Futures of Education II: Essays from an Interdisciplinary Symposium

The organization of work according to distinct industries is largely a thing of the past since the traditional occupations are undergoing rapid change, and lifelong learning has long since become the basic requirement for job qualifications. These developments have overturned the traditional concept that views vocational training as equipping the worker with a finite body of required knowledge and skills. The developments also blur the historical distinction between purposeless, pure education (liberal education) and purposeful, useful education (vocational training). The futures of liberal education and vocational training are becoming inseparable. There is therefore a need for further interdisciplinary research in the fields of vocational training, further education, continuing education, and general adult education. The time has also come to take advantage of the field of education's interfaces with labour market research and the economics of education. In the face of these tendencies and demands, the Second International Symposium on the Futures of Education, held in Zurich from 23 to 25 April 2002, focused on the position of work, education, and occupation from the perspective of ongoing qualification. The symposium contributions assembled in this volume provide new and valuable insights into a key field of research.