Education that transforms the economy and labour force

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/03/2017 (3432 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last fall, as part of my work on refugee issues in Germany, I had the opportunity to discuss with the state minister of Rhine-Westphalia how they managed the transformation of their economy and labour force when national policy required the closure of their coal mines and nuclear plants.

His answer was clear and instructive: education. They invested public funds and leveraged private funds into education.

In the past 10 years they have initiated a total recasting of their learning and innovation system, creating more than 70 new universities, colleges and research centres and breaking away from the traditional learning conventions by establishing digital modes of interconnection, public-private partnerships and extended lifelong educational and training opportunities. They are building a learning network that will underpin the advancement of a connected society.

There is a similar message in a recent report by the Winnipeg-based international think tank, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, that deals with the disparity in growth-producing investments. It suggests this country is over-invested in natural resources and concludes: “Canada must grow its human capital. Better education and training are key here.”

So what’s that got to do with Winnipeg? Education is one of the defining ways to create a climate of innovation and growth for this city and this province.

It’s helpful that the mayor is focusing on the future of the city, but I don’t think resolving the Portage Avenue and Main Street roundabout or road repair are the kinds of big ideas needed to meet the challenge of sustainable growth.

The reality is that in the next 10 years, 18 per cent of the city’s population will be comprised of aboriginal residents. Add to that the increased number of new Canadians relocating here from around the world.

For both newcomers and our indigenous population, a focus on transforming and enhancing our education system is a must. At the same time, we can’t forget our young people coping with a volatile job market and older workers looking for new opportunities.

There has to be a serious commitment from governments and business to an imaginative public policy on learning and its connection to a sustainable economy. One way to start is to consider the successful German model and create new institutions.

It’s time for a new alternative — a municipally governed city learning centre in Winnipeg — that will be a catalyst for shaping the future of our community. It would lead in a learning strategy that emphasizes integrated programs in fields such as urban design, energy conservation, web management, micro learning, sustainability law and language and would ensure connectivity for aboriginal people and newcomers as well.

It can be a co-operative venture between existing institutions, but not tied to conventional pedagogical practices. It can be a curriculum freed from enforced restrictions of traditional disciplines so that it can work in partnership with business and community to reflect the reality of the changing demographics and incorporating the new knowledge that the acceleration of technology brings.

It’s a model that can incorporate traditional learning precepts of our aboriginal community and work in partnership with their constituent colleges. It could team up with the city library to form a hub of contemporary literacy practices that could spread its reach worldwide.

A “city university” concept may not need a lot of new capital infrastructure. It might be a series of focused sessions using existing new communication technology and existing space in colleges and universities spread out through out the city.

Or another concept might be for the second level of Portage Place or part of the traditional Hudson’s Bay store to be converted to an open learning centre that co-ordinates and draws on the world and engages and disseminates the dialogue, making the concept a win-win for all current educators.

The governing board would reflect our growing diversity, grounded on principles of access and focusing on innovative programming. It can be more democratic, with shared governance through community-based education councils that include key education users.

Thomas Friedman, in his latest book, Thank You For Being Late, sums it up this way: “Our educational systems must be retooled to maximize these needed skills and attributes: strong fundamentals in writing, reading, coding and math; creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration; grit, self-motivation, lifelong learning habits; and entrepreneurship and improvisation at every level.”

We can do that in Winnipeg and create a whole new way of approaching the economy and labour.

Lloyd Axworthy is the former president of the University of Winnipeg and a former federal Liberal cabinet minister. He is the chairman of Cuso International.