lifelonglearning

THE HONG KONG JOINT BRANCH OF THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF NAVAL ARCHITECTS AND THE INSTITUTE OF MARINE ENGINEERING, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY & THE HONG KONG INSTITUTE OF MARINE TECHNOLOLOGY LIFELONG LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Paper to be read on Tuesday, 27 August 2002 at Conference Room, 24 Floor, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong 1 About the Author B S Makhija, MBA, CEng, FIMechE, FIMarEST, FIGasE, FIE Mr. Makhija is an engineering consultant, having started his professional career as a sea-going engineer in 1946. Upon qualifying as Extra First Class Engineer (DTp) in 1953, he served the next 12 years with the Government of India as an Engineer & Ship Surveyor. Later, in 1967, he was recruited by the Crown Agents for appointment as Surveyor of Ships with the Hong Kong Government and retired as Principal Surveyor of Ships in 1986. Shortly after, he joined a group of marine professionals in India that spearheaded the setting up of the International Maritime Institute Ltd. -- one of India’s leading marine training establishments today -- and became its founder chairman. Mr. Makhija is also a former chairman of the Hong Kong Joint Branch of the RINA & the IMarE. He has many technical and management papers to his credit, including one that earned him the 1993-1994 gold medal awarded by the Institution of Engineers (India). Mr. Makhija taught Engineering Management at the University of Hong Kong in 1995-1996 as Visiting Lecturer. 2 LIFELONG LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT -- A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE by B.S.Makhija MBA, CEng, FIMechE, FIMarEST, FIGasE, FIE SYNOPSIS The importance of lifelong learning and professional development, as essential elements for a successful career, is well recognised. The growing pace of rapid change and technological advances make it imperative that engineers constantly hone their skills and keep current with expanding knowledge throughout their working careers. With globalisation, countries hitherto insulated from the world economy are seeking greater access to foreign markets and opportunities to capitalise on. As a consequence, enterprises are evolving with new ideas, techniques and methods to improve on their competitive edge. Besides being cost effective, they must excel in the global context at every level, providing better products and services. These developments make it essential that engineers not only maintain their competence but stay one step ahead in helping their firms achieve superior performance. Introduction Engineering education takes a variety of forms. A large number of engineers obtain their graduate degrees at universities before going to work, whilst others receive their technical education through different means together with practical training with a view to initiating them into engineering. In the context of this paper, education is the process of expanding one’s knowledge through formal instruction or self-study, while training involves acquiring specific skills for a defined job function. Traditionally, training has been emphasised by industry but with advancing technology more of the education element is becoming necessary for continuing professional development of engineers. Continuing education should not be considered synonymous with continuing learning. Rather, it is one part of the learning process. The purpose of continuing education for engineers is to prevent obsolescence in an era of rapid technological change, impart new knowledge and promote creativity. It is intended to help the engineer become more flexible and contribute to his areas of need, while developing his overall abilities. 3 Continuing Professional Development (CPD), referred to above, as defined by the IMechE, is a sum of those activities that maintain or enhance the competencies of the individual whether of a personal, technical, managerial or professional nature. Together with Initial Professional Development (IPD), it comprises the continuum of professional development which is a lifelong process of maintaining one’s ability to practice to the highest standards in a chosen field. The CPD process is geared to the individual’s personal, professional and career aspirations and is driven by personal goals. IPD is more prescriptive and is judged against the framework of training requirements for full membership and registration as a Chartered Engineer. There are thus significant differences between CPD and IPD. For all practical purposes CPD starts when IPD ends, at or about the time of achieving full membership and qualifying for registration as a Chartered Engineer. CPD is not new. It has been supported by professional societies in the form of their “learned society” activities since their inception. It can be achieved in many ways, including private study, attending courses, on-the-job, outside activities, etc. The education and training used to provide knowledge and skills to keep the engineer productive are not all that are needed if he – and increasingly she -- is to fill higher executive roles. It requires continued learning in a variety of directions, including self-development. The objective is to comprehend issues that bear on all of our lives, many of which are not directly related to work. On the professional side, developments in information technology, scale of projects, international collaboration, environmental concerns and greater specialization, all require the executive engineer to be adequately equipped in such areas. Overall, the process involves some unlearning, some relearning and some new learning. And that usually at one’s mid-career, when it is increasingly hard to find the time. Technological Advances The accelerating pace of rapid and unprecedented advances in technology in recent years, emphasises the need for engineers to continually upgrade their competencies. In the IT field, for example, Intel’s Gordon Moore predicted in 1965 that the number of transistors on a chip would grow exponentially with each passing year. Popularly known as Moore’s Law, the prediction remains valid even today. For instance, there are now 55 million transistors on the newest Intel’s Pentium 4 Processor -- a far cry from the 2300 on its first processor in 1965. And new technologies since developed, envisage squeezing in one billion transistors on a chip. With sophisticated tools to ensure higher quality processors and at lower costs, people’s dependence on computers in all facets of their lives, has been growing by the day. Progress in many other areas of engineering, too, has been staggering. 4 In a recent paper entitled, “Changing Trains”, presented by the then IMechE President, Mr. Tony Roche, he referred to a proposal envisaging a global network of tubes across oceans through which trains would travel at several times the speed of sound, in strong competition to air travel. To avoid air resistance, which rises exponentially with speed, the trains would be enclosed in vacuum tubes. Together with the concept of levitation, using super-conducting magnets to avoid contact between the train and the tube, the system’s computers would adjust the train’s trajectory within fraction of a millimetre. In order to ensure travel comfort, the train would accelerate uniformly for the initial six minutes and decelerate for 15 minutes when approaching the terminus. The rest of the journey would be at a cruising speed of 3,700 kph, taking under two hours from, say, the UK to the east coast of the USA. Apart from power supply, the principal constraint perhaps would be the availability of adequate funding. But it is no ‘pie in the sky’ idea and a same day return from London to New York, could well be a reality in 50 years. Obsolescence With such mind-boggling advances in technology, the span of anticipated professional life of engineers has been shortening due to their falling victim to increasing knowledge gap. And there appears little prospect of any let up. It has been suggested that depending on the discipline, the knowledge of an engineer will lose half its usefulness through obsolescence after 8 to 16 years. Some may argue this point but the fact remains that obsolescence is a real concern for the engineering profession. The response to this concern by industry is increasing support to continuing education because corporations view it as a threat to their own survival. If the employees do not stay close to the frontiers of new knowledge, their company would be unable to remain competitive. It is only through continuing educational activities that engineers and scientists, who must depend on one another for giving substance to any invention, innovation or development, can refresh and enhance their capabilities, besides broadening their horizons in related fields. Equally important are the teaching faculty who must keep track of developments and not get stale. They should go on sabbaticals, say every five years, to participate in programmes relevant to their field of expertise and for renewal of the mind. Learning - A Lifelong Process 5 The increasing accumulation of knowledge essential for one to function with the requisite degree of competence makes it difficult to pack in sufficient material to cover initial education within a reasonable time frame. After all, initial education cannot include every thing deemed necessary -- technical subjects, social sciences, economics, finance, communication skills, languages, et al. The main function of initial education must then necessarily be to impart basic scientific knowledge in the case of university students to facilitate higher learning, and for those vocationally oriented, to teach the necessary skills and practical knowledge required in their chosen field. The rest of the learning can follow later. Continuing education hence becomes an inalienable part of a full education system lasting a lifetime, with the difference that the process is driven by personal aspirations and objectives. The present system of a long stretch of early education followed by occasional courses to supplement knowledge over one’s working years will no longer do. Nothing short of complete integration of education and training with work through one’s productive life-span will be adequate. Motivation and Adaptability Management of one’s career is a major part of successful living, involving continuing education. The two key elements here are motivation and adaptability, which in themselves are nurtured by satisfaction gained from continuing education. Motivation is of two kinds -- extrinsic and intrinsic. Motivation aroused by external rewards is extrinsic and that by the satisfaction of learning is intrinsic. In general, intrinsic motivation is more powerful than the extrinsic kind. Motivation leading to learning, includes curiosity and need for such things as, achievement, power, social affiliation and approval. From studies thus far conducted, the most important reasons for engineers participating in continuing education, often supported by their employers, are preparation for increased responsibility and attaining better performance, followed by preventing obsolescence, promoting intellectual stimulation, attaining increased knowledge, acquiring new set of skills, prospect of salary increase, maintaining one’s present position and interest in the subject. Adaptability relates to one’s response to the need for adjustment to changed conditions. Older people who are too set in their ways of doing things in a particular way or have developed high proficiency in skills no longer needed, tend to be resistant to change. Younger people, on the other hand, do not have the baggage of old habits and are thus better at learning new skills. The ease with which today’s children handle computers is a reflection of their strong motivation, as portrayed by this adaptation from Blondie’s cartoon: 6 Customer: My computer has developed a problem I can’t figure out. Could you please send over your technician to fix it. Manager: Certainly, Sir. Our technician will be with you at 4 o’clock. Customer: Oh, no! Can you not send him over right away? Manager: Not a chance. His mother does not pick him up from school until three. Despite the old saying that old dogs can’t learn new tricks, the fact is that older people are fully capable of adding new knowledge and using it. Although many feel uneasy with the idea of becoming students all over again, the majority do join up. Largely, not only do they adapt well, some even excel the youngsters, confounding the skeptics and surprising themselves. But the fruit of the pudding is in the eating. And that raises some pertinent questions. Who would be the first to go when times are tough? In a competitive job market, what chances does a 40 year old have against a younger person? The answer is, the older employees have a greater sense of loyalty and would not leave for greener pastures at the drop of a hat. All things being equal, with a discerning employer the older person is more likely to be preferred. And as for a new job, such a person is at an apparent disadvantage but the barriers are not insurmountable. He needs better preparation and must market himself well. He would need to emphasise his accomplishments of the past in so far as they are relevant and convince the employer that the abilities can be readily transferred. Most importantly though, he must have developed the workplace skills for the position. Knowledge is in many ways like money. Once it is has been acquired, there are always exciting and worthwhile ways to use it. However, unlike money, it is not consumed by use but strengthened. To the older engineer, who is curious, lifelong learner, the reward of self-fulfillment that it offers, is greater than he bargained for. And in an era, when people are living and staying healthy longer, the process could continue indefinitely. The Engineer in Today’s World Howsoever much screened from the limelight, it is engineers to whom the world today owes its high living standard in developed countries and it is they who are striving to alleviate poverty where abysmal conditions still exist. Scientists and engineers are a world resource vital to society. Our future depends on developing engineers who are receptive to growing knowledge. In the new world order, economic power, much of it spawned by technology, impacts directly on a country’s prosperity and living standards, and in turn, its standing amongst nations. On the global plane, UNESCO have identified Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of engineers as a priority area for international cooperation, together with many other groups underlining its importance. Amongst the areas of 7 their concern are wasteful expenditure of world’s natural resources, especially extravagant consumption of energy and raw materials by rich nations, the environment, sociological changes, demands of the developing world for a better deal and others, all requiring engineering solutions. Globalisation -- the New Phenomenon With globalisation, as the new way forward for economic success, countries around the world are breaking down barriers and vying with each other to have investors set up shop in their land. China, Russia and India, which between them share the major part of the world population, are the most attractive prospects for manufacturers and traders, both for internal consumption and export of their goods. Realising that countries that stay insular in the new era will fall by the wayside, the more progressive ones are fast integrating into the world economy with greater access to foreign markets. Their governments are progressively introducing new reforms to make foreign investments attractive. International enterprises see these as new opportunities, where, with cheaper well-trained labour, they would be able to manufacture goods and market them at lower cost. They would, however, seek to be reassured of being able to operate in an environment of political stability with minimal restrictions, free exchange convertibility, adequate infrastructure to support their activities, a legal system that inspires trust and, above all, a talented workforce. An important milestone in the area of globalisation relates to USA’s recent proposal to its 142 world trading partners, including the European Union, to open their borders to American services, wherein lies the country’s economic strength. The elimination of barriers to trade in the services sector could create over one trillion dollars in new commerce worldwide, with $450 billion going to USA firms. Telecommunications, banking, securities, oil drilling, software and data processing will be among the major beneficiaries when the trade talks conclude in 2005. But in the longer term the proposed liberalisation is expected to benefit all countries concerned. The Global Market Place Engineering is clearly in an era of the global market place. Science and technology now operate in an international intellectual environment. Geographical boundaries no longer limit the spread of scientific knowledge as before. With the world shrinking because of better communications, research and development results in one country are readily available in another. Along with these is the trend to diversify, that is, to branch off and explore new markets and opportunities supported by synergistic business strategies. At the same time, developing countries no more want to be seen simply as suppliers of cheap labour but like to provide products and services of their own as interdependent players in the global economy. 8 The spread of multi-national business corporations is contributing to the development of a global technological environment. Global operations demand functioning to world standards -- standards that are always on the ascent. There are no captive markets here. The level of competence expected of engineers must match the best internationally to meet the challenges of the new era. Consequently, a significantly larger number of engineering students are now attracted to the better known foreign universities, especially in the USA and the UK. And a good deal of cross-fertilisation is taking place through new ideas from Japan, Germany, France and Italy, as also inputs by the students themselves. In some areas, accreditation and equivalency agreements in professional qualifications are developing to help the emergence of a uniform worldwide engineering practice The Engineer as Stakeholder There are various stakeholders in the area of CPD besides engineers, all having their own vested interests and roles. The main interest of engineers lies in supporting their personal aims, while seeking appropriate recognition for their efforts. In the fast changing environment, no longer do those with potential need languish in positions with limited scope for personal advancement. Nor should they need seek executive positions for lack of status, or because other promotion routes do not exist, and then make indifferent managers. More and more organisations are today vitally dependent on the expertise of engineers who have high level professional competence. And especially those who are strong in technical innovation, can look forward to the highest rewards without having to change tack into an area for which they have little aptitude. This is not to say engineers no longer need pursue other areas of study. On the contrary, a multi-disciplinary approach is required as new technologies are blurring the boundaries of hitherto separate disciplines and causing an overlap between functions, e.g., design, manufacturing, operation, marketing and management. Furthermore, with flatter organisation structures resulting from the disappearance of traditional hierarchies, middle management positions are already fewer, with engineers having to carry wider responsibilities. Effective CPD programmes do not just teach skills needed by practising engineers but also adapt to the limitations of the persons seeking the instruction. Engineers need to imbibe the strong conviction of staying abreast of the latest technical advances and keep their professional knowledge up-to-date in order provide their employers and society in general their best qualified service. One way of achieving this is through repeated emphasis on innovation in all programmes which will condition them to the need for lifelong learning. The essential element in their CPD is self-motivated learning. Professional Societies 9 As learned societies, there is no more important task for engineering institutions than up-dating and sharing knowledge. Those institutions that are in the UK’s Engineering Council fold, function in its generic framework. A key role is currently being played by the IMechE in partnership with four other such bodies for promoting CPD, which is reflective of the efforts being made by other institutions as well. Similar collaboration involving other engineering societies, especially with the likes of the IMarEST, would lead to the emergence of a broad common CPD policy, developing common products and services where possible, resulting in more cost-effective and efficient delivery. Such links could also extend to overseas institutions with comparable standards. Overall, promoting alliances between societies, academics, scientists, industry, course providers and others with the necessary expertise, would, with their rich inputs, add to their strength and quality of the programmes. The collaboration would also assist early identification of technological advances that may require new learning in the context of their foreseeable future application, necessary skills for which could be developed as soon as required. The current IMechE policy on CPD is a portrayal of the role societies play. The emphasis is on CPD’s personal nature while rejecting a prescriptive approach or the use of hours and points for its assessment, as it was seen simply as a record of attendance and not a measure of competence. An individual’s CPD is reviewed only on application to join a corporate class of membership or transfer from Member to Fellow. Because Initial Professional Development (IPD), by its nature, is more structured and prescribed than CPD, engineers need more advice on CPD and the transition between the two. To meet current needs, it is proposed that the IMechE’s existing career advisory service be enhanced with extended mentoring through volunteers amongst Fellows, in particular. Other measures include, improved advisory support on courses and greater use of new technology for effective CPD delivery through all media, including the Web-site. As with the IMechE, many other institutions, too, are already devoting staff resources to CPD activity, involving its delivery, career advice, courses, mentoring etc. and recognise the necessity for upgrading the facilities currently on offer to provide the support needed by their members. Institution headquarters, information and library services, various branches, technical meetings and publications are valuable sources of CPD material. However, there are many other external sources of such material with which selective links could also be made for access to members. Such is the importance of CPD today that the main incentive for engineers seeking membership of professional institutions shall henceforth be the quality of assistance 10 they receive in this area. For there are many with a good deal of talent but are stumbling for want of direction. Industry and Business Industry and business, in general, appreciate the importance of business driven CPD in so far it is relevant to their requirements, recognising its potential for direct pay-off. Their internal programmes are developed more with a commitment to the company’s objectives, based on their own particular needs and less for individual growth. Courses developed outside in corroboration with the employers usually have a broader coverage, which may be more helpful in terms of personal development. In general, employers tend to slash their provision for CPD when economic conditions are tough. Yet, because competition is more intense, they must ensure superior offerings at lower costs, which requires people who are equal to the challenge. They need to harness the best available means for creating radical innovation. At times like these, CPD assumes special significance and the cost of its curtailment ought to be carefully assessed. At any rate, employers must hold on to their key workers, regardless of good times or bad times. Available evidence indicates that employer support for those enrolled in university and other short outside courses has long been widespread, with most providing partial or full reimbursement. Lack of employer support would thus discourage participation, which in the longer term, could be shortsighted and lead to losing high potential employees. Educational Institutions Aside from a few, universities usually have a low priority for continuing education. Some, however, specialise in distance learning for first and higher degrees or teach specialised courses, but few build on engineers’ existing educational base as extension programmes. The form of CPD taken by individuals varies considerably. Some may take higher degrees in full time education and some in part-time mode. But the ones more common are on-the-job training, in-house and external training courses and private study. Then there are the Open University and Open Tech institutions. The teaching is through distance learning, with a combination of electronic media, correspondence and home experiment kits, as necessary. No entrance examination or evidence of previous qualifications is required. Student progress is monitored through assignments and periodic examinations, which may lead to degree. 11 A relative newcomer in the field is the in-house corporate university run by the companies themselves, intended to attract and retain skilled employees in a fast-moving, knowledge-based economy. By centralising training under one umbrella, companies can ensure that their employees have the skills to give them the competitive edge, as well as state-of-the-art knowledge about the company’s products. They also teach specialised courses. Besides universities, there are private entrepreneurial schools that provide continuing education in a variety of areas. Their programmes are relevant and topical, and hence popular. The more generic type of continuing education programmes, however, are through evening classes, short courses, television classes or videotaped classes, among others, some of which are certificate programmes. Also, there are a few of outstanding value that are on the cutting edge, more of which are needed for their apparent benefit to the attendees for adding new knowledge and the instructors’ renewal. Delivery Systems The use of different delivery systems (also called educational technology) for CPD arises from the necessity of convenience for the students. Studies carried out to determine the effectiveness of mediated instruction, most of which is through the electronic media, as against the conventional live instruction, found little difference between them. In the broadest sense, delivery systems also include lectures, tutorials and other conventional methods. Amongst the electronic media used in delivery systems are TV, video-cassettes / tapes /discs, radio and telephone network. The last few years have seen dramatic progress in the delivery of programmes online via the Internet, resulting in blurring the distinction between full-time, parttime and distance taught courses. Even in full-time courses much material is now accessed electronically and work presented for assessment in online format. Online courses, which are amongst the most popular now, are usually correspondence courses in which one studies the lectures and course materials downloaded from a specified Web-site and on completion submits examination. The best in online education combine up-to-date knowledge delivered in the most interesting way to motivate the learner. Quite a few such courses are run by reputed institutions, requiring the same formal entry qualifications as for on-campus students in a good university and lead to award of degrees or diplomas without distinguishing between the modalities. Conclusion Technology has advanced dramatically in the last 40 years and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. What we learnt yesterday may not have the same relevance today. In the current competitive environment, organisations are under constant pressure to seek new competencies that may be configured to fit their evolving needs. As engineers we have little choice other than staying abreast of new 12 developments and applications. If optimum results are to be had from our endeavours, all the stakeholders must pitch in and play their part in continual improvement of CPD efficiency, organisation and delivery. Acknowledgement The author gratefully acknowledges the valuable assistance received from Sir Michael Moore, Director General, and Mr. Harvey Spindler, CPD Executive, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (UK), in the preparation of this paper. Bibliography Niels Krebs Ovesen, Advances in the Continuing Education of Engineers, UNESCO, 1980. Makhija, B.S, The Engineer on Tap or Top. Marine Engineers Review, IMarE (UK), November 1981. Continuing Education of Engineers, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1985. Education and Continuing Development for the Civil Engineer: Setting Agenda for the 90’s and Beyond. American Society of Civil Engineers. Makhija, B.S, How to Stay Ahead ! The Bulletin, IMarE (UK), December 1996. Henry P. Cole, Judson Moss, Frank X. Gohs, Warren E. Lacefield, Billy J. Barfield and David K. Blythe. Measuring Learning in Continuing Education for Engineers and Scientists, The Oryx Press, USA. Corporate Universities: Helping Companies Win the War for Talent. Special Advertising Section. Fortune Magazine, September 4, 2000. Tony Roche, Changing Trains, The 12th George Stephenson Lecture, IMechE (UK), 2002. Hong Kong Distance and Open Learning Fair, South China Morning Post, June 15, 2002. Politics & Policy: The Wall Street Journal , July 1, 2002. 13