.
Workforce development has traditionally been viewed as a way to strengthen human resource capacity in order to boost the economic development of nations. However, as concerns for promoting economic equity has grown, workforce development has been considered increasingly important in the area of human rights. Today, expanding the opportunities for workforce participation is recognized as a way to address a wider range of human needs, particularly poverty reduction. Therefore, workforce development has taken on a role of increasing importance in the 21st century.
Education is widely regarded as the primary vehicle for developing a skilled and competent workforce. Higher levels of education can increase a nation’s productivity in considerable ways, while also improving citizen participation rates and engagement with human rights. Through education, individuals gain a greater sense of inclusion, feel more respected for the skills and knowledge they possess, and can translate their skills into work opportunities. Individuals who feel included in the workforce of a nation often have a greater sense of commitment to ensuring the success of that nation; therefore, education may boost civic participation. Networks of regionally and locally based universities, human service organizations, and community-based agencies are often involved in the education and training of workers which can have an added benefit of strengthening regional and community knowledge sharing infrastructure. Workforce development is a vital component of the success of nations that goes beyond economic development, and education is the best conduit available for increasing worker skills and knowledge.
In the dialogue surrounding the newly adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), education is being elevated to a position of primary importance as it is viewed as fundamental to achieving the SDG goals and supporting critical global efforts, including workforce development of nations.
However, in order to advance education in the 21st century, we need new methods of advocating for, and promoting, the value of education. The Center for Education Diplomacy, begun by ACEI in 2012, outlines a new approach for promoting and securing access to quality education. This new approach is called Education Diplomacy and it is designed specifically for addressing 21st century education needs and for addressing broader development goals as well that rely on education, such as achievement of the SDG goals. It should be noted that education diplomacy has a dual role to play as both a tool to advance education more broadly, for purposes such as workforce development, and as a workforce advancement opportunity itself for those who wish to expand and enhance their skills in the constantly changing field of education.
Since Education Diplomacy is a new concept, there is no one fixed definition. One suggested definition is as follows:
Education Diplomacy cultivates trust to achieve mutual benefits in the pursuit of context-specific education goals using negotiation and other diplomatic skills to communicate across regional or national boundaries or with local communities responsible for education delivery. The practice of Education Diplomacy can encompass interactions with multiple actors at multiple levels that aim to shape a positive policy environment for education and manage issues of education on a local, bilateral, regional, or global level.
Education Diplomacy goes beyond typical approaches to education advocacy and leadership. It employs a broader set of diplomatic skills to reach agreement and find solutions to education challenges. Education Diplomacy always takes place between at least two actors and it has both conceptual and practical value. In practice, Education Diplomacy can be used to negotiate agreements between parties, which can help parties to reach consensus and develop collaborative relationships that expand opportunities in the education sector. This form of “new diplomacy” borrows skills from traditional diplomacy, but applies those skills beyond a narrow conception of foreign policy and international relations to a broader set of issues and actors.
Education Diplomacy can be employed at the international level to formulate global initiatives and movements, or at the national and local levels to translate international policies into appropriate local practice. Alternatively, Education Diplomacy can be used at local levels to educate those operating at international and national levels about local education needs and challenges. This interplay illustrates the broad scope of Education Diplomacy in practice.
In order to advance education in innovative ways, educators today need to be well versed in strategies that go beyond typical education advocacy and leadership methods. Education Diplomacy is a new strategy that will help educators everywhere to design and implement education in exciting, yet appropriate and effective, ways. Understanding and cultivating a disposition of diplomatic engagement moves educators to a new place where they can be even more successful in establishing partnerships, mediating differences, negotiating agreements, developing meaningful and contextualized education goals, designing suitable measures of education achievement, increasing access to education, and ensuring that education remains relevant to critical issues including ever-changing workforce development needs.
Education Diplomacy has the potential to serve as the leading approach to dynamic education change in this century. Among other critical issues, Education Diplomacy can be used to effectively promote issues relating to workforce development, such as improving skills and opportunities. It can also be used for the purposes of enhancing education as a human right or as the vehicle for expanding the knowledge that will be needed to resolve other crucial international development challenges. Education Diplomacy is a new strategy for new times.
About the author: Diane Whitehead is the Executive Director of the Association for Childhood Education International and leads the development of the Center for Education Diplomacy. Washington D.C. USA. To learn more about Education Diplomacy visit the Center for Education Diplomacy at educationdiplomacy.org.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
a global affairs media network
Education Diplomacy: A Way Forward for Workforce Development
Global Business Team
January 19, 2016
Workforce development has traditionally been viewed as a way to strengthen human resource capacity in order to boost the economic development of nations. However, as concerns for promoting economic equity has grown, workforce development has been considered increasingly important in the area of human rights. Today, expanding the opportunities for workforce participation is recognized as a way to address a wider range of human needs, particularly poverty reduction. Therefore, workforce development has taken on a role of increasing importance in the 21st century.
Education is widely regarded as the primary vehicle for developing a skilled and competent workforce. Higher levels of education can increase a nation’s productivity in considerable ways, while also improving citizen participation rates and engagement with human rights. Through education, individuals gain a greater sense of inclusion, feel more respected for the skills and knowledge they possess, and can translate their skills into work opportunities. Individuals who feel included in the workforce of a nation often have a greater sense of commitment to ensuring the success of that nation; therefore, education may boost civic participation. Networks of regionally and locally based universities, human service organizations, and community-based agencies are often involved in the education and training of workers which can have an added benefit of strengthening regional and community knowledge sharing infrastructure. Workforce development is a vital component of the success of nations that goes beyond economic development, and education is the best conduit available for increasing worker skills and knowledge.
In the dialogue surrounding the newly adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), education is being elevated to a position of primary importance as it is viewed as fundamental to achieving the SDG goals and supporting critical global efforts, including workforce development of nations.
However, in order to advance education in the 21st century, we need new methods of advocating for, and promoting, the value of education. The Center for Education Diplomacy, begun by ACEI in 2012, outlines a new approach for promoting and securing access to quality education. This new approach is called Education Diplomacy and it is designed specifically for addressing 21st century education needs and for addressing broader development goals as well that rely on education, such as achievement of the SDG goals. It should be noted that education diplomacy has a dual role to play as both a tool to advance education more broadly, for purposes such as workforce development, and as a workforce advancement opportunity itself for those who wish to expand and enhance their skills in the constantly changing field of education.
Since Education Diplomacy is a new concept, there is no one fixed definition. One suggested definition is as follows:
Education Diplomacy cultivates trust to achieve mutual benefits in the pursuit of context-specific education goals using negotiation and other diplomatic skills to communicate across regional or national boundaries or with local communities responsible for education delivery. The practice of Education Diplomacy can encompass interactions with multiple actors at multiple levels that aim to shape a positive policy environment for education and manage issues of education on a local, bilateral, regional, or global level.
Education Diplomacy goes beyond typical approaches to education advocacy and leadership. It employs a broader set of diplomatic skills to reach agreement and find solutions to education challenges. Education Diplomacy always takes place between at least two actors and it has both conceptual and practical value. In practice, Education Diplomacy can be used to negotiate agreements between parties, which can help parties to reach consensus and develop collaborative relationships that expand opportunities in the education sector. This form of “new diplomacy” borrows skills from traditional diplomacy, but applies those skills beyond a narrow conception of foreign policy and international relations to a broader set of issues and actors.
Education Diplomacy can be employed at the international level to formulate global initiatives and movements, or at the national and local levels to translate international policies into appropriate local practice. Alternatively, Education Diplomacy can be used at local levels to educate those operating at international and national levels about local education needs and challenges. This interplay illustrates the broad scope of Education Diplomacy in practice.
In order to advance education in innovative ways, educators today need to be well versed in strategies that go beyond typical education advocacy and leadership methods. Education Diplomacy is a new strategy that will help educators everywhere to design and implement education in exciting, yet appropriate and effective, ways. Understanding and cultivating a disposition of diplomatic engagement moves educators to a new place where they can be even more successful in establishing partnerships, mediating differences, negotiating agreements, developing meaningful and contextualized education goals, designing suitable measures of education achievement, increasing access to education, and ensuring that education remains relevant to critical issues including ever-changing workforce development needs.
Education Diplomacy has the potential to serve as the leading approach to dynamic education change in this century. Among other critical issues, Education Diplomacy can be used to effectively promote issues relating to workforce development, such as improving skills and opportunities. It can also be used for the purposes of enhancing education as a human right or as the vehicle for expanding the knowledge that will be needed to resolve other crucial international development challenges. Education Diplomacy is a new strategy for new times.
About the author: Diane Whitehead is the Executive Director of the Association for Childhood Education International and leads the development of the Center for Education Diplomacy. Washington D.C. USA. To learn more about Education Diplomacy visit the Center for Education Diplomacy at educationdiplomacy.org.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
