Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. WORK AND LIFE LITERACY: A NEW PARADIGM FOR EDUCATION IN THE 21 ST CENTURY Vivian Guilfoy and John Wong, Ph.D. Education Development Center

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Globalization The world is converging technologically and economically—becoming more connected now than ever before. The revolution in advanced technology has lowered national boundaries, creating a knowledge-based economy that spans the world.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Inequity The poor in many parts of the world do not share in the benefits of globalization. Ironically, even as technological advances are connecting the world physically and economically, inequitable access to technology and the impact of globalization are widening the socioeconomic divide between the peoples of the world.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Questions How can education provide vast populations around the world with skills needed to attain quality work opportunities in the 21st Century? How can education develop at its foundation not only academic learning but also the employment skill sets needed? How can this type of education be developed as a fundamental right, accessible to the poor and other disadvantaged populations?

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Demands of the Global Workplace All workers must have higher order thinking skills, such as abstraction, system thinking, experimental inquiry, problem solving, and team work. While a technician and worker with manual skills brings many assets, the mind is the important tool in the job.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Global Workplace, cont. The process of arriving at an answer may be more important than the answer itself. A novel concept in education: it is more important to follow a process to work through a problem than to jump ahead to the correct answer. There may not be a "correct" answer—only more inquiry and new learning.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Work and Life Literacy Model Universal WL Literacy is the capacity to acquire, evaluate, apply, integrate, and create knowledge and to develop and apply employment skills and personal competencies in order to learn, work, and live successfully and productively.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Work and Life Literacy Model A learner-oriented approach that promotes life-long learning and prepares individuals for productive employment and life. Incorporates the proven, powerfully effective educational experiences around the world into a new framework for education. A concept to be infused and integrated into all levels of education and training.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. WL Literacy Model WL Literacy Cognitive Proficiency Workplace Proficiency Relationship Building Proficiency Figure 1. WL Literacy Model

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. WL Literacy Components Cognitive Proficiency: The ability to learn, synthesize, and use knowledge productively in real life situations. Workplace Proficiency: Capacity to organize and use environmental and financial resources; entrepreneurial acumen; planning, management, evaluation, and forecasting skills; and other work readiness skills.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. WL Literacy Components Relationship Building Proficiency: Teamwork, leadership, negotiation skills, work ethics, communications, and respect for diverse backgrounds and divergent viewpoints.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Next Steps for YES Young People Establish an international leadership and work group on WL Literacy. Establish WL Literacy standards—common international guidelines that can be adapted and customized to reflect indigenous conditions. Develop international partnerships to support WL Literacy.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Next Steps for YES Young People Develop instructional materials that are appropriate to local conditions and accessible technology. Work with ministries and teaching organizations to incubate WL Literacy programs and make impact in the field. Implement WL Literacy Paradigm and evaluate the result. Conduct research on the WL Literacy Model.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Outcomes Work opportunities for all people will improve. Community conditions will improve. A more broadly trained workforce will invite investment. Workers will cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit along with overall business management skills that lead to indigenous business creation. The education and workforce preparation systems will improve.

Center for Education, Employment and Community Education Development Center, Inc. Thank you