According to a new research paper titled “Delivering Quality Education in the 21st Century: An Overview” published today by Accenture, it is necessary to devise a framework of global accreditation standards, parameters and criteria to address the acute economic uncertainty and a prolonged crisis of jobs and growth in major parts of the world.
Today economically advanced countries are witnessing a “silver tsunami” with the proportion of adults over the age of 60 set to increase from 8 percent to 19 percent by 2050. The trend is expected to broaden the skill gap in the long term with a reduction in the number of young people entering the job market, unless offset by substantial immigration. A World Bank Study estimates that 68 million immigrants will be needed to meet labor requirements in Europe by 2050. For developing and emerging economies like India to leverage their talent pool to plug these labour and skill shortages, a robust accreditation process will play a critical role.
“India is adding one million people to the workforce every month and this will continue over the next two decades with the average age of Indians declining to 29 by 2030. That said, according to NASSCOM, 75 percent of Indian graduates are not easily employable. In the light of these facts, accreditation is a mandate to nurture the development of resources that are globally adaptable to changing needs, and an imperative to help foster a sustainable future“ said Nilaya Varma, Managing Director, Health & Public Service practice, Accenture Management Consulting.
In order to achieve this, the research paper suggests that governments, educational policy makers and other requisite actors collaboratively join forces to devise a comprehensive yet harmonized accreditation framework that is accepted internationally. These global standards need to focus on:
· Learning Inputs: These include grass root level factors that enhance learning experiences such as institutional infrastructure, mission and goals, teaching content and methodology, student recruitment, employability of graduates, approach to examinations, development and growth plans for the future, student welfare, staff-student planning and research excellence.
· Learning Outcomes: These factors determine what learners can yield from education in terms of specialized skills and techniques, mastery, innovation, cognitive and practical skills and so on.
It is clear that investing in education and skills is seen by governments, agencies and employers as the key to developing a skilled and motivated workforce that would support economic development and prosperity. Therefore it is pertinent to develop an international framework that recognizes the potential of an “international education” based on global standards and accreditation parameters ensuring that skills become the international currency in near future.
About Accenture Management Consulting
Accenture Management Consulting has been in India for the last 25 years and has been helping business and government in India deliver high-performance. We have identified four key drivers, which if developed effectively would accelerate India's journey to becoming a high performance nation:
· Fostering the growth of the digital citizen.
· Empowering people with skills and opportunities.
· Building an innovation economy to develop novel solutions for local needs.
· Constructing a collaborative ecosystem to increase the pace of infrastructure growth.
Today economically advanced countries are witnessing a “silver tsunami” with the proportion of adults over the age of 60 set to increase from 8 percent to 19 percent by 2050. The trend is expected to broaden the skill gap in the long term with a reduction in the number of young people entering the job market, unless offset by substantial immigration. A World Bank Study estimates that 68 million immigrants will be needed to meet labor requirements in Europe by 2050. For developing and emerging economies like India to leverage their talent pool to plug these labour and skill shortages, a robust accreditation process will play a critical role.
“India is adding one million people to the workforce every month and this will continue over the next two decades with the average age of Indians declining to 29 by 2030. That said, according to NASSCOM, 75 percent of Indian graduates are not easily employable. In the light of these facts, accreditation is a mandate to nurture the development of resources that are globally adaptable to changing needs, and an imperative to help foster a sustainable future“ said Nilaya Varma, Managing Director, Health & Public Service practice, Accenture Management Consulting.
In order to achieve this, the research paper suggests that governments, educational policy makers and other requisite actors collaboratively join forces to devise a comprehensive yet harmonized accreditation framework that is accepted internationally. These global standards need to focus on:
· Learning Inputs: These include grass root level factors that enhance learning experiences such as institutional infrastructure, mission and goals, teaching content and methodology, student recruitment, employability of graduates, approach to examinations, development and growth plans for the future, student welfare, staff-student planning and research excellence.
· Learning Outcomes: These factors determine what learners can yield from education in terms of specialized skills and techniques, mastery, innovation, cognitive and practical skills and so on.
It is clear that investing in education and skills is seen by governments, agencies and employers as the key to developing a skilled and motivated workforce that would support economic development and prosperity. Therefore it is pertinent to develop an international framework that recognizes the potential of an “international education” based on global standards and accreditation parameters ensuring that skills become the international currency in near future.
About Accenture Management Consulting
Accenture Management Consulting has been in India for the last 25 years and has been helping business and government in India deliver high-performance. We have identified four key drivers, which if developed effectively would accelerate India's journey to becoming a high performance nation:
· Fostering the growth of the digital citizen.
· Empowering people with skills and opportunities.
· Building an innovation economy to develop novel solutions for local needs.
· Constructing a collaborative ecosystem to increase the pace of infrastructure growth.