The National and International Higher Education Agenda – Education Essay
Essay question: according to Jones(2001:1): ‘ In the last decade, the concept of a set of generic skills, qualities and attributes that support lifelong learning has become firmly placed on the national and international higher education agenda’Discuss the major factors that have led to such a concept being placed on the ‘higher education agenda’. Is there general
agreement at a national and international level about what is included in ‘a set of generic skills, qualities and attributes that support lifelong learning’?
In the last decade, the nation and international higher education agenda has been become placed on by a set of generic skills, qualities and attribute that support lifelong learning. There are three major factors that are educational, economic, political or social factors, which stimulate consider able debate across the higher education, employment and government sectors. These majors factors which have led to such a concept being placed on the ‘higher education agenda’. They have general agreement at a national and international level. This essay will discuss the function and effects from generic skill to major factors that support lifelong learning that have agreement in the nation and international higher education agenda.
The most important factor is higher education. It is an agreement to policy and government, which provide people to have a variety of skill and personal attributes in the workplace. Today being employees should able to have different tasks such as demonstrate teamwork, problem solving and the capacity to deal with non-routine process (NCVER p60). All graduates of higher education from Clandy and Ballard(1995) have three groups: generic skill, attribute and values; acquisition of a body of knowledge; professional/technical or other job related skill.
The process of defining generic skill in Australia is about work and life; about employability. In a recent time, attitude and communication skill are the most important factor to employees, but today, generic skill include them and provides more information should learn in the higher education. Employers have to know how to solve problems, how to make decisions, how to find a best way to organize work teams and improve workers attitudes or disposition. Because of this, the quality of graduate outcome should be higher across employment. For example, at Macquarie University, generic skills are more difficult because of developing the attributes valued in a university graduate(Fraser 2001).
However, the development of attributes is not for every generic skill. Critics has argument that this is unrealistic and too fantasy to the pursuit of goal of graduate with desirable generic attributes and skills.
In my opinions, some of functions from the pursuit from generic attributes and skills maybe too idealization to achieve, but it does not mean unrealistic. For example, there are varies of skills from generic skill from the higher education which are very useful, but universities just can choose some of generic skills that good for its own set of generic skills(Fraser 2001). Most of universities develop different skills then ensure that each of the generic skill is addressed across the course structure. This strategy of education in universities provides more notably employers and professional bodies. Macquarie University also creates the same structure to attract people who want to study the related skills. Generic skills come from the higher education, which means all generic skills belong to the higher education at the national and international level. However, generic skills are changing while the higher education is changing. It is one part of the higher education. Now some of generic skills are carried to the subjects should be learn in the school, which are the evident to support lifelong learning.
Employment is the second important factors being placed on the ‘higher education agenda’. According to examples in the higher education we know, employers should able to have more different skills. Employment is the main process about the productivity to develop economy. A good economic structure can build a prosperous and strong country. This is a reason why employability should be developing. Employment is the main process with the productivity to develop. The speed of advance decides how much knowledge employees keep on learning and how fast the economy is growing. Higher efficiency and quality of productivity need to have a good organization and good workers. A best workplace is marked by flexibility, fast response time, and managerial and technological innovation(Stasz el al 1996). Employers have responsibility to increase the whole working process. Innovation and speed are developing through team of workers when they are planning, organizing, repairing, maintenances, and support function. In the recent time, work teams should have supervisors to manage, but now there is less supervision to control because employees have higher and more varied skills. From the information in the box ‘common elements of various listings of generic skills’(NCVER 2003), employment includes all generic 6 kinds of generic skills: basic/fundamental skills, people-related skills, conceptual/thinking skill, personal skills and attributes, skills related to the business world, skill related to the community. Employment also has varies of jobs can be chose, not every generic skills should choose, but most of them should know to being an employees or an employers. In the future, they maybe all have to learn to employees that support lifelong learning.
Government is other factor which being place on the ‘higher education agenda’. It can decide the policy effect a country. Any problems and changes should be had a agreement from government to have a solution and perform. Government provides the suggestions or orders to implement such as in 1992 the Higher Education Council (HEC) report, describes more information about what students in universities should study; and stressed the need for universities to be more accountable for the development in students of the generic skill and support lifelong learning(Jones 2004). According to the development of economic and education factors, government tries to provide the better policy to simulate the change to build positives development from them. Because of this, lifelong learning is also important to government. It likes a supervisor to look after and control and make decision to any change that good or bad to the development. The policy is changed may create progress to the country. The best policies can increase the productivity in a countries and good for citizen, and then become motivation to work hard, create higher productivity. Government has generic skills such as skill related to the agreement of community, basis skills, thinking skills are used by governments at the national and international level. Because most time government should make suggestions and decisions, thinking skills are very important to government to support lifelong learning.
Finally, these three major factors are included in ‘a set of generic skills, qualities and attributes that support lifelong learning’. Lifelong learning is creation to a set of generic skills that provide better quality of productivity and development. In the last decade, compare to the example in the recent time, we can know the different between before development and after development.
Following the argument about unrealistic from generic skill to the goal changes, we will know this is not unrealistic but people still are improving. Most of skills need to spend time to be researched and deliberated, and practice. Lifelong learning helps people developing as soon as possible as long as people know how to improve with generic skills from the major factors at the national and international level.
Question: Is there general agreement at a national and international level about what is included in ‘a set of generic skills, qualities and attributes that support lifelong learning’?
From the employment, there are high demand of generic skill in the workplace. It helps employers seeking to ensure business success, maintain family and community relationships.
The process of defining generic skills in Australia which are relevant to work and life generally; related to employability(NCVER 2003). Because now most jobs need employers have varies skills and most community skills to solve problems, make decision, take responsibilities, can manage the work team, which is different as the recent time, just the communication skill is important in the workplace.
From the higher education, at Macquarie University, generic skills increase level of graduate in order to develop attribute and continued improving varies of skills(Fraser 2001). It should change in a cycle time because the higher education is changing and become more professional.
From the government, a Higher Education council(HEC) report from Australia government in 1992, Developing Lifelong Learners through Undergraduate Education,(Candy et al 1994) stressed the need for universities to be more accountable for the development in students of the generic skills and attributes which support lifelong learning.
According the example of agreement, there is general agreement at a national and international level about what is included in ‘a set of generic skills, qualities and attributes that support lifelong learning.
Jones, J. (2001). Generic Attributes: an Agenda for Reform or Control. Paper presented at Changing Identities: Language and Academic Skills Conference, University of Wollongong. Retrieved November 29-30, 2001, from http://learning.uow.edu.au/LAS2001/selected/jones 2.pdf
NCVER (National Center for Vocational Education Research). 2003. Defining Generic skills: At a glance. Adelaide: NCVER
Fraser, S. (2001). Graduate attributes and generic skills at Macquarie University. And Gladly Teche, vol. 1.