Learning for life

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) announced in its July 2006 communiqué that it was supporting a National Reform Agenda (NRA). The reform proposals involve the introduction of changes in the relationship between the Commonwealth and state governments that promise improvements in national economic productivity. According to the communiqué, the NRA will result in an integrated approach that will improve prosperity and increase workforce participation.

The proposed reforms have been supported by each state government as they search for ways to increase funding streams from the Commonwealth. The idea is based on a funding model where states will receive bonus payments for improvements to an agreed set of outcomes. At this stage there appears to be no consideration of the role local government can play.

Interestingly, lifelong learning has emerged as one area where COAG has agreed to focus its attention. Not your wishy-washy adult community education here: COAG wants economic results. After all, COAG is looking for all the solutions it can to the skills shortage. Difficulties emerge when deciding which outcomes are economically worthwhile and how they should be measured.

Emphasis will be on increasing the proportion of adults with the skills and qualifications needed to be productive and working. According to the background of the communiqué, the outcomes must be consistent with the long-term interests of the individual and the economy, and increase the nation’s productivity.

This means the focus of lifelong learning will be narrowed to vocational courses measured by the increase in the proportion of 25-64 year olds attaining Year 12, Cert II or Cert III qualifications.

Of course, the COAG approach leaves out a whole gamut of adult education courses that could be of value to both adults and the community. However, it will help remove the stigma that lifelong learning is a hobby for the retired and elderly.

Lifelong learning has long been perceived as the poor cousin to formal learning. Programs for adult learners have not been valued by government or industry. Add to this the reluctance of most adults to participate in any form of education after leaving school and we are already facing some tricky policy questions.

Aside from deciding how we are going to convince more workers that they need to keep learning as well as working, we need to consider the key policy questions around how such a challenging task would be initiated and implemented.

What are the institutional arrangements COAG needs to put in place to bring about this “learning and earning nirvana” where workers are employed and learning new skills that help keep them productive and working longer?

State government’s first option will always be for the TAFE sector to pick up the baton, but research shows that its focus is on 15-24 year olds looking to start their careers. Besides, TAFE colleges are driven by numbers so are really focused on the major metropolitan areas. The TAFE has so far shown little interest in regional and rural areas where student numbers are low and access is a problem. However, these areas are needed to encourage new ideas and new industries that a culture of lifelong learning can help encourage.

TAFE colleges tend to be risk averse and bogged down with government requirements, procedures and hierarchy. In today’s competitive training market we need to consider those communities that will not have the numbers to support the provision of such standardised services.

What about employers? Can they be relied on to promote lifelong learning for their staff? Research is showing that small and medium enterprises have not engaged well with training. It’s all too difficult to arrange for workers to spend time away from work training (cost) and deciding which course will best suit the needs of the business (profits).

While the web-based learning tools may provide a solution for some, without improvements in broadband access this too will be a long way off.

And what about the adult learners themselves? What do they need to encourage them back to the classroom to take up learning opportunities? Consultations have found they prefer informal, non-threatening and social environments - preferably close to home. With this mix, they are more likely to see a course through to completion. This is without bringing the difficulties associated with access and appropriate learning modules and delivery to minority groups into the discussion.

It’s all well and good for the states to push the Commonwealth to look at providing funding for lifelong learning projects but they need someone to take the initiative and get something started where it’s needed - in the local community.

Surprisingly, it might just turn out that local governments could provide an important part of the solution to help open up learning opportunities to those workers who will be encouraged to upgrade their skills and look for work in industries experiencing labour shortages.

According to research on the notion of “learning communities”, local governments are best placed to identify local needs, determine the most appropriate solutions and implement the most effective program.

Local governments have been very quick to recognise the links between learning and the economy. There are many examples of local councils taking the initiative in establishing links between schools, industry, VET providers and government agencies, and forming learning networks. These initiatives are encouraging young people and adults to train and learn in their local area so they are more likely to stay and find work.

Local councils are also more likely to take the initiative; they are closer to the action than any other level of government and have a better understanding of what’s going on in their communities. Recent research showcasing the benefits of this approach has been based on the experience of a number of local governments that have undertaken innovative learning based projects and re-badged themselves as learning town or cities.

It looks like the humble, much neglected, local public library could provide a key to the quest to improve prosperity and increase workforce participation. The Hume City Council won the Local Government Innovation Award in 2005 for their community learning centre (library) which stands as an example of what local councils are capable of achieving.

What is going to be difficult is working out exactly how local governments can work together with bodies such as state education and training departments on this issue. These departments thrive on uniformity, and tend not to be innovative or fast acting in entrepreneurial terms.

The Commonwealth will also need to establish funding programs that encourage local solutions and do not stifle initiative or innovation. A centralist approach will be the quickest way to kill local enthusiasm and ideas to help get adults back into the classroom.

Local governments pride themselves on difference. Communities see themselves as unique and consideration of their difference is crucial to success in service delivery. Policies to implement lifelong learning programs will need to accommodate this difference if they are to succeed at the local level.