How the World of Work Transforms Educational Institutions

TLDR: The relationship between the worlds of work and education is explored in this paper, where the authors examine how labor-market requirements and wider socioeconomic changes have entered the educational system and shaped educational programs, curricula and practices.

Abstract: The world of work and the educational system are closely interrelated. The structural divisions that exist among workers in the labor market, for example, are produced within the educational system, through processes of selection, qualification and certification (Georg and Sattel 2006). This relationship developed in particular during the industrial age (Gonon et al. 2009) and is growing stronger today (Dubet et al. 2010) in more service and knowledge oriented economies. New labor requirements and conditions, such as flexibility and life-long learning, that emerged out of a global market orientation (Mercure and Vultur 2010) have entered educational institutions and their programs (Tomlinson 2013). At the same time, under an economic perspective that views education as an investment in human capital, New Public Management (NPM) reforms have found their way into educational institutions and profoundly transformed pedagogical work. This special issue deals with how the world of work transforms educational institutions. It cannot provide an all-encompassing account of this issue, but it does shed light on the relationship between the worlds of work and education by focusing on two specific topics. First, this introduction and the contributions to this special issue examine how labor-market requirements and wider socioeconomic changes have entered the educational system and shaped educational programs, curricula and practices today. Second, this special issue explores how the current management of educational institutions, in Switzerland and elsewhere, has initiated reforms and affected work realities within them. Following from its investigation into these two topics, this special issue also addresses the implications for the individuals in educational institutions, whether pupils, teachers or principals. Each of the contributions to this special issue examines at least one of these topics and provides insights into how the world of work shapes the educational system, its programs and organizations and the lived experiences of individuals