Педагогические науки/4.Стратегические направления реформирова­ния системы образования

К. п. н. Сперанська-Скарга М. А.

Луганський національний університет імені Тараса Шевченка, Україна

LIFELONG LEARNING PIORITIES IN COUNTRIES OF EUROPEAN UNION

The attention of the society to the problems of competitiveness of employees has substantially grown in the conditions of rapid economic and political changes and in the context of the necessity to adjust to the needs of the modern labour market, considering the necessity to acquire new knowledge and skills. Much attention should be also drawn to the issues related to the necessity to overcome competence hindrances that each working individual encounters on his way to professional and personality self-realization.

The problems of lifelong learning have social, humanitarian, economic and political foundation. Active participation in social life is presently related to the necessity of continuous perfection of professional competence, new knowledge acquisition, and mastering the new approaches and principles of work. Undoubtedly, the idea as for the necessity of lifelong education, which is determined by the modern state of labour market and economy in general, favours the formation of the special educational space that ensures the development of a personality in the professional, qualification and humanitarian aspects.

Ukrainian economy, which is presently in a transitional state, is characterized by the substantial retention compared to the economies of leading world and European countries. In the conditions of economic globalization and insufficient social restructuring in the social and economic sector it is essential to direct the efforts at the formation of a flexible system of additional education behind the frames of formal programmes, re-qualification, and re-training of the experts, who long for personality and professional perfection, as well as of those participants of labour market who have had negative experience of learning and call for special support and involvement into the lifelong educational system. Reaching optimal results in the process of modernization of the system of Ukrainian education in the context of adult training is impossible without the consideration of world experience of the introduction of the conception of lifelong learning. 

The ideas of continuous education have been developed by a series of scholars, teachers, practitioners and philosophers. The role of education in the socialization of a personality has been revealed in the works by T. Veblen, J. Newman, J. Habermas, and K. Jaspers. The role of the works by P. Drucker and A. Toffler dedicated to the influence of education on the personality formation should not be underestimated.

Modern philosophic paradigm of education demands the extension of the sphere of utilizing the education and expanding learning possibilities of employees. The conception of lifelong learning, in its turn, is related to the necessity to continue professional career and improve the competence of an expert.

The problem of the introduction of the conception of lifelong learning is an urgent issue for many countries nowadays, which is connected with definite tendencies at the labour market and in the educational sphere, particularly, with the need of a specialist to enhance his qualification during his professional life, as well as with the necessity to change the qualification of those who have lost their jobs and would like to return to employment. That is why the problem of lifelong learning is attracting more and more attention.

The objective of the research is to characterize major priorities of lifelong learning conception in the countries of the European Union.

The experience of the countries of the European Union may bring benefit to Ukrainian educators in the process of the introduction of the conception of lifelong learning. The essence, the content and major statements of the Conception have been presented in the documents of a series of organizations. For instance, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development draws attention to the needs of global economy and the competitiveness of specialists at the international level, as well as defines the main peculiarities of the strategy of lifelong learning, which encompasses the acknowledgement of non-formal and informal components of education, the development of basic skills, and the necessity to involve state and private resources into the system of lifelong learning.

The European Commission for Education and Culture has published a series of documents that define the necessity to introduce and the ways of the realization of the conception of lifelong learning. The conception of lifelong learning gained immense popularity in the 2000s. The process of the application of the Conception was started by many European countries. In 2000 the European Union approved Lisbon strategies, the strategies to create the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society in the world [1]. 

In 2000 the main theses of the conception of lifelong learning were officially stated in the Memorandum of the European Commission, which was dedicated to the problem of lifelong learning, as well as to defining the coordinated strategies and practical measures aimed at encouraging lifelong learning. The Memorandum of the European Commission highlighted six priorities of the activity in the sphere of lifelong learning, which include basic skills, investment into education, innovative teaching, valuing learning, information, guidance and counseling, and bringing learning closer to home. According to the memorandum, the conception of lifelong learning is based on four key ideas: the possibilities of employment, adaptability, entrepreneurship, and equal opportunities [2].

The topicality of the problem of the introduction of the conception of lifelong learning has been proved by the attention to the question of the effectiveness of the measures taken paid by the international organizations and world governments. Particularly, according to the report of the World Bank “Lifelong Learning in the Global Knowledge Economy” published in 2003 the global knowledge economy will definitely change the needs of the labour market in the economic systems of the whole world.

The speed of change in the knowledge economy means that skills depreciate much more rapidly than they once did. To compete effectively in this constantly changing environment, workers need to be able to upgrade their skills on a continuing basis. Change in the knowledge economy is so rapid that firms can no longer rely solely on new graduates or new labor market entrants as the primary source of new skills and knowledge. The active participants of the labour market are those ones who have work experience and the wish to continuously enhance professional competence.

Thus, schools and other training institutions thus need to prepare workers for lifelong learning. Educational systems can no longer emphasize task-specific skills but must focus instead on developing learners’ decisionmaking and problem-solving skills and teaching them how to learn on their own.

Lifelong learning is crucial in enabling workers to compete in the global economy. Education helps reduce poverty; if developing countries do not promote lifelong learning opportunities, the skills and technology gap between them and industrial countries will continue to grow. By improving people’s ability to function as members of their communities, education and training also increase social capital (broadly defined as social cohesion or social ties), thereby helping to build human capital, increase economic growth, and stimulate further development. Education must thus be viewed as fundamental to development, not just because it enhances human capital but because it increases social capital as well.

   References

1.     Lisbon Strategy. National Reform Programme. Second Implementation Report. – Rome, 2007. – 170 p.

2.     A Memorandum on Lifelong Learning : Commission of the Eropean Communities Working paper. – Brussels, 2000. – 36 p.