatives taken by the government of UK in recent years have come under the critical eyes of all academicians from all over the world. Some have upheld the initiatives while others have described this as an opportunity for the government to earn. Educational institutions have been restructured, resulting in a battery of changes to the terms and conditions of educational work. The impacts of these changes include intensified workloads for professionals, individualised appraisal schemes, increased competition for fewer resources and the introduction of new managerial practices emphasising productive target setting and individual performance. Let's take a look at some aspects that these policies have affected the people. (Taylor, 2005) Academic Failure of Students through Increased Competition Canaan describes this system as a radical reformation of the institutions which are trying to reform student's professional identities. Students have undergone testing at every age of their lives. "They have been competed against one other, while their schools are rendered competitors in local and regional markets and they were pawns in this game that resulted in them being individually stratied long before they entered the school classes." This has affected the students that enter the new universities the most. A 'shadow of academic failure' hangs over such students as they focus on competition more rather than on learning. (Canaan, 2006) Poor Relations with the Teachers The teachers under most governments have always felt that they have been left out while the students and academies gain the most. In a negative way they had a huge influence on the Conservative governments' policies and determination to assert central control over teachers. Their relationship with all recent governments has been very poor. (Canaan, 2006) 'Customerization' of Students With the dramatic expansion of higher education since the mid-1970s a university education no longer signifies exclusivity, privilege and the passage to a professional career. Some universities do aim to hold on to the ethics of making their business only providing education, the sector is permeated by many a different ethos. The expansion of higher education and polices that promote these ideas have created an environment in which young people become customers in the higher education marketplace. The government and the educational institutes have made learning into a jackpot for big money. (Kehily, 2007) Widening Participation Widening participation involves universities in developing a range of initiatives aimed at broadening the appeal of higher education to more young people, particularly those in their localities who, for a variety of biographical and socio-economic reasons, may not consider university as a post-school destination. Widening participation programmes point to some of the ways in which higher education has changed. Many of these changes have been fuelled by a neo-liberal political philosophy which suggests that the future will be decided by the ebb and low of the market economy. In taking on the logic of the private sphere, neo-liberalism has radically reshaped the public sector. More students want to have a degree and specialize in a field according to their liking. (Kehily, 2007) Are the Goals Being Achieved From what is being seen in the UK, the students are still not enrolling in the further education system as much as the government has hoped. Tony Blair stated that "Education is the best economic policy we have," is seems that neither of these policies have received the desired affect. The government has been criticized for being too preoccupied with its goal to make the workers as productive as possible, that it only focuses on the work related learning and not the basic types. Some critics have accused the government of thinking selfishly about the economic benefits of lifelong learning policies and ignoring the social benefits. (Taylor, 2005) According to Boswell (2004), the Labour's policy lacked flexibility, was overly bureaucratic and centralized, and that it failed to engage sufficiently with business culture or understand the nuances of local differences and priorities. It was because of these problems the labour policy hasn't been what was expected when initially the policies had huge support. With decreasing teacher support for the policy and increasing cries from the students to stop making use of them as products for sale to universities, it is not difficult to see why the labour education policy on lifelong learning has not achieved its objectives as yet. To add to the conviction that there are flaws with the lifelong learning policies, the government every year or two brings additional reforms and changes which further adds complexities to the situation. The initial supporters of lifelong learning have now also cast a dubious look on what more is in store from the labour's warehouse of educational policies. What Should Be Done To combat the critical eyes of the academicians, the government should deal with the structural inequality of the educational system in the society. Taylor (2005, 114) proposes two main ways to develop lifelong learning. 1) Through pressing for greater learner and local involvements, a reduction in bureaucratic complexity, and an advocacy of both the benefits and the centrality of broad, socially purposeful education and 2) through a re-engagement, largely outside the formal frameworks, with (often new) voluntary, social movements engaged with issues of social and political importance. Education is necessary for all individuals and it is the duty of the government to provide if not excellent learning opportunities than at least standard opportunities to the tax payers. UK is falling behind due their educational reforms which essentially want the best for the people but are incapable to do so because of the lack of learner involvement and misdirection of resources and commitment to the enormous scope of lifelong learning. Works Cited 1. Ball, S.J. (1999) Labour, Learning and the economy: a 'policy sociology' perspective. Cambridge Journal of Education, 29(2): 195-206 2. Bartlett, Steve and Burton, Diana (2003) Educational Studies Essential Issues, Sage Publications 3. Bosswell, T.MP (2004) in conversation with Richard Taylor, 1 April 4. Canaan, J.E. (2006) 'Recognising the need and possibilities for teaching critical hope in higher education today', unpublished paper, Birmingham, University of Central England 5. Fullick, L. (2004) Adult learners in a brave new world: lifelong learning policy and structural changes since 1997, a NIACE policy discussion paper (Leicester, NIACE) 6. Green Paper (1997), "Lifelong Learning: The Learning Age" 7. HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) (2006) Widening Participation, available at www.hefce.ac.uk/widen [accessed 07/11/07] 8. Kehily, Mary Jane (2007), "Education", Youth in context: frameworks, settings and encounters, edited by Martin Robb, The Open University 9. Osfed (2007), Available at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk 10. "Teaching in Post-compulsory Education: Learning, Skills and Standards", Edited by FRED FAWBERT (Continuum, London, 2003) ISBN 0 8264 5594 8 11. Taylor, R (2005) "Lifelong Learning and Labour Governments 1997- 2004", Oxford Review of Education 31 (1): 101-18 12. Wolf, Alison (2002), "Does Education Matter", Penguin Books Ltd Read More