My eldest daughter l an Internet consultant, is only 30, but she has already lived in five different houses in five different places and has had about six different jobs. Every time I visit her, I notice how many new things there are in her house, and how many things lie unused, out of date. What is even more striking is how many things there are which are not expected to last -- disposable things. Disposable plates and glasses, disposable towels and babies’ nappies. It sometimes seems that we live in an age of the disposable.
46) This phenomenon of constant change runs through everything in life nowadays, from fashion to music, from medicine to motor cars, from education to employment. Two important factories seem to be driving these changes. The first is the rapid growth in knowledge and the consequent rapid development of technology. The second is the revolution in communications, which means that knowledge is spread faster and more widely than ever. Our times are often called "the information age" and. the effect is to bring about "the knowledge economy." New technologies and new knowledge bring about the need for new skills. 47)The speed with which these technologies are being created is such that all of us are faced with the challenge of learning new skills, not just once, but several times. What we knew yesterday is often obsolete today.
I remember my daughter saying to me that she was at "the cutting edge" of her particular field. But within five years, she said, she would have to do something new and different to keep up. There is a greater need for flexibility and problem-solving than before. Tasks require a greater integration of skills. 48)The rewards of life go to the multi-skilled, to flexible teams of workers each capable of contributing in a range of ways. 49) To succeed in this new world of work, individuals will have to regard their careers not just as a process of gathering experience, but as a process of learning new things on an almost continuous basis. All this suggests to me that the relationship between education and employment has changed radically over the last few years.
50) One could summarize the change by saying that when I grew up, I learned things in order to achieve life-long employment, while my children need to pursue life-long learning in order to stay employed.

One could summarize the change by saying that when I grew up, I learned things in order to achieve life-long employment, while my children need to pursue life-long learning in order to stay employed.

My eldest daughter l an Internet consultant, is only 30, but she has already lived in five different houses in five different places and has had about six different jobs. Every time I visit her, I notice how many new things there are in her house, and how many things lie unused, out of date. What is even more striking is how many things there are which are not expected to last -- disposable things. Disposable plates and glasses, disposable towels and babies’ nappies. It sometimes seems that we live in an age of the disposable.
46) This phenomenon of constant change runs through everything in life nowadays, from fashion to music, from medicine to motor cars, from education to employment. Two important factories seem to be driving these changes. The first is the rapid growth in knowledge and the consequent rapid development of technology. The second is the revolution in communications, which means that knowledge is spread faster and more widely than ever. Our times are often called "the information age" and. the effect is to bring about "the knowledge economy." New technologies and new knowledge bring about the need for new skills. 47)The speed with which these technologies are being created is such that all of us are faced with the challenge of learning new skills, not just once, but several times. What we knew yesterday is often obsolete today.
I remember my daughter saying to me that she was at "the cutting edge" of her particular field. But within five years, she said, she would have to do something new and different to keep up. There is a greater need for flexibility and problem-solving than before. Tasks require a greater integration of skills. 48)The rewards of life go to the multi-skilled, to flexible teams of workers each capable of contributing in a range of ways. 49) To succeed in this new world of work, individuals will have to regard their careers not just as a process of gathering experience, but as a process of learning new things on an almost continuous basis. All this suggests to me that the relationship between education and employment has changed radically over the last few years.
50) One could summarize the change by saying that when I grew up, I learned things in order to achieve life-long employment, while my children need to pursue life-long learning in order to stay employed.