Incubating Jobs and Workers: The Learning, Technology, Innovation, Learning Loop

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Incubating Jobs and WorkersThe Learning,
Technology, Innovation, Learning Loop

• NGA Center for Best Practices
• Workforce Development Policy Forum
• January 10, 2005
• Presentation by Mary McCain
• TechVision21

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Jobs of the Future andWhat It Will Take to Get
Them
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Are you kidding?
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Predicting the Future

• We can predict expansion in number of jobs - and
  requisite skills to get them - in industries (old
  and new) for which evidence demonstrates growth
  
• health care biotech
• We can predict with only limited/no accuracy
  (guesswork)
• how long these industries jobs will remain
  globally competitive
• how long the skills required to get the job will
  suffice for retaining the job
• what the skills might be for products, industries
• not yet developed

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Selected Industries with Predictable Job Growth

• Environmental Technology
• North Americas Largest Recycling Project
  FirstEnergy and National Gypsum Companys joint
  waste recycling and wallboard manufacture
  (www.firstenergycorp.com/environmental)
• BioTech and BioScience
• Northeast Biomanufacturing Collaborative
  (www.biomanufacturing.org)
• Games Development, Design, Learning
• Advanced Manufacturing Processes Materials
• IT Services

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Preparing Workers for the Future Develop
Incubators for Learning not Institutions for
Skills

• Jobs and Skills inseparable from Continuous
  Learning and Innovation
• Necessary to make the salefor work and learning
  to once and future workers
• Expectations of mobility and customization
• Education/training system is not equal to
  challenge of high school drop-outs, adults with
  limited literacy, need for ongoing learning

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Thats all very well to sayWhat Do We Do?

• Abandon legacy thinking
• Bite the Bullet on Technology
• Focus on learning, not skills
• Steal ideas from new sources
• Rent a young person

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Abandon Legacy Thinking

• Remember Workforce Development Economic
  Development are not prescriptions
• Accept The education system we have is not
  sacred
• Stop Rolling your eyes at the mention of
• Networks, Connectivity
• Distance/e-/self-directed learning
• Lifelong learning
• Access for all 24/7
• Expand Your view of business
• Leapfrog Incremental implementation of technology

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Bite the Bullet on Technology The next new
thing is already here

• Access to Information and Learning
• Develop courses and modules w/ objects
• open source models for information and learning
  content (SCORM) and for finding these (CORDRA)
• authoring tools for dummies (www.workforceconnecti
  ons.dol.gov)
• Search tools web portals digital libraries
• Access to Knowledge Learning
• Communities and networks
• self-correcting/self-managing communities
• protocols of practice

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Bite the Bullet on Technology(cont.)

• Access to Just in Time Training
• Performance Support tools
• handhelds mobile devices person-to-person
• US Dept. of Defense
• Online Pay per view training
• www.ikknowindustrialskills.com
• Web-based tools for ESL, literacy
• Access to Learning for classroom challenged

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Focus on Learning not Skills Create an
incubator for learning environment

• A system of Inquiry not mastery
• Access to knowledge is power
• Develop Learning Infrastructure
• Map existing access points for learning
  connectivity
• Build technology-enabled environments that
  facilitate self-direction creativity innovation
  in learning
• U Memphis Fed Ex Inst. SE Inst. Mfg Tech
• Model the future
• MIT Media Lab US DOD Advanced Distributed
  Learning Co-Labs

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Steal ideas from new sources

• Social capitalists
• Fast Companys Social Capitalists of 2005
• The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid
• P G the Indian shampoo mkt CEMEX Mexican
  home bldg. C.K. Prahalad, 2004
• World Banks infoDev program
• www.infodev.org
• Other countries
• Venture capitalists

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Rent a Young Person

• In the world of technology, were immigrants,
  theyre natives
• Involve young people in problem-solving, with
  technology as option
• Nokias innovation kids
• Engage them in designing learning

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Challenges for States

• Governments are inherently conservative
• Risk-taking in one arena may jeopardize necessary
  service in another
• Passionate constituencies for status quo
• Narrow window for implementation
• Funding inconsistency

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Options for Action

• Look for clues to new jobs
• Connectivity people, work, products, markets,
  customers
• Jobs from the bottom up Napster/Kazaa
• Jobs from the top down Managing distributed
  development
• What are they doing over there?
• Cultural differences drive divergent patterns of
  adoption
• Demand at the Bottom of the Pyramid
• Merger of business and social capitalists
• Process Change
• Georgia Tech Tennenbaum Institute
  (www.ti.gatech.edu)
• Indias Tata Corp. franchises automobile
  manufacture to
• local mini factories using knocked-down kits

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Options for Action (cont.)

• Envision different scenarios
• Starbucks third place to meet
• Develop partnerships
• with new partners (organizations in other
  countries)
• with old partners for new purposes
• Drive technolgy supply to create demand
• Facilitate and support
• Innovation Extension Partnerships
• discussions with outsiders
• risk funds

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Options for action (cont.)

• Map State/community competencies
• Consider new customer bases
• Upgrade your websites (they need it)
• Draw up peace treaty between workforce economic
  development education departments

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Thousands of innovations in history all
share the same pattern the early assessment is
unrelated to the outcome. Michael Dertouzos