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The circle game
By ANTONIA MAIOLO
New South Wales premier Barry O’ Farrell was on hand to launch a learning initiative that aims to create an open exchange of ideas among leaders of vocational education and training colleges around the world.
The Global Learning Circle will link members of RC( Renewal & Change)-2020, students and teachers across the world, and has broad goals for economic renewal and growth within a global context through VET.
The TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute, the only Australian member of RC-2020, hosted the event, which saw CEOs from some of the world’ s largest urban community and vocational colleges attend the forum in Sydney last month.
The Global Learning Circle was launched following the success of the RC- 2020 Global Forum, themed Vocational and Workforce Training – Re-building the Global Economy.
The forum members number more than 1.5 million urban students at community colleges in the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Australia.
Sydney Institute director, David Riordan who initiated the Global Learning Circle, said global influences mean that we cannot operate in isolation.
“ We are part of a global community – economically, socially and culturally,” Riordan said.
He said that though member-training institutions might be in different parts of the world, many of the challenges are similar.
10 | April 2013
“ The Global Learning Circle will help us learn how others around the world have dealt with the challenges we’ re currently facing,” Riordan said.
He said the need for vocational institutions in Australia to embrace the‘ internationalisation’ of education was pressing.
“ Students learn by studying in different counties. It opens their eyes to possibilities they would have never learned about if learning is not exposed to global influences and the possibility of international experiences and perspectives,” Riordan said.
“ Teachers learn by experiencing other teaching techniques. What they bring back to their classrooms are world best practice exemplars.”
“ With more than 3000 international enrolments across 70 countries, including a significant proportion from Asia and the emerging South American market, Sydney Institute is forging new opportunities for students in Indonesia, India, and Korea and also with regional universities here at home,” Riordan said.
He said the Global Learning Circle will strengthen connections between member training institutions.“ Even if physical travel is not possible, there will be future linkups where challenges and solutions are discussed.”
Through learning circles, students and staff will also share their knowledge and experience, learn new information, apply and test new skills.
They will include workshops where members come together to share research with each other and meet to examine a common issue or body of knowledge. After some initial planning, the group will identify a specific set of goals before scheduling a series of meetings.
Ongoing exchange can occur through LinkedIn, email, video and telephone conferences, and face-to-face meetings.
Riordan said it was an honour to host the best in urban community and vocational colleges internationally to discuss challenges, learn how vocational education can support disadvantaged and disengaged and how mutual recognition of qualification could strengthen the vocational sector globally.
He said the vocational education and training system plays a critical role in creating social and economic benefits through enhancing civil society, providing greater opportunities and generally improving life outcomes.
Riordan said the strength of the vocational sector was that it created work-ready graduates who contributed to the economy immediately.
“ Six million Australians don’ t have proper literacy skills to cope with work and daily life, and three million don’ t have post-school qualifications. Clearly vocational education has an increasingly important role to play in getting people into work, and keeping local economies thriving,” he said. n