IGASENG Education

Job Creation: A Summary of 2012’s Proposed Solutions So Far

The rate at which jobs are increasing in South Africa is really slow. According to Business Day, the average rate of increase since 2001 is 0.5% per year. Taking into consideration the increase in the employable, job-seeking population, measuring jobs increases by average percentage of people employed seems more accurate than giving a fixed amount, like “624 000 in the past 10 years”. Six hundred and twenty four thousand jobs in ten years is not a lot no matter which way you look at it, but let’s say it is better than nothing.

Real efforts have to be made by the South African government regarding labour regulation and policies affecting investor sentiment for the country to reach its job creation target for 2020. But with 25% of South Africans are unemployed (according to Statistics SA), the future seems bleak.

The Business Day article cites Frans Cronje, who proposes three policy reforms that would be necessary for government to meet its 2020 targets:

1) Policies regarding any requirements of racial referencing should be dismantled, as they prevents SA from using the skills it already has and can deter investors and damage entrepreneurship.

2) Labour regulations should be reduced.

3) The minister of education should be made the authority of policies for schools. At the moment, the head of the major teachers union is able to veto policy decisions, but the focus should be on giving every child an education and the opportunity to contribute to the economy.

According to Bekezela Phakathi and Karl Gernetzky, the state should invest more in education, but, more importantly, should look for better results in the education sector. Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said that most funds are directed towards education, health and social assistance. Spending on education will grow with 6.7%, on average, in three years, but this is less than the growth of the previous three years. Furthermore, the R207 billion that SA will invest in education in 2012-2013 will probably also show similar poor returns of previous years. The focus should be shifted to how the money is spent and not how much they plan to invest.

Jackie Carroll says that adult education is another key to SA’s job dilemma. She says that there are so many problems with education that many solutions just muddy the waters without fixing anything. One major problem should be isolated and fixed before moving onto the next. She says that the Department of Higher Education and Training’s green paper on adult education shows that the opportunities for adults are too limited to meet the needs of the economy and the workers. People in rural areas have the highest rate of unemployment and they require the most attention.

The community-based organizations (CBO) in these areas have the ability to train millions of people who need and want to better themselves and find jobs. The focus should be on sustainability and jobs can also be created for teachers in these CBOs. The programs offered should focus on qualifications that the people will be able to use. There should be quality education that is not necessarily part of the National Qualifications Framework.

Clear and strong direction of funds in education seems to be the over-ruling necessity to better the chances of people becoming successful contributors to the economy. There should be less emphasis on who can work where and how, and more on bettering everyone’s chances at finding a job.

Adult Education: A Few Things to Consider

Just because you aren’t getting any younger, doesn’t mean that you can’t go out and earn a degree and start a real life for yourself. It’s never too late! As long as you are healthy and want to learn, you certainly do have the opportunity to earn an education and better your life no matter how old you are. Here are a few things to consider when going after an adult education.

There are a lot of schools today that offer classes for adults specifically. They understand that the older people that want to learn don’t necessarily want to learn around a bunch of 18 year old kids. These classes are generally held at night and sometimes in different locations than the school itself.

If you are past the point of wanting to continue or finish your education by going to classes on a daily or weekly basis, you also have the opportunity to learn and finish your degree by taking online courses. These work in much the same manner and give out the same degrees, but you won’t have to actually go to class. All of the work and assignments are given online and are turned in on the internet as well. This can be a good things or a bad thing. Here’s why…

Most adults are responsible enough to handle things and get things done on their own. Some though may have a problem with following through and making sure that they understand the course material properly. There are also those that are very computer illiterate and have no idea how check their email let alone use computer programs and scour the internet.

On the other hand, if you have a firm grasp of the internet and are responsible enough to take care of the assignments and learn the material, an online course could be perfect for you. You will be able to handle your business on your own time and you can take classes around your busy schedule.

There are many things that hold us back from what we want to achieve in life. But it is never too late to finish your education so you can do what you want to do and be want you want to be. Now that there are online courses available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection, there is no excuse not to seek out an adult education to better your pay and better your life.

Doing it For the Adults – Adult Education and Lifelong Learning in 2009

The general importance and specific merits of adult education have been increasingly discussed in the press over the last year. Of course, there are numerous reasons for this growing interest – the most obvious being the many sudden recession-fueled enrollments to universities by adults over the last six months – as older learners seek to spruce up their CVs and to make themselves more employable.

Another factor (which is highlighted by the latest report from Professor Tom Schueller and the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) is the gradual aging of the UK population – which is perhaps best exemplified by the notion that the first woman to reach the age of 120 is alive and approaching 60. In 2007, the average UK life expectancy at birth (according to the Office of National Statistics) is just over 79 years, an age that has increased by around five years since the early eighties – and that has led to projections that the life expectancy of those born in 2006 is 88.1 years for males and 91.5 years for females.

These are the factors which led to the report by Schueller and NIACE, which highlighted that whilst the average amount spent on the education of an 18 to 24 year old is £8,000 by the government, the numbers are drastically different for older learners – with 25 to 50 year olds receiving just £300, 50 to 75 years olds receiving £86, and those over 75 receiving just £60.

Unsurprisingly, the report calls for change in this respect – and particularly investment in education that is less front loaded and more equally steered toward promoting lifelong learning. The report, and much of the press that surrounded its release, discussed the three significant benefits to individuals in lifelong learning (these are particularly visible amongst those educated in prison): Human Capital, Identity Capital and Social Capital.

Human Capital refers to the ‘learning’ part that is the primary reason for education at all ages: to gain skills and knowledge that are both academic and practical – weather to make the individual more employable or better suited to a particular job or profession.

The latter two, Identity Capital and Social Capital are of particular importance to older people. Identity Capital refers to the self-worth gained from learning, i.e. being challenged, overcoming obstacles and achieving – all aspects of life that are perhaps overlooked especially as an individual reaches retirement age. Additionally, Social Capital refers to the development of a social network through education, those friends and peers who can support and help during times of need.

The importance of the above to adults of all ages is gradually being realised both by institutions, the government and the public at large, and it seems that 2009 is likely to herald an intriguing development in how we view adult education and its worth to everyone throughout their lives.

Psychology Continuing Education: The Ins and Outs

Getting your psychology continuing education certificate is easy with online course work. It is extremely simple to find something online that fits your schedule and your criteria.

Starting the process of working toward your continuing education credits can seem pretty daunting. You have to take time to choose an interesting course, go to class and find time to study for the test. Many well-known and nationally accredited institutions are making the process easier by offering their classes through web-based programs.

Online classes are so much simpler because they provide you with the ability to work on the course from your own computer in your home or office. If you are a psychologist with a busy practice or lifestyle, online course can help you easily achieve your psychology continuing education goals.

There are many different types of classes out there on the web for you to choose from. Online reading courses, telephone-based courses and audiotape courses are all accessible online through reputable companies. Do a little research and find the kind of course that is right for you and see how you can best fit it into your busy schedule.

Finding a course that fits into your schedule can be difficult. Online courses are meant to do just that. You can quickly access the information, reading material and course work online that you need to be successful at the class and gain the necessary certificate. All the work is done at the computer you spend time in front of all day at the office or home so it won’t be necessary to schedule extra time to get to and from class. The information stays available for you online so you can access whenever you have a free minute. All of this means greater time saving for you.

You’ll be expected to do some light reading and course work, listen to lectures or telephone discussions. Like all certificate programs, there will be a quiz at the end of the course to test your knowledge. For online classes, you’ll be provided with a login for the quiz. The quiz will be there for you to complete at any time. As you know, you’ll need to pass the quiz in order to receive your certificate for psychology continuing education. The certificate will be made available for you to download and file after you have submitted your results and passed the class.

Lastly, it is vital that you check and make sure the company or institution providing the course is reputable. There are a multitude of companies established that seek your business. Research their approvals to see if they meet standards of national and state boards any applicable national associations. You can also go to the American Psychological Association’s website to view their list of approved psychology continuing education providers. You want to find an institution that provider that works to meet the criteria set out for them. If you cannot find their approval information listed publicly take that as a red flag that you may be dealing with a less than desirable institution or company.

Taking Business Students on a Field Trip

As you develop learning activities for your class it can become challenging at times to find new tasks or projects that stimulate students’ involvement in the class and generate their interest in the course topics. How about taking your students on a field trip? Field trips have been utilized in traditional classes as a means of bringing students into real world environments that allow them to explore aspects of the business world from a hands-on perspective. For an adjunct business instructor who is teaching a class on campus that meets only once a week the idea of a field trip may not seem possible or logical; however, it is possible to develop an adapted form of a field trip as a learning activity that can enhance the process of learning.

If you want students to take an actual field trip you could develop an activity, individually or in groups, to visit an organization or small business and talk to managers, leaders, or business owners as a means of gaining real-world perspectives that they can share with the class. Students can focus on learning about characteristics or traits that contributed to the success of that business or organization. This is likely to show students how the success of an organization is dependent upon the contributions and performance of all employees within all departments. Students can also learn about the cyclical nature of business and strategies utilized during challenging economic times. You could also ask students to examine the leadership of the organization instead and examine characteristics or traits that contributed to the leader’s success. What students often discover is that success didn’t happen overnight and the journey to success involved hard work, determination, failures, perseverance, and a strong mindset.

Another option for an adapted learning activity is to develop virtual field trips. You can assign this type of task as an in-class activity or as homework, either individually or in groups. As a virtual activity, ask students to visit websites for businesses or organizations that offer products or services related to your course concepts. They can examine the information provided within the website, make an assessment based upon criteria you’ve assigned, and present their findings in class. The criteria established for the assignment can include any aspect of the course topics you want to reinforce in a real-world setting. For example, if you are teaching a marketing class you can have students assess the effectiveness of the organization’s approach to a message that consumers will relate to and respond to in a positive manner.

Another means of adapting field trips as a learning activity is to bring the organization or business to the classroom by inviting a guest speaker to the class. You are likely to find business owners, managers, salespersons, and people in other business-related occupations that would be willing to talk to a group of students and share their background and experience. This is a way to reinforce your lectures and the course concepts, while bringing the materials to life. In addition to listening to the guest speaker students should also be provided with an opportunity to ask questions as this will help them process what they are hearing and encourage them to actively participate.

When it’s time for a new activity that will stimulate your students’ interest in the course and help to reinforce the application of theories to the real world, a field trip may be an option you can implement. From physical trips to virtual trips, along with guest speakers that bring the real world to the classroom, it is another facilitation technique that will likely enhance the process of learning.