A Conversation

   I spoke with my fellow student, and we discussed the Roles and Trends in Adult Education and in the workplace. My learning partner works in an industry where she is responsible for training in the areas of safety. She has seen a substantial change in the need for safety equipment to be designed more for females.

  They had valuable information that I had never considered or was even aware of, for example, they mentioned that even seatbelts and safety equipment in vehicles are designed for larger and heavier male  bodies, and that they are not always effective for a smaller and lighter female body type.

   Knowing that this is the case, they must train others in their workplace to adapt to this growing trend. We discussed how globalization and technology changes affect the way that we train and respond to the educational needs of our respective learners. Her learners being employees and my learners being in the Applied Business Technology Program at the college where I work as an instructor.

   We discussed the need for increased soft skills due to the changing communication needs due to globalization as we instruct in safety and ABT. To adapt our own learning to the future needs of our learners, we discussed this course and others that will help us identify the changing needs.

   We discussed how the change in technology directly affects communication skills of our learners and how we can adapt our own instruction to address the growing technological challenges. Although, I am seeing adult learners having  a more comfortable relationship with technology, cellphones are taking the place of desktop computers and laptops.

   In one sense, this can be helpful because the adult learner has more information at their fingertips, but I am seeing a direct lack of computer software skills and communication skills because of this trend in technology.

   The discussion with my learner partner was highly informative and I also found it helpful to discuss my own learning challenges with another adult learner. I admit, in the beginning of the conversation, I was wondering how the discussion would go, and I felt it would be a bit forced, however, the conversation went smoothly. My learning partner communicates well and has particularly good input and ideas. I will consider their perspective and our discussion when lesson-planning in the future.

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Trends and Roles in Applied Business Technology

The Applied Business Technology Program is affected by all the below concepts. Globalization is increasing the need for the “soft” skills such as communication. Education in this area has responded to this need by offering a variety of courses in Business Communication and Human Relation skills to teach how to create successful business situations with a focus on inclusivity and bridging the gap of language and culture barriers.

The Knowledge Society has caused a need for further applied business technology skills in different areas of the globe to meet a growing demand to enable the worker to have the technologies available in overseas areas that previously may not have had a need for these technologies.

Technology changes have saw an increased need for strong internet services across the globe and areas that have not increased their internet services are falling behind in the ability to interact and complete successful business negotiations with societies that have better internet and communications systems.

Demographic changes means that applied business technologies can sometimes fall behind. The biggest growth in the participation rate in formal job-related training for the adult work force from 1997 to 2008 was for workers between the ages of 55 to 64. The rate of this demographic grew by 87% where the age group 25 to 34 only grew by 6%. (Statistics Canada). If this trend continues, then applied business technologies must become more user friendly. A younger population has been born into an age of technology, whereas an older age group may be learning to use computer software for the first time. Companies like Microsoft, which has focussed on increasing their software capabilities and tools, will need to focus on being more user friendly in the future.

References

Merriam, Sharan B. (2014 ). Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice (1^st edition) Jossey-Bass

Stats Canada (updated June 15, 2010). Participation rate in formal job-related training for the adult work force. Table D.7.1

Stats Canada Link    https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/81-582-x/2010003/tbl/tbld7.1-eng.htm

Trends and Roles in Adult Education

Adult Education Trends

   There are aspects of our world that affect trends in adult education. Just as all aspects of our societies affect the individuals who collectively create their society, so too, all these facets cause changes in adult education. The trend in business directly affects the trends in adult education and the roles that this education performs in our society.

    Globalization and connectivity of people around the world has changed education into a commodity of the marketplace. Education is now a product, with people looking for the product that suits their needs best. They can compare prices in countries all over the world with instructors or tutors who are teaching the same or similar content. Through this, people are more able to choose any formal education that is a good fit for them personally. This is much different than in the past, when a student might only have one college or university that they could attend, they now can choose from thousands across  the globe.

   The Knowledge Society has changed with workers now leaving to attain their education elsewhere and then returning to their birthplace to practice their careers. As well, companies are locating to where their workforce is most knowledgeable for their needs for sustaining and growing their businesses. A business may be very fluid this way and locate to a new area for a period and not permanently. When this happens, we often see the education numbers increase in the former area. Adult learners often must learn new skills for a new job position.

   Technology is growing at an exponential rate, and we are seeing a trend in “flipped classrooms,” where students can watch videos for homework and then go to their classrooms to demonstrate what they have learned. As well, informal education is becoming more prevalent as people are turning to the internet to learn about a large variety of topics. As well, there are now Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) available to everyone.

   Demographic Changes can be evident in countries that are experiencing a dramatic growth in the aging of their population. We are seeing a lower birth rate in developed countries and an increase in longevity. It is anticipated that in less than 10 years, that there will be less children than older adults. Developing countries must make policies and create programs that will address this issue.

Conclusion

Education has always been fluid throughout history, this will continue long into the future. Changes in society, shifts and trends are continuous and education will always need to respond to those changes. The key for policy makers may be not to try to mould their countries into what they would like through education, but instead, to be more responsive to shifts in culture, morals, and societies’ conventions. I have personally seen a decline in reading comprehension which is not there with my international students. This means the western culture education will not be able to compete globally if this shift in educational priorities continue. Students not understanding quiz questions and written testing will hold them back while our international students have no issues, even though they are also dealing with language differences.

References

Merriam, Sharan B. (2014 ). Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice (1^st edition) Jossey-Bass

Stats Canada (updated June 15, 2010). Participation rate in formal job-related training for the adult work force. Table D.7.1

Stats Canada Link    https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/81-582-x/2010003/tbl/tbld7.1-eng.htm