Lifelong Learning, Training, and the Labour Market: A Neoliberal View

This report provides a broad analysis of the influences of neoliberalism on lifelong learning and the labour market. It begins by defining globalization and its impact on education, exploring how it has changed the education system worldwide, and examines the interplay of globalization, neoliberalism, and their effects on employment and education. The report delves into the effects of globalization on education, specifically in developing countries and the influence of global processes on local, national, and international education policies and practices. The report also discusses debates surrounding the impact of globalization on education and training for the labour market, highlighting how neoliberal principles shape education frameworks and influence professional growth, including technological changes. The document is a comprehensive review of the subject, supported by literature review, and concludes with insights into the evolving landscape of education and employment in a globalized world.

Lifelong-learning and training for the labour market – a
broad analysis of neoliberal influences that have changed
the pace and type of economic change

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
Globalisation and education ........................................................................................................1
Effect of globalisation .................................................................................................................2
Influence of global process on local, national and international education policies and practice:
......................................................................................................................................................3
Debates on impact of globalisation on education and training of labour market........................5
Globalisation and neoliberal issues related to employment and education.................................6
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Globalisation can be described as a process of interaction with people, government and
companies across the world. The globalisation has resulted in the demand for increasing the level
of education at individual level as well as international level. Globalisation has resulted in
change in the education system across the world. In order to understand the relationship between
education and globalisation the report will cover about the basic concepts of education and
globalisation along with concept of neo liberalisation along with literature review in support.
Effect of globalisation on education will also be explained in the report. At last what influence
does globalisation creates on educational policies and procedures at local, national and
international level will also be discussed.
Globalisation and education
Globalisation can be understand as a process which has resulted in increasing contacts
between cultural, social and economic areas of different countries. Globalisation has also result
in changing labour market. Many changes has been occurred in the labour market in last few
decades and currently it is in unpredictable position. Various trends has been involved in the
market creating a huge change such as technological innovation, increase in international
competition, use of new methods for work management etc. In order to assure that economic
condition of country remain constant government has taken various steps in order to increase
employability (Kaur, Young, & Kirkpatrick, (2016). But sometimes it become difficult for an
organisation to find the right candidate for their jobs or organisation. As the competition is also
increasing as a result of globalisation it has become important for an organisation to ensure
professional development of their workers. Globalisation has resulted in knowledge sharing in
low income countries. As it helps to foster communication and interaction. Also efficiency is
increased as a result of global sharing and promotion of global understanding, acceptance of
cultural diversity and collaboration. There is some negative impact also of the globalisation on
developing countries. As increase in involvement on advanced countries in developing countries
on their political, cultural and organisation issues which is resulting in increase of gap between
poor areas and rich areas of world.
The solution to deal with such type of problem is to provide proper education of
employees. As education is regarded as means of training, educating, socialising individual in
relation to labour market. The lifelong-learning has resulted in a dominant demand of a market
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as new knowledge is required in order to produce commodities at cheap rate. This need has
resulted in increasing demand to make changes in education system. Many countries has been
forced to introduce lifelong-learning policies in their system.
As per the views of Mayo (2019), this dominant conception of neo-liberalism, in which
economics is seen as study of calculated or right choice. People in the market are assumed to
take proper decision or rational decision by looking at the choices present in market place. The
basic idea behind neo-liberalism is to free market forces and to encourage customer choice,
private enterprise and to reward entrepreneurship,
Education and globalisation both carries the mutual goal which is preparing young ones
to move toward successful future of their nation. Globalisation however prepare individual in
labour market to acquire knowledge and utilize it in proper manner. It helps to create a
technically and scientifically trained persons. As it is highly required by the industry to have an
trained professionals (Springer, Birch, & MacLeavy, 2016).
However from above discussion it can be seen that neo-liberalism has advocated free
market force as an efficient method in order to produce and supply goods and service. Also it
discourage government intervention in social, financial and economic affairs. While some holds
the view that education has been proved failure as increasing youth problems such as increasing
poverty, drug abuse, violence, teenage pregnancies etc., are increasing day by day (Gloablisation
and neoliberlaisation, 2018).
Effect of globalisation
As globalisation is one of the major thing which is unavoidable by countries whether it is
developed or developing. Developing countries include China, Africa, India, Lebanon, Iraq and
Jordan. Globalisation has created both positive as well as negative impact on low income
countries or postcolonial countries. According to Larsen (2016), globalisation has contributed in
the development of education system in developing countries. To improve any nation it is highly
required that the nation has a proper education system. Globalisation has also resulted in growth
in economy which has improved the living standard of people of developing countries.
In 1991 India has suffered a external debt crises which has brought a country in trouble
regarding making international payments. In order to deal with such situation India has taken neo
liberal policies which is also identified as market friendly policies of economic these policies has
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however helped India to come out of this problem. As per neo-liberalism the main reason behind
instability in world economy is strict rules and regulations by government (Hursh, 2016).
Along with trade globalisation has also helped in elevating the standard of education such
that individual are now getting more knowledge with the help of growing private and public
learning institutions. As globalisation has helped in easy access to information thus providing
easy access to knowledge or education by the people from the low income countries (Puiggrós,
2019).
Neo liberal policies are made on the basis of neo classical model which depends on
theory of equilibrium. As per this theory people are expected to take rational decision. These neo
liberal policies has however helped in removal of all type of barrier which has also resulted in
promotion of education.
However it can be seen that globalisation has created an positive impact on education. As
education has played an important role in shaping of society therefore, it becomes necessary to
connect globalisation with education. Globalisation helps in transforming business competition.
The globalisation has resulted in faster development of technology in market thus increasing the
demand of skilled labour forces (Malindi, 2018). Computers has become one of the important
factor of the business, thus creating a pressure on low income countries to provide proper
training to their individual as to move with the current trend in market and enhance knowledge
and skills accordingly. The way of providing education to individuals has also been changed as a
result of globalisation. Hence globalisation is demanding individual to be more efficient not only
in their work but in their skills to. It has resulted in creation of new attitude and beliefs. It is
highly required by the individuals to learn more new concepts (Impact of globalisation on
education, 2015). As globalisation is resulting in tough competition in marketing and thus
impacting the economy of low income countries. Therefore, it is highly required that low income
countries should make such rules which allow individuals to get familiar with the necessities of a
global world (Evans, 2017).
Influence of global process on local, national and international education policies and practice:
As per the views of Zajda (2015), globalisation has resulted in change in education
policies at national, international and national level. The reason behind this is that it has become
important to enhance the knowledge of individual so that they can understand the market more
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clearly and in broader aspect. In various Asian countries education has been governed by neo
liberal policies,
For example in United states federal government and funding has become a change agent
in order to make changes in their education policies and procedures. They have adopted such
educational policies which match with the competitive grants. The education system of united
states has undergone various changes which assists the standard based education system.
However makes changes in educational policies and procedures does not ensure an
American students to be globally successful it requires government of united states to ensure that
how the poor schools and student should be provided with best resources which fulfil the needs
of educational changes. As a result of change in educational polices the teacher preparation
programme has also been undergone various changes. In year 2001 federal government has
prepared the “ No child left behind act of 2001”, which require states to create a comprehensive
assessment in different subjects. NCLB has also include six type of parental involvement which
has become a standards for parents involvement in education. Which means that every school
should ensure that these standards are met.
It can be seen that globalisation has resulted in change in education policies. The main
idea behind change in education system is to create a workforce and make them prepare to deal
with the global challenges. The workforce so prepared should be critical thinkers, problem
solvers, innovators and tech savvy.
Secondly along with changes in national level it is also required to make changes as per
the local level the main reason behind this is to encourage students to be aware about the needs
of their communities (Mundy & et.al., (2016). Change at national level is required but it is also
required that changes in education system should also be done at local level. Globalisation has
created an urge to prepare the individual to deal with various global challenges. The emphasis is
laid on making change in education process at local level so as to make them prepare to deal with
global market.
Lastly if we talk about the change in education system at international level as a result of
globalisation. It can be seen that globalisation has created a demand for change in education
system at international system in three ways (Bengtsson & Dryden-Peterson, 2016).
However it can be seen that many countries has make changes in their education sustem
in order to enhance their knowledge and skills which enable them to built themselves as per th
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demand of current market. The main idea behind making change in education system at nationa
and international level is to develop enough knowledge in an individual regarding
communication technologies, literacy and numerical skills. The reason behind making change in
education system is that the earlier education system does not provide any kind of improvement
in knowledge of an individual. The very first reason of change due to globalisation is new
paradigm of learning which has become important in the year 1980. The concept of teaching has
been shifted to learning at this time. Which means that now focus of schools has been shifted
toward increasing conceptual understanding, emotional skills, problem solving skills,
interpersonal skills etc. At the same time proficiency in literacy and numeracy has been became
important part. Second inspiration for increasing public demand for effective learning. It has
created a need to set educational standard in order to promote ideal education for all. The third
inspiration, accountability movement which has resulted in global wave of decentralisation.
Means it has make educational institution accountable for their action and work which has
resulted in introduction of new standards and benchmark for teaching as well as learning.
Debates on impact of globalisation on education and training of labour market
According to Misra & Merz, (2015) neo-liberalism has been gradually becoming an
integral part of the knowledge and education system. From initial stage individuals are trained to
accept the neo-liberal principles so that they can enhance the professional efficiencies. For
instance in the developed countries such as UK and USA neo-liberal principles are considered as
essential for the professional growth. Thus the education and training framework prepared for the
employees are significantly influenced by the global changes. The technological changes have
been one of the most advanced and latest type of change observed in promotion of the neo-liberal
policies. The developing Asian countries such as China and India which have great potential and
market for the service providers.
Thus for enhancing the productivity multinational companies are aiming at providing
adequate training and knowledge to their workers. In order to improve the integration and
incorporation of neo-liberal policies for the economic development various education and
training of information and communication technology (ICT) is required. In the same context
Rodrik, (2017). stated that rationalism in economy context wit neo-liberal education and training
policy allow learners to incorporate specific discourses so that individuals can govern
themselves. However contrary to these beliefs Ritzer & Dean, (2015) argued that labours
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working in organisations which are based upon neo-liberal educational beliefs often faces
isolation and lack of assistance in terms of unfair management practices. The globalised culture
and trade related benefits and opportunities encourages neo-liberal institutes to prioritise the
economic rationalism over skills and needs of labours.
It has been also analysed that global educational programs for the employees are
beneficial for their own professional development but they primarily aims at neo-liberal
approaches. According to Vachon, Wallace & Hyde, (2016) though neo-liberalism put stress on
need of training programs as per economic imperatives so that more and more trade opportunities
can be explored. However from the employment perspectives it is recommended that educational
programs must be developed with the aim of flourishment and well being of individual instead of
giving priority to only economic imperatives. Neo liberalism emphasis on innovative and
advance technologies and methods of governance which involves self management, skill
development of individuals and logical aspects of public policies.
Globalisation and neoliberal issues related to employment and education
Kotz, (2015) stated that neo-liberalism is also influencing the social perspectives and
trends related to income optimisation and life style management. These changes are observed
globally and thus it is hard to predict the perfect training model for the employees. For instance
there is huge difference in the social, cultural and religious aspects and their association with the
neo-liberal principles. Thus in this era of globalisation when employees are required to make
interaction at global level then these perspectives may impose certain limitations. It may have
adverse impact on the profitability of service providers as well as education quality.
The most prominent impact of globalisation is observed towards public governance and
neo-liberal politics. Thus the elements such as decentralisation, leadership and highly
competitive market policies are essential to learn in the organisation. The training framework and
educational policies for the labour force are designed by taking these aspects into consideration.
The technological advancements taking place at global level becomes essential for the overall
development of individual. The resource availability, cultural aspects and legislative policies also
act as critical factors in knowledge development. For instance the technical advancements in
countries like Japan, UK, China and USA are a way forward as compare to the underdeveloped
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countries. However due to easy flow of goods and services and huge development opportunities
across the world people from underdeveloped countries moves to developed countries.
The skilled and unskilled migrant labours are beneficial for the the employer in terms of
cost and abilities. However for assuring the work proficiency it is vital for the employers to train
them with practical values and differing economy. The globalisation and neo-liberalism has
encouraged to integrate the applied science, communication and technology along with the
humanities and arts. Thus knowledge in different parts of the world is assumed to have different
standards of economic value. Neo-liberal policies seems to impose challenges for social
movements and labour relations. With the increasing influence of employment and customer
protection regulations and global trades the methods and concepts of education has also
transformed.
According to Roseman, Barber & Neis, (2015) when organisation provides oversea
services then it becomes easy for them to approach the low cost resources and labour. However
cross cultural training and cultural diversity can impose a serious issues. In order to overcome
such issues training becomes more essential aspect so that diversities and variations does not
affect the goal achievement of the organisations. These training programs acts as great
opportunity for the individuals to groom themselves for the future opportunities.
Globalisation has made it possible as well as convenient for the individuals to get
employment in different parts of the world. Thus exposure to education and training program
based upon global standards is effective in terms of enhancing and updating the skills of
employees. The employees get scope and opportunity for exploring the skills which can help
them in achieving professional excellence. Since educational training at workplace teaches
individuals most advanced professional capabilities it becomes easy for them to get aware of the
global work environment. Neoliberalisation prioritises the trade flow.
Thus there are often possibilities that welfare and personal training needs of individuals
are discarded by the employers. In the wake of globalisation employers may also put additional
pressure over employees to gain the knowledge which may not be of their interest but is the
demand of globalised economies (Shin & Park, (2016). The technical challenges also impose a
threat over risk of utility over a period of time as due to rapid and sudden globalisation changes
the gained knowledge of individual may not remain profitable. As a result employers may seek
other people to provide the education for the new global requirement.
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CONCLUSION
Globalisation has created an impact on education process. It can be seen that this change
has been required as increasing market competition needs an individual with proper skills and
knowledge. Therefore it can be seen that globalisation and education are interrelated. Means it is
highly required to make changes in the education system as per the changing competition in the
market. However it can be seen that globalisation has created both positive as well as negative
impact on the market. The various literature which has been analysed while this study holds the
view that education system at local, national and international level has made changes in their
education system in order to enhance knowledge and skills of an individual. Not only changes in
education standards has been done for students but changes has been done for the teacher to in
order to spread knowledge to deal with competitive world. Hence the whole report gives an
understanding of relation between education and globalisation by discussing various important
aspects.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bengtsson, S. E., & Dryden-Peterson, S. (2016). Education, conflict, and globalisation: Guest
Editors’ introduction.
Evans, M. (2017). Introduction: Is policy transfer rational policy-making?. In Policy transfer in
global perspective (pp. 1-9). Routledge.
Hursh, D. (2016). Neoliberalism and education policy. Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy
and Theory, 1-6.
Kaur, A., Young, D., & Kirkpatrick, R. (2016). English Education Policy in Thailand: Why the
Poor Results?. In English language education policy in Asia (pp. 345-361). Springer,
Cham.
Kotz, D. M. (2015). Neoliberalism, globalization, financialization: Understanding post-1980
capitalism. The Restructuring of Capitalism in Our Time.
Larsen, M. A. (2016). Globalisation and internationalisation of teacher education: a comparative
case study of Canada and Greater China. Teaching Education. 27(4). 396-409.
Malindi, M. M. (2018). The impact of globalisation on African languages and cultures: a study
of selected discourses(Doctoral dissertation, North-West University (South Africa),
Vaal Triangle Campus).
Mayo, P. (2019). Liberating praxis: Paulo Freire’s legacy for radical education and politics.
Brill Sense.
Misra, J., & Merz, S. N. (2015). Neoliberalism, globalization, and the international division of
care. In Wages of Empire (pp. 121-134). Routledge.
Mundy, K. & et.al., (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of global education policy. John Wiley & Sons.
Puiggrós, A. (2019). Neoliberalism and education in the Americas. Routledge.
Ritzer, G., & Dean, P. (2015). Globalization: A basic text. John Wiley & Sons.
Rodrik, D. (2017). Rescuing economics from neoliberalism. Boston Review. 6. 6-10.
Roseman, S. R., Barber, P. G., & Neis, B. (2015). Towards a feminist political economy
framework for analyzing employment-related geographical mobility. Studies in Political
Economy. 95(1). 175-203.
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Shin, H., & Park, J. S. Y. (2016). Researching language and neoliberalism. Journal of
Multilingual and Multicultural Development. 37(5). 443-452.
Springer, S., Birch, K., & MacLeavy, J. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of neoliberalism. Routledge.
Vachon, T. E., Wallace, M., & Hyde, A. (2016). Union decline in a neoliberal age:
Globalization, financialization, European integration, and union density in 18 affluent
democracies. Socius. 2. 2378023116656847.
Zajda, J. (2015). Globalisation and its impact on education and policy. In Second international
handbook on globalisation, education and policy research. (pp. 105-125). Springer,
Dordrecht.
Online
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