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UN/ - 7 September 2006 - According to
Ambassador Luers, “today’s young people must
be prepared to think and function beyond the
borders of their own communities and nations.” Ambassador Luers
emphasizes the fact that “over the next 20
years the work forces are likely to be so
blended linguistically and culturally that
workers without an open mind and open education
on global issues will be left out or behind.” “The opportunities
for the globally literate will be enormous.” Organizations like the UNA/USA have been contributing to the global education of young people and educators in preparation for a world that is being transformed as the inevitable global workforce transition takes place. More can be accomplished however, if the real beneficiaries of the global workforce would take a more global interest in education and workforce development. Daily, companies all around the world are either establishing or increasing their share of global markets in areas such as materials production, assembling, manufacturing, tourism, banking and finance, and a multitude of other areas making employees with international or global exposure that much more valuable. Higher
education institutions have followed this trend.
And now, using technology as well as the
development of off-shore sites, colleges and
universities can reach vast numbers that are
seeking education and training in both developed
and lesser-developed countries.
The need to explore and implement newly created and more effective strategies to address access to education and training in both developed and lesser-developed countries becomes even more urgent and expanded when we take into consideration the vast numbers of multi-national corporations that continue expansions both within developed countries and lesser-developed countries around the world. And, as both trained and untrained
workers extend across national borders either
physically or through the world wide web. If educators and multinational corporations contributed more to the education and workforce development policies, procedures and programs of lesser-developed countries, then the massive growth of the global workforce, including illegal immigration, could become a means for cooperative development, making illegal migration more manageable. The focus on workforce development must
become more global and more cooperative;
otherwise, a global workforce solution for one
country could become the social, economic and
political downfall of another.
Education Several American higher education institutions have increased efforts in recent years to become equally multi-national by establishing overseas campuses and making online-programs accessible from any PC in the world. This economic spread
in search of cost-effective expansion and
education revenue opportunities combined with
the fact that we are in the midst of what Heidi
and Alvin Toffler refer to as the “third
wave” in the evolution of civilizations,
technology and information access, contributes
to the rapid expansion of the “Global
Workforce.”
In some instances however, not all, the off-shore programs of respective institutions only duplicate a watered-down version of what is taught at parent institutions. Rather than preparing young people and adults for participating in the Global workforce, such institutions are paper mills and take advantage of some countries’ lack of exposure. These institutions do not invest in addressing workforce development needs of the host country where such off-shore programs tend to flourish. The respective governments of these lesser-developed countries are acting irresponsibly by allowing weak off-shore programs to certify the education and training of its citizens without any kind of academic or institutional accountability. More
responsible governments would insist on mandates
requiring all such institutions to abide by the
same high standards of accreditation of the
parent institution and specifically engage in
studies designed to address education and
workforce development needs of the host country.
In addition to being faced with numerous money-making un-monitored off-shore programs, national colleges and universities in lesser-developed countries are faced with the fact that roughly 75% of their undergraduate student populations already have at least one characteristic of an adult learner. This
is the same percentage as the American
undergraduate population.
This does not include the vast numbers of
adults that need additional education and
training in order to attain a survival income.
This need in developed but more so in the
lesser-developed countries creates a market for
“paper-mills” and the flourishing of
non-accredited academic programs and
institutions. College and university presidents and vice presidents are strongly encouraged to conduct assessments of their campuses and courses, both domestic and off-shore, and make necessary adjustments to educate the new Twenty-First century student: the student who must be educated for global workforce leadership and participation. Governments
are strongly advised to develop systems of
accountability of all off-shore and domestic
institutions while insisting that such
institutions participate in the development of
policies and programs affecting workforce
development, both globally and domestically. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE>> CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE>> CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE>>
Dr. Rodney D. Smith Dr.
Rodney D. Smith is a senior consultant on
International Education with MaximsNews.
He has served internationally in senior
education positions and as president and CEO of
American and overseas higher education
institutions. He serves on several national
boards and state agencies. Dr. Smith is working
on a related book. He
can be contacted by sending an email to DrRodneySmith@MaximsNews.com
or
roddavsmith@hotmail.com.
References: Before
It’s Too Late.
National Commission on Mathematics and
Science teaching for the 21st Century
(2000)
Employment
Outlook 2000-2010: Occupational Employment
Projections to 2010.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (2001) Grow
Faster Together or Grow Slowly Apart: How Will
America Work in the 21st Century?
The Aspen Institute 2003 Study Justin
Heet, The Hudson Institute, The American Outlook The
Adult Learner. Pamela Tate, President and
CEO, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
(CAEL) February 6, 2006
Toffler, “United
Nations experience Offered to Local Students”,
by Agustina Guerrero, Tampa Bay Business
Journal, April 18, 2006 Workforce
Intermediaries for the Twenty-First Century.
Edited by Robert P. Giloth, Published in
association with The American Assembly, Columbia
~~~ MaximsNews.com, An Independent Voice from the U.N., provides commentary and analysis from leading world figures: King Abdullah II (Jordan), HRH Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein, Sir Brian Urquhart, Hans Blix, Amb. Richard Holbrooke, Anwar Ibrahim, Bianca Jagger, Shashi Tharoor, Kerry Kennedy, Ian Williams, Stephen Schlesinger, Sen. Timothy E. Wirth, Marc Morial, Barbara Crossette, Amb. Pierre Schori (Sweden), Amb. William H. Luers, Mehri Madarshahi, Gloria Feldt, Jeffrey Laurenti, Rodney D. Smith, Rory O'Connor, Genevieve Stamper, Max Stamper and others.
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