~ Teresa and I ~

I had the opportunity to chat with fellow classmate, Teresa, on our respective industries and do a bit of compare and contrast on the trends and roles we each are seeing. Teresa and I are remarkably similar in our personal experiences, and she is SO easy to talk to that I would definitely enjoy staying in touch.

We have pretty similar family backgrounds. We are both leaders and instructors in our respective fields. We are both experienced and comfortable with taking authority in areas typically characterized to have strong personalities. And we are both very used to being the only woman in the room. Huh. I wonder why Teresa was so easy for me to talk with? (lol). Teresa works in the electrical trade, both in the field and in teaching upcoming electricians. I work in the military, most recently at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre Pacific.

Not surprisingly, we also found that there is a lot of similarity in our industry trends. I personally suspect that this is more because these are common trends in most industries, and I would not be surprised to find commonality with most of the students in the class.

~ Industry Trends ~

Lower Staffing Levels than Needed, and Loss of Skilled People

This seemed to be the greatest issue for both of our industries. There are not enough people to do what is needed now, and retention is an issue. Not only does that impact our ability to get the current job done, but it causes survivor syndrome for those remaining. Existing staff are doing the work of more than one person, and then…we are asking them to do the work and also train up the new people.

Both industries seem to be picking up however - there’s lots of interest from new people. But it takes time to get new people in the system, provide them the formal training necessary, and get them working as needed. Then they need time doing the work to gain experience. The process can take years, and until new staff get to their ‘occupation function point,’ there continues to be a draw on existing staff resources.

The issue of brain drain is discussed in this article by Julie Young. Julie talks about what can happen when the loss of human capital from an industry leaves insufficient numbers of people with similar skills to fill the void. It pretty accurately describes what both Teresa and I are seeing in our respective industries,

Additional Industry Trends

Evolving Technology

Having a workforce skilled in learning is important, because the skills required are changing rapidly
AI is having an impact, especially on long term expectations of stability. AI is anticipated to be a tool, but people will still need to be the quality control and skilled labour force

Social and Ecological responsibility

Creating a people-centric workplace culture is seen as critical, especially for recruiting and retention
Diversity and inclusion, as well as Indigenous awareness efforts
Green initiatives

~ Trends in Adult Education ~

In our discussion, Teresa and I concentrated on our experiences as educators in our respective industries, rather than talking about the educational concepts in the course. It was a bit hard to define, but I will title our main subject on educations trends as:

People Management in Education

Similar to our industry experience, education is very people-centric right now. Teresa and I discussed maintaining the skillsets of our experienced people, and that’s significant. However, we also need the experienced people in charge of education to leave behind ‘old school’ thought processes and keep on top of the rapid changes in today’s environment. The skillsets and training that are being delivered require programmes that adapt quickly. That includes updating materials and delivery methods.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, training programs need to provide new staff overall skillsets for working with others - soft skills. This appears to be especially true for learners just leaving high school. Experientially, some of these learners are lacking the interpersonal skills to effectively communicate, resolve conflicts, manage personal organization, or work in team settings.

In addition and similar to industry trends, the educational environment has a strong focus on diversity and inclusion, awareness of Indigenous culture, and sensitivity to learner needs in a people-focused environment.

Technology in Education

Advancements in technology are constantly changing. It impacts what skills we need to train our people for - IT, data analytics and coding are in the top 4 ‘hard skills’ required according to this Indeed article.

Additionally, technology is opening the door to different kinds of educational delivery. This translates to curricula provided in a much wider variety of formats, and the capacity to offer a lot of flexibility in the accommodation of various learner needs. I’m writing my learner blog as part of my adult education assignment in my pyjamas at 10pm (sorry, TMI, I know). That’s flexibility at work. However, there are very few subjects I could envision taking in 2024 without a laptop and internet.

Anyway, that about sums up the conversation Teresa and I enjoyed on trends in our industries and adult education. I will be interested to read what Teresa took from it in her blog. Thanks for the chat, and I will post again soon!

~ Jennifer

Resources:

Danao, M. (2024, April 28). 11 essential software skills in 2024. Forbes Advisor. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/soft-skills-examples/

Indeed Editorial Team. (2024, August 15). Top 10 workplace skills every employee needs. Indeed. https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/workplace-skills

Wolfe, H. (2004). Survivor syndrome: Key considerations and practical steps. Institute for Employment Studies. https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/mp28.pdf

Young, J. (2024, June 20). Brain drain: Definition, causes, effects, and examples. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brain_drain.asp

A Conversation With a Fellow Learner on Trends and Roles in our Industries and Adult Education