BANGKOK (ILO News) – In the face of rapid skills obsolescence and an ever increasing
demand for higher skilled workers, representatives of governments,
employers’ and workers’ organizations from 15 countries in
Asia and the Pacific
gather in Bangkok on 8-10 December to promote lifelong learning
initiatives and develop workforce knowledge and skills in response
to changes in the labour market.
The
meeting on Lifelong Learning
in Asia and the Pacific, organized by the International Labour
Office (ILO), will focus on innovative policies and programs that
promote life cycle approaches to learning and skills development.
In
many countries, education and training policies attach increasing
importance to “basic skills” (European Union) or “critical
enabling skills” (
Singapore
) that are needed in order to perform satisfactorily at work
and in society, irrespective of a worker’s country of origin.
In
some countries in
Asia
and the Pacific, lifelong learning initiatives made
considerable progress over the last years, says a report prepared
for the meeting.
In the
Republic
of
Korea
, the number of people participating in the country’s
Vocational Ability Development Programme (VADP) grew by 60 per
cent between 1999 and 2001. And in
Singapore
33 per cent of residents aged 15-64 were engaged in some form
of job-related structured training in 2000.
Statistics
show a disproportionate share of more skilled people participating
in adult education and learning, which is interpreted as evidence
of unequal access and considered unfair. The existing learning
divide runs the danger of becoming wider, as access to lifelong
learning opportunities and technologies, particularly in terms of
Information and Communications Technology (ICT), is unequally
distributed.
The
International Labour Office (ILO) stresses a two-pronged approach
to education, training and lifelong learning. The first,
associated with efficiency, addresses the challenge of developing
knowledge and skills necessary for competition in an increasingly
integrated global economy.
The second envisions
education, training and lifelong learning as ways to address the
growing vulnerability of many populations groups, including women,
young people and low-skilled workers who through their lack of
education and skills have become poor or run the danger of falling
into the poverty gap.
Venue: Amari Watergate Hotel,
847
Petchburi Road
,
Bangkok
Pre-arranged interview slots may be organized with:
Nieves R. Confesor, Dean, The Asian
Institute of Management (AIM)
A regional perspective on
lifelong learning.
Trevor Riordan, ILO IFP/SKILLS
Overview, international
perspectives, ILO’s work on knowledge and skills development.
Dr Jack Keating,
Melbourne
University
Recognition and certification of knowledge and skills gained
outside formal training
systems.
A
full programme can be downloaded
For further information, please contact:
Steve Thompson
Public Information Officer
ILO Regional Office for
Asia
and the Pacific
Tel: (66 2) 288-2482
Fax:(66 2) 288-1076
email: thompsons@ilo.org
or;
Manida Pongsirirak
Public Information Assistant
ILO Regional Office for
Asia
and the Pacific
Tel: (66 2) 288-2202
Fax:(66 2) 288-1076
email: manida@ilo.org
Lifelong
learning in Asia and the Pacific: Policies and Practice,
ILO, Bangkok 2003; the report can be downloaded.
