THE ACCOUNTANT_AUTUMN_2018_VER-7-L

FEATURE
LEARNING AND WORKING –
PROF. JOACHIM JAMES CALLEJA
PROFESSOR JOACHIM JAMES
CALLEJA IS THE PRINCIPAL & CEO
OF THE MALTA COLLEGE OF ARTS,
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
AND FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE
EUROPEAN AGENCY CEDEFOP.
Technology has revolutionised the way we
learn and work. We already spend more time
attached to machines such as computers,
laptops and mobile phones than interacting
with human beings. Most of us feel lost without
inputting, sharing and receiving electronic data. We
are constantly searching for information and are
forever engaged in exchange of communication. We
expect immediate feedback and communicate ideas,
decisions and opinions in real time. All employment
sectors are deeply affected by this chain revolution.
Accountancy is no exception. The way accountants
work today is decidedly influenced by technology.
Reporting in accountancy is faster, more accurate,
contains substantial amounts of electronically
researched information and is becoming a more
reliable source for transparency, efficiency and
effectiveness of businesses all over the world.
There is clearly a chain effect to most operations
on places of work. Workers are becoming more
dependent on machines than on fellow colleagues.
At the same time employers lament that the skills
they look for in our young workers are insufficient
for the workplace. There is a widening gap between
the world of education and training, and the world
of employment. The claim from employers is that
relevancy of educational programmes does not
match the advancements in most work environments.
On the other hand, educational institutions argue
that because of shrinking resources their learning
environments lack the necessary infrastructure and
expertise to cope with developments in work places.
The truth is that no matter how many resources are
thrown into education and training for high-tech
work environments it is impossible to generate fully
prepared human capital.
In acknowledging these new realities, one would
have taken the first step towards work-based learning.
The field of accountancy is for instance known for
producing hands-on employees who can hit the
ground running. This is because the divide between
the world of education and training and employment
has been narrowed throughout the years and in
particular through a more professional approach by
the accountancy industry itself. The chain between a
learning and a working environment in accountancy
has not been broken.
Work-based learning is the future of education
and training. This implies that all learning designed
to make people employable must be based on two
overarching principles. The first is that qualifications
(or the evidence of what a person knows and is able
to do) must be industry driven. The second is that
we need more community lead curricula. The first
ensures preparedness, the second relevancy. The
link between learning outcomes and relevancy of
content to real work is the key to a sound education
and training environment. Young people need to
be attracted to learning environments that enable
them to endure a structured learning process in
formal settings. In fact, most learners leave school
earlier because a one size fits all approach in formal
education and training settings does not match
their mind-sets and the culture of learning in our
age of technology. Speed has truly penetrated into
20 Autumn 2018