There is no such thing as sufficient initial education: learning is endless -Michael Howard, U.K. Secretary of State for Employment
A learning society is one in which all citizens acquire a high quality general education, appropriate vocational training and a job (or series of jobs) worthy of a human being while continuing to participate in education and training throughout their lives. A learning society would combine excellence with equity and would equip all its citizens with the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure national economic prosperity and much more besides.... Citizens of a earning society would, by means of their continuing education and training, be able to engage in critical dialogue and action to improve the quality of life for the whole community and to ensure social integration as well as economic success. (ESRC, 1994). Seen as a set of practices, at least three interpretations have been placed on the concept of a learning society:
(1) the learning society as an educated society, committed to active citizenship, liberal democracy and equal opportunities;
(2) the learning society as a learning market, enabling institutions to provide services for individuals as a condition for supporting the competitiveness of the economy;
(3) the learning society as learning networks, in which learners adopt a learning approach to life, drawing up on a wide range of resources to enable them to develop their interests and identities (Edwards, 1995).
At this stage of its economic development, the Philippines is struggling to uplift the conditions of the poor, which still constitutes a big bulk of the population. Of paramount concern is spurring economic activity to create more obs for the increasing number of Filipinos. With this in mind, the government has chosen to trek the path of liberalization by taking an active part in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The intent is to open up the economy by liberalizing trade and investment policies in order to attract new job-generating enterprises and to foster competition among the different industries in the country. This is an acknowledgement that only by tapping the virtually unlimited growth potentials of the global markets can the country provide adequate jobs to its rapidly growing labor force.
With the onset of globalization, however, the goal of achieving higher levels of employment, in an effort to combat poverty, becomes even more difficult to reach because of the glaring mismatch between the skills of graduates provided by higher education institutions (HEIs) and those required by employers. With the liberalization of markets, whole industries could shrink or expand, shifting the demand for skills and the availability of job opportunities. To become more productive and globally competitive, Philippine companies need human resources that do not only have basic workplace competencies but also higher-level professional and technical skills.
Moreover, the trend towards the liberalization of services, and the rapid development and application of new technologies, are forcing local professionals to upgrade their skills to keep themselves competitive compared to professionals the world over. There is a need, so they say, “to level the playing field.” This is where continuing education comes in, through which the country moves closer to fully becoming a learning society.
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