Expand Access to Education
An education failing to include individuals of all groups, socioeconomic backgrounds, and stages of life is failing its purpose to create critically thinking and engaged individuals, able to actively take part in an Open Society. To help society and all individuals in it face challenges of globalisation, computer- information revolutions, and multicultural communities, we have developed proposals to widen access to education for individuals of all groups, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, and stages of life.
Solution: Recognition of vocational training
With the influence of changing cultural and economic structures, labour market requirements change as well. Employers feel traditional academic degrees do not effectively prepare individuals for the reality of a job, while at the same time the “stamp” of an academic certificate is required in more areas of employment.
Therefore, we propose vocational training and practical experience to be acknowledged as qualifications to enter higher education institutions as well as being alternative qualifications to traditional formal learning when entering the labour market. An effective de-stigmatisation and promotion of vocational learning will provide access to those coming from a non-traditional or non- academic background to higher income jobs at later stages in life, reflecting their level of expertise.
Solution: Lifelong learning opportunities
While academia – especially in higher education – tries to keep up with and adapt to rapidly changing technology, cultural developments, and structures in our societies, many workplaces and employers are often left behind. In order to continuously include individuals of all age groups and stages of employment into our dynamically evolving Open Society, we believe lifelong learning to be crucial. Therefore, we demand a provision of learning opportunities in workplaces of all income brackets, but especially those who do not yet incorporate regular training modules.
Solution: Expansion of language learning and intercultural exchange opportunities
As our world becomes increasingly interconnected globally, foreign language skills and intercultural understanding are important in many workplaces. Therefore, we need to reach non-traditional participants of exchange programmes – such as Erasmus – and language-learning schemes by providing access to language learning and cultural exchange opportunities. In light of the recent increases to Erasmus funding, we therefore propose a more effective distribution of funding to low income individuals in need and an integration of similar schemes into workplaces that are not traditionally internationally oriented.
Solution: Inclusion of marginalised groups
To be truly open, we need to ensure the inclusion of marginalised groups such as refugees within the educational system: access to language classes, local culture classes, and a system of democracy education.
Continuing this inclusion, we propose opening the doors to immigrants or refugees with an employment background in education who don’t have a nationally recognised certificate to become assistants in schools, to support regular teachers in teaching a class of mixed backgrounds. The goal is
to better integrate classes from different backgrounds by providing additional support, while at the same time making it possible for migrant teachers to find a way back into their profession.
Open Questions
To implement our proposals for extending access to learning, it is crucial to determine the roles of individuals, businesses and workplaces, non-formal organisations, and the government, and how they can complement each other in providing access to education and supporting vocational and lifelong learning opportunities for everyone.