Adult Learning Educational Policy Issues

I have been an adult learner as I entered TAFE colleges as a mature student to upgrade my skills in my area of experience and to acquire skills in life to cope with language development and life skills as a migrant. As in Australia, the technological changes are faster and economic factors affects job prospects I have to continually acquire new skills other than in my area of prior experience. In addition, as a married person when I was unemployed I undertook part-time courses which I perceived to be opened to me to upgrade computer and communication skills and get valuable on the job training in clerical and accounting work, which enabled me to improve me self-concept and self-esteem as a learner and willing to learn as it benefits in my practical work and in day to day life and acquire social skills, which is vital to survive and grow in a different cultural situation than my own ethnic culture. In my experience, as a mature learner as a migrant I identified as a learner to become a continuous learner through out my life given my socio-economic situation and the social, economic and political factors, which I became aware may affect my future as a learner and the choices I may have and their impact on the adult educational system in Australia.

In the following paragraphs I will discuss my history of experience analyzing critically using appropriate adult learning theoretical concepts the relationship between contemporary economic, social and political change and its impact on adult and vocational education policy and practice. As well, I will discuss critically the debate about the impact of globalization, lifelong learning and learning society on adult and vocational educational policy and practice in Australia.

Impact of political, social and economic changes as well as life-long learning and learning society on adult and vocational education policy and practices.

In Australia in the last decade the technological and social change has affected work patters, type of work and life in general including education. The speed of change also have accelerated because of internationalization of Australian economy and the process of globalization and its impact on work and social life in general in a positive as well as negative manner.

In addition, migration, aging of population has also has an impact on educational needs of the population particularly of the adult learning and the importance of knowledge as an important ingredient in producing wealth than ever before recognized by the educationalist and educational professionals and teachers in adult institutions in Australia. In the advent of globalization and its effects on unemployment adult learning became important as it has also to some extent increased inequality than ever before, which is recognized by the Government Institutions, which is responsible for education in Australia.

In Australia and in other Western countries the Welfare State is now transformed in to Competitive States in the era of globalization and there fore efficiency and skill development became an important as a policy imperative than equity and social justice in adult and vocational education to produce skilled workforce to the labor market and competency based vocational and adult educational practices in Australia became as policy imperative. This demonstrates how political changes and political ideologies can impact on the vocational and adult educational policies and practices.

In Adult and vocational education, behavioral, cognitive and humanist psychology plays a vital role in developing educational policies and practices. In the context of neo-liberal political climate in Australia and the impact of globalization made adult learning as a product and there fore is based on behaviorist model of learning paradigm rather than on cognitive and humanist psychological adult learning paradigms.

However, due to the increasing inequality in Australian society in general because of globalization and economic liberalization and the disadvantage faced by many groups in Australian society such as women, disabled, ethnic minorities, Aboriginals, mature aged students from low socio-economic backgrounds to continuing education in higher education. This has increased the demand for adult and vocational education and to recognize the issue of social justice as a policy priority within the efficiency and skill development priorities and not to disregard social justice all together.

But it is important in the contemporary society in Australia efficiency is the most important policy priority due to neo-liberal agenda in education and social justice is a secondary concern and there fore lifelong learning and continuing education for all adult learner groups and learning society even though there are institutional reform and recognition of knowledge society in these institutions due to budgetary constrains and political agendas is not feasible at least in the short-term.

However, the above mentioned factors and experiences are slowly changing the stakeholders in education such as teachers, students, educationalist and governments at all levels the importance of knowledge and its part in future economic prosperity. The continuing education or community education can be feasibility at least in the medium to long term in Australia. As well, these changes will be evolutionary than revolutionary in Australia given the conservatism in politics and society because of media and all the powerful groups managing the change and shaping the change than by activism and radical change.