lcc liberal arts studies / 2010 volume iii - LCC International University

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ALEKSANDRA ÐVEC, MARGARITA PAVLOVIÈ / LIFELONG LEARNING
neighboring countries became available for those willing to be equipped with skills
and knowledge that could bring personal benefits and ultimately the economic
benefits of the country where small and medium enterprises flourish. On the other
hand, interconnectivity of capital movements brought job insecurity, mass migration
and brain drain. Globalization has opened borders not only for goods and services
but for labor as well. “Free movement” strategy is accompanied by a linguistic shift
from 'human capital flight' and 'brain drain' to 'professional mobility' or 'brain
circulation'. The report of the Global Commission on International Migration (2005)
provided explanation for changing the terms:
In the current era, there is a need to capitalize upon the growth of human
mobility by promoting the notion of “brain circulation,” in which migrants
return to their own country on a regular or occasional basis, sharing the
benefits of the skills and resources they have acquired while living and
working abroad (p. 31).
Marchal & Kegels (2003) note, that “in reality this mobility is very
asymmetrical, to the detriment of less developed countries, which lose not only
much-needed human resources, but also considerable investments in education
and fiscal income” (p. 89). Thus, mobility has given individuals opportunities for
learning in other countries, helping them to develop their competencies that can be
applied in a variety of contexts. Through mobility individuals and organizations
connect anywhere, anytime to improve convenience, enhance customer
responsiveness, and increase competitive advantage; however mobility can be a
threat to less economically advanced countries. Therefore, technological advances
and increased mobility brought to the area of LLL by globalization processes
provide Homo discens with resources and access to knowledge that help
individuals and organizations stay competitive in the markets and useful and
successful in the community; but they also challenge the traditional forms of
learning which together with uneven distribution of technology and asymmetrical
mobility and migration result in increasing the gap between those who can learn
and those that cannot.
Globalization Processes in Motion: Commodification of Learning
Since learning has become an individual responsibility demanding certain skills,
people must not just acquire knowledge but also acquire knowledge about how to
acquire knowledge. Lifelong learning has to start within a formal education system.
Many educational institutions have put the development of the lifelong learning
LCC / LIBERAL ARTS STUDIES / 2010