The Bell 500 gives us the opportunity to share thoughts on a wide range of educational topics from global contributors and gives you the opportunity to read 500 words to motivate your mind. It's quick, it’s focused and it’s always topical.
What’s micro-credentials got to do, got to do with it?
There has been a lot of buzz recently about so-called “micro-credentials”, touted as an area of new thinking in education and qualifications. But is this really the case? What are micro-credentials? And are they really something new and innovative? Or just a rehash of old ideas?
How International Projects Drive Innovation in the UK Skills Sector
I’ve worked for TVET Awarding Organisations for 20 years in Marketing and Business Development and have been fortunate to operate at director level with responsibility for qualifications development. I have huge respect for the integrity of the sector and the opportunities vocational training creates for individuals and the benefits delivered to industry. The question is how, in a regulated and highly structured sector, can you drive innovation and respond swiftly to changing business requirements?
Credential Evaluation – what is it and why is it important?
Credential evaluation is the process of comparing qualifications earned or awarded in one country with those earned in another country. At the most basic level, credential evaluation seeks to assign a “value” to qualifications in a country other than the country in which they were earned or awarded. Let’s take a more practical explanation just to make sure there is a clear understanding. Say I hold a Master’s degree which was awarded by the University of Cambridge (UK) but I want to work for an American-based employer. What is the value of my (UK) Master’s degree in America? I would use a credential evaluation professional to provide an opinion and a report.
Staying Ahead of the Curve: Navigating the Ever-Changing Landscape of Credential Evaluation
Keeping up-to-date with advancements in technology, pedagogical approaches, and emerging academic disciplines is crucial for credential evaluators. Regular updates, training, incorporating new research, methodologies, new verification methods, and best practices are essential for maintaining fairness, accuracy, efficiency, productivity, and overall quality in the assessment process.
Origin Stories
One of my favourite questions to ask my colleagues is what led them to their current career and how they got their start in the field of international education. I have yet to hear the same story twice, but one answer is almost always the same: they had no idea this type of job existed until they fell into it – and once they did, they were hooked. Another common thread that ties these tales is a culturally significant experience – a story of immigration, language acquisition, student exchange or travel. Something that broke a barrier or pushed a comfort zone and sparked curiosity, empathy, and a deep sense of being a minute part of a much larger and beautifully complex world.
Soft Skills: linking education and employment
What are soft skills? How are soft skills different from hard skills? How are they “taught” in education settings? How do they relate to employment? These are just a few of the questions surrounding soft skills but let’s start by trying to define them. Soft skills are a combination of abilities which are related to people and social situations, rather than a person's technical abilities. In other words, they’re the intangibles or the skills that we can sometimes take for granted. Soft skills are the way we “do” things while hard skills are about “doing” particular tasks. The problem is that many people find that although soft skills can be taken for granted, not everyone has a natural inclination or ability and these skills need to be taught. Some common examples of soft skills are relationship-building, teamwork, communication, adaptability, empathy, problem-solving and leadership.
Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First!
Education is considered one of the fundamental pillars of development in any society, touted as a powerful tool for empowering individuals and promoting social and economic growth. The root causes of inequality in education are complex and multifaceted, with economic, social, and political factors playing a significant role. In many countries, poverty is a primary barrier to accessing education, with families unable to afford school fees, uniforms, and textbooks. As a result, many children will be forced to drop out of school early, limiting their opportunities for social mobility and economic prosperity. There are many reasons that education is not a panacea for all of a country's challenges, and this is by no means an exhaustive list and is meant to serve as a starting point for further exploration.
What’s RPL got to do with confidence?
Improved confidence and self-esteem are often claimed as benefits of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). These claims underpin the design of RPL national policy and its mechanisms towards improved national adult learning participation particularly of non-traditional learners.
Addressing the Skills Gap: future of education and work
Technological developments we have witnessed in recent times have rapidly changed the way we learn and work – and consequently contributed to accelerating the skills gap. An estimated total talent deficit of 85 million workers can be expected in 2030, which results in approx. USD 8.5 trillion in unrealized revenue globally, as noted by Korn Ferry’s “Future of Work” findings. If we put this into perspective, that is more than the yearly GDP of the UK and Germany combined.
Inequality in Education
Education is considered one of the fundamental pillars of development in any society, touted as a powerful tool for empowering individuals and promoting social and economic growth. The root causes of inequality in education are complex and multifaceted, with economic, social, and political factors playing a significant role. In many countries, poverty is a primary barrier to accessing education, with families unable to afford school fees, uniforms, and textbooks. As a result, many children will be forced to drop out of school early, limiting their opportunities for social mobility and economic prosperity. There are many reasons that education is not a panacea for all of a country's challenges, and this is by no means an exhaustive list and is meant to serve as a starting point for further exploration.
NQFs – transparency tools or enablers of change?
Many countries are using NQFs as a vehicle for educational reform often linked to economic and political drivers. Do they provide the answer to many of our issues around mobility, transfer of credit and mutual recognition or are they simply a construct which provides a vehicle for some better analysis of education and training issues? The answer to these questions is dependent on the purposes identified initially. You need to be clear about what problem or problems you are trying to solve before identifying the type of NQF that will provide the necessary solutions.
Academic vs Vocational education
I grew up, as many of you, in an environment that appreciates academic achievements, where the majority of school kids think of only one choice which is the higher education route. At least from my own experience I can say that it has never crossed my mind to consider vocational and technical education. I always believed that getting an academic degree is a must to be successful in life, however experience proves me wrong. Education is not only about higher education, but it can also take other pathways and an under-appreciated one is vocational education and training.
Reflections on 30 years in education…
As we welcome a new year, thoughts often turn to new opportunities. On a personal level, I’m choosing to reflect on almost 30 years of working in the field of education, thinking about what has changed, and what has stayed the same. In conversation, when asked about what I do for a living, it is often commented that it must be rather mundane. For those of us who work in the dynamic world of education, dull and mundane are not words that we recognise.