Scotland Does E-Learning - Statistical Data Included

Training & Development, August, 2001 by Samantha Chapnick

Scotland kilt its barriers to a knowledge economy and plaids the case for e-learning.

When I stepped off the plane in Glasgow, was a confirmed e-learning skeptic; 48 hours later, after visiting the Royal Bank of Scotland and Scottish University for Industry, I was an evangelist.

Scotland

is a best practice in action--well on its way from a country once characterized by a declining manufacturing job base and economic crisis to a nation of learners and knowledge workers through creative use of social programs and e-learning. Scotland is the perfect case study for any entity wanting to thrive in the knowledge economy--be it government, corporate, not-for-profit, or academic.

In 1980, Scotland, whose primary place of employment was the factory, lost one-third of its manufacturing jobs--300,000 almost overnight. With that disappeared the most important educational opportunity for a majority of the population: the apprenticeship. A person leaving mandatory education at age 16 could begin working at a manual labor job almost immediately in a quasi-apprenticeship role and participate in on-the-job training for several weeks or months. When that door to education closed, another one didn't open. That phenomenon isn't unique to Scotland; all over the world labor jobs have shifted to the areas and regions where labor costs are lowest. The challenge for Scotland was to manage the massive structural change and emerge as a modern competitive economy and a great place to live, work, and play.

A good example of the nature of that shift in work and learning is seen through Scotland's work structures and terminology. In the United States and other countries, a professional is someone who accepts money in exchange for performing a task (such as a pro athlete). In Scotland, the term professional is reserved for a narrow group of people such as doctors, lawyers (solicitors), accountants, and others who complete higher education before being qualified or licensed. The term businessperson is reserved for managers and others who work for companies. A worker is pretty much anyone else.

That hierarchy traditionally has held great influence over status and educational opportunities. A plumber who makes four times what a contractor makes and drives an expensive car is less respected and less likely to move out of his social class than the owner of the construction company. Institutes were established for people who were professionals or businesspeople. All professionals and businesspeople belonged to one of those institutes, which required continuing education and lifelong learning. Workers belonged to trade unions, which rarely required continuing education.

That contributed to an antipathy to education that's a serious individual and national disadvantage in any economy. At worst, combined with poor economic conditions, it excludes some people from educational opportunities, employment, and a basic quality of life that most people take for granted. Such "socially excluded" people exist almost everywhere, but the Scots have had challenging hurdles.

The Scottish e-learning strategy

When Scotland lost many of its manufacturing jobs in the 1980s, the government's initial strategy was to bring in foreign manufacturers--highlighting the low cost of labor and creating attractive incentive packages, including building new factories and offering tax breaks. That was an effective short-term strategy in that it created many low-paying manufacturing jobs. But the strategy was never intended to be long-term. Economic fragmentation continued as women working part-time filled many of those manufacturing jobs instead of full-time working men, who had been made redundant in the economic downturn of traditional industries.

With China, Eastern Europe, and India undercutting labor costs and the knowledge economy creating more demand for educated workers, the Scottish government did a 180 degree turn. Wendy Alexander, Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, says, "We weren't able to undercut on price...we were forced to change our competitive positioning. Manufacturing was the right solution for the 1980s, but the wrong solution for the first decade of the 21st century. Now, we're repositioning Scotland as high value. If we want to be a nation of earners, we need to be a nation of learners.

The Scottish Executive--Scotland's independent government, which wields all powers except defense, social security, and foreign policy-has merged two cabinet posts: Minister for Enterprise and Minister for Lifelong Learning. That sends a powerful message: The person who is looking after your job is also looking out for your skills development. On a policy level, the primary focus of the Scottish Executive is lifelong learning and enterprise. That sends yet another forceful message to the Scottish people and the world: The most significant policy-making position in the country values lifelong learning.

The driving forces behind Scotland's lifelong learning and e-learning initiatives: Scottish Executive: Scotland's governing body with authority over Scottish policy except defense, social security, foreign policy, and some taxation.