Learning and trainingLearning and training for for the the information societyinformation society

Torkel AlfthanInFocus Programme on Skills, Knowledge and Employability, ILO Geneva

Electronic commerce strategies: The basic elements of an enabling environment for e-commerce

UNCTAD Expert Meeting, Geneva 10-12 July 2002

Education - Human capital - Education - Human capital - Economic growthEconomic growth

« It is lack of investment in human capital, not lack of investment in physical capital that prevents poor countries from catching up with rich ones. Educational attainment and public spending on education are correlated positively to economic growth. »(World Employment Report 2001 - Life at work in the information economy, ILO, Geneva)

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Education and skills: Essential Education and skills: Essential

prerequisites for the information societyprerequisites for the information society • Education and growth go hand in hand• Education even more important as knowledge-based

content of work increases• Ability to take advantage of the knowledge society -

and the benefits of e-commerce - depends on skills available and the ability of the education and training system to generate these skills

• Literacy and education cannot be leapfrogged• Education, not connectivity, is the major challenge• Education and training: a lifelong learning process

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Definitions of literacyDefinitions of literacy UNESCO: Functional literacy, i.e. reading & writing skills, for

engaging in normal activities

OECD: Level 1: Very poor skills (inability to prescribe medicine based on written information)

Level 2: Weak skills: people who can read but test poorly and have difficulty learning

Level 3: Skills necessary for coping with daily life and working in a complex knowledge society

Lev.4&5: Command of higher order information processing skills

European Union: Educational passport to the knowledge economy: completed upper secondary education

Digital literacy skills for all workers & school- leavers by 2003 & for all citizens by 2005

5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Men

Women

The Literacy DivideThe Literacy Divide: Adult literacy rates,: Adult literacy rates,men and women, by region, 2000men and women, by region, 2000

Source: UNESCO 2000Source: UNESCO 2000

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Countries Radios Televisions Telephone mainlines

Personal computers

Internet hosts

Low income 206 138 37 6.2 0.31

Lower middle income

354 227 115 24.9 5.89

Upper middle income

471 297 189 50.3 24.65

High income 1286 662 567 311.2 607.55

Japan 955 707 503 237.2 163.75

EU 824 541 514 228.9 157.53

USA 2146 847 661 458.6 1508.77

The Digital DivideThe Digital Divide: International dimensions : International dimensions Spread of ICTs Spread of ICTs (per 1000 people)(per 1000 people)

Source: World Bank: Source: World Bank: World Development Indicators 2000World Development Indicators 2000 , tables 5.10 and 5.11, tables 5.10 and 5.11

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Overcoming the literacy Overcoming the literacy

and digital dividesand digital divides

Investing in education and training the key to economic growth 

Making quality basic education and training accessible to all citizens

Reordering public and private investment priorities in favour of education and training

Equipping schools with ICTs and internet links A new facilitating role for teachers

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• Not just what children learn, but how they learn, affect their future ability to develop and maintain employability and skills

• Need for major education reform to shift from teaching to learning

• Knowledge creation and learning should become the central skills developed in schools and harnessed in the workplace

x

Rethinking education:

The importance of learning

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Skills shortages:Skills shortages:Why it is difficult to know which skills are Why it is difficult to know which skills are

in demand and who is supplying themin demand and who is supplying them

• Problems with identifying demand• Out of date occupational descriptions and

ambiguous job titles• Irregularities in data from different agencies• New jobs such as web-page designers not

recognized in official statistics • Problems tracking the supply of skills

• Diversity of educational backgrounds • Diversity of courses with ICT components

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Different educational background Different educational background - computer workers- computer workers

48

14

14

60

9

10

18

16

47

28

9

16

10

37

10

35

11

13

31

28

9

25

7

30

35

9

27

11

17

21

52

14

410

computerscientistsexceptsystemsanalysts

computerprogrammers

computersystemsanalysts

computerengineerssoftware

informationsystems

scientists andanalysts

othercomputer andinformation

scienceoccupations

computerengineershardware

Figure 3: Percent distribution of graduates with a bachelor's degree working in computer occupation, by field of study

computer and information sciencesmathematical scienceslife, physical, social, and related sciencesengineeringnonscience and nonengineering degrees

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Learning and knowledge creation – Learning and knowledge creation – some critical elementssome critical elements

• Leading companies attach great importance to creating an environment favourable to learning and knowledge creation

• Increased importance on “core work skills”; learning to learn, communication skills, teamwork skills

• Many countries have a national approach, e.g. “key competencies” (Australia), “key skills” (UK), CREST (Singapore) and basic skills (EU)

• Changes to the organization of work is essential for tapping workers’ knowledge

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The move towards industry-based The move towards industry-based on-line on-line learninglearning

• Many advantages and some disadvantages in delivering training on-line• Access is immediate • Barriers of time, distance and costs are reduced• Major drift from classroom to on-line learning (In US,

77% of companies expect to train via company intranets) But,

• most on-line training is confined to non-technical training

• Frequent dropping out; “blended” training programmes may be an answer

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Some key policy messagesSome key policy messages Digital literacy is essential, but most fundamental are

literacy and access to quality basic education Teaching should encourage creativity & curiosity and

learning to learn – a shift in the learning/training paradigm

Higher skills and continuous changes in work organisation and labour markets call for a new skills delivery system to ensure lifelong learning opportunities for all

A growing role for enterprise and private sector investment in education and training

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IFP/Skills:IFP/Skills:www.ilo.org/skillswww.ilo.org/skills

e-mail: ifpskills@ilo.orge-mail: ifpskills@ilo.org