Women, lifelong learning

1
Women, lifelong learning employment learning
to know their place?

• Oriel Kenny
• Research Fellow, Access Institute, Leeds
  Metropolitan University

2
The Education/Skills Agenda

• Place of mature learners in education policy
• Demands of Knowledge-based economy
• Employability skills

3
Functional Achievement v Capability

• Prior achievement as predictor of student
  performance
• Sens capability differentiation ? cumulative
  inequality
• Unrealised potential

4
Barriers Traumas

• Cost, opportunity, people like me dont
• Lack of confidence in personal professional
  life
• Bad educational experiences e.g. undiagnosed
  dyslexia, bullying I as the only black kid in
  school and fought every day until I was eleven
• Conflict private/public life

5
Changing Identities

• Assumption that upward trajectory is desired
• Disidentification with class (Skeggs)
• How women define and demonstrate their worth
• Childcare workers dilemma
• Enhanced power over own identity

6
Mature women HE engagement

• Complex interplay of gender, education identity
• Women constrained by social location as women
  should education actively empower
• Instrumental or aspirational courses?

7
LMT Courses

• Off campus delivery
• Accredited HE level 1
• Personal professional skills
• Developing self awareness reflection
• Experiential assessment
• Group Identity

8
What students find useful

• Time management
• Stress management
• Transactional analysis
• Negotiation skills
• Successfully submitting assignments
• Working/ not working divide

9
Course impacts

• Confidence the tutor, good marks, the group
• Better self image
• Learning to take criticism
• Challenging each other to self reflect in
  supportive context
• Challenged/ not challenged gender roles

10
Work Changes

• New job after long period not working
• Embracing manager role
• Change of job
• Further study
• Finally setting up a successful business

11
Skills for current labour market

• Are mature workers more employable?
• Changing conceptualisation of skills
• pre-occupation with low level competencies
• Returns on public investment
• Is it appropriate to focus on needs of
  employers/economy?