Presentation from the Learning at Work Seminar at National College of Ireland 15th of May 2008

1. Skills in the Workplace
Individual Concerns and Organisational
Responses
Thursday 15 May 2008 1

2. ...a vision of Ireland in 2020 in which a well
educated and highly skilled population
contributes optimally to a competitive,
innovation-driven, knowledge based,
participative and inclusive economy
THE EXPERT GROUP ON
FUTURE SKILLS NEEDS
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 2

3. Who receives training?
60% of those
with third level
qualifications
35% of those
with no
qualifications
Training participation is closely linked to
educational attainment
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
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4. Economics and Skills
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5. Economics and Skills
Skills supply is dictated in part by the individual returns to investing in
those skills and by the general level of awareness of those potential
returns.
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 4

6. Economics and Skills
Skills supply is dictated in part by the individual returns to investing in
those skills and by the general level of awareness of those potential
returns.
Economic theory, however, is predicated on the assumption that
individuals will always make rational decisions.
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 4

7. Economics and Skills
Skills supply is dictated in part by the individual returns to investing in
those skills and by the general level of awareness of those potential
returns.
Economic theory, however, is predicated on the assumption that
individuals will always make rational decisions.
In reality, an individual’s decision to undertake investment in education
or training is often influenced by non-economic considerations
including personal and family circumstances, gender and class
background
P 31, The Expert Group on Future Skills (2007)
5th Report Tomorrow’s Skills Towards a National Skills Strategy
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 4

8. Economics and Skills
Skills supply is dictated in part by the individual returns to investing in
those skills and by the general level of awareness of those potential
returns.
Economic theory, however, is predicated on the assumption that
individuals will always make rational decisions.
In reality, an individual’s decision to undertake investment in education
or training is often influenced by non-economic considerations
including personal and family circumstances, gender and class
background
P 31, The Expert Group on Future Skills (2007)
5th Report Tomorrow’s Skills Towards a National Skills Strategy
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 4

9. Economics and Skills
Skills supply is dictated in part by the individual returns to investing in
those skills and by the general level of awareness of those potential
returns.
Economic theory, however, is predicated on the assumption that
individuals will always make rational decisions.
In reality, an individual’s decision to undertake investment in education
or training is often influenced by non-economic considerations
including personal and family circumstances, gender and class
background
P 31, The Expert Group on Future Skills (2007)
5th Report Tomorrow’s Skills Towards a National Skills Strategy
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 4

10. Economics and Skills
Skills supply is dictated in part by the individual returns to investing in
those skills and by the general level of awareness of those potential
returns.
Economic theory, however, is predicated on the assumption that
individuals will always make rational decisions.
In reality, an individual’s decision to undertake investment in education
or training is often influenced by non-economic considerations
including personal and family circumstances, gender and class
background
P 31, The Expert Group on Future Skills (2007)
5th Report Tomorrow’s Skills Towards a National Skills Strategy
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 4

11. New Skills for a New Economy
Knowledge economy skills (from KESP)
Solution oriented thinking
Gathering information
Communicate
Collaborate
Present
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12. Connecting Perspectives
Organisational Individual
Instructional
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13. Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
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14. BEN
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15. Ben is 48 years old
Works in transport
Connects with the office for
dockets
Sees others using computers
Feels left out and alienated
Feels he could do his own print
BEN outs
and wants to be able to book
holidays on the net
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 7

16. Adult Learners
• Learn
what they want to learn
and what they perceive as useful
• and they integrate new learning with past experience
Tusting, K. and Barton, D. (2003) Models of adult learning: a literature review,
National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and numeracy. Institute of Education, UK.
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 8

17. Maslow’s Hierarchy
SELF-ACTUALISATION
SELF-ESTEEM
LOVE AND BELONGING
SAFETY
PHYSIOLOGICAL
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Thursday 15 May 2008 9

18. Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination
Theory
Autonomy
I decided to try...
Belonging
We work as a team
Competence
I can do it myself
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 10

19. Tracy’s story
Last year I was in The Local Shopping Centre and they were
canvassing for the Know It course
now previous to that I have worked in the same shop for
thirty years but it got taken over by a new company three
years ago so basically we were in the olden days as in push
button tills still writing down orders that type of thing
and all of a sudden within this period of three years
everything has turned computerised now basically the tills,
the ordering system, everything like that is computerised.
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 11

20. Tracy’s story (cont.)
So the I work with a great crowd of younger people who
were all carrying the can for me Don’t worry about it Tracy
we’ll put it through…Don’t worry about this, that I was still
doing faxing where they e-mail, they were so much more
knowledgeable than I was
…so walking through Centre one day and I had been
thinking about it I must find out about doing a computer
course and two lovely girls explained basically to me what it
was, they told me they would put my name forward ... then A
just got in touch with me then and it went from there….
Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching National College of Ireland
Thursday 15 May 2008 12

21. AUTONOMY
BELONGING
COMPETENCE
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22. Inquiry Cycle
ASK
Reflect Investigate
Discuss Create
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