IPPN

Last Updated: Monday, 06 February 2012 16:42

IPPN’s industry advocates workshop seeks to improve shared understanding between education and employer communities

Top multinationals will give their views on how well primary education is preparing children for jobs and future skills needs at a workshop organised today [Friday] by the Irish Primary Principals’ Network as part of their three-day annual conference.

The conference, attended by more than 1,000 primary school leaders in Citywest Convention Centre in Dublin, is the largest of its kind in Europe this year.

Among the companies attending the industry advocates workshop are Dell, Microsoft, Covidien and Ely Lilly, as well as industry representative bodies, education leaders and philanthropists.

In all, 13 thought-leaders will take part in the workshop which will be moderated by world-renowned Professor Michael Fullan of the University of Toronto.

Seán Cottrell, IPPN Director, said the workshop was aimed at ‘forming a partnership with the employer community to improve joint understanding of the connection between primary education and the working world’.

‘We want to leverage that partnership to influence the Government in framing a policy environment that allows all our children to achieve the best education outcomes and prepares them to take up jobs in the emerging knowledge economy,’ said Mr Cottrell.

He said the skills and aptitudes that children now learn in the primary curriculum have a direct connection with the kind of workers required by the employer community.

‘The 1999 revised primary school curriculum develops a wide range of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills such as critical thinking, analysing, listening and enquiring, hypothesizing, team-work, leadership, problem-solving and so on.

‘Irish education’s reputation has taken a battering recently with low PISA scores and grade inflation.

‘We need to up our game considerably if we are to prepare our children adequately for the working world where change is the only constant,’  Mr Cottrell.

IPPN President Gerry Murphy said education and industry were closely linked and it was important to improve shared understanding of each other’s needs.

‘Our collective objective must be to advance Ireland on the road to sustainable economic recovery and there is a role for educators and employers to work together towards that objective,’ said Mr Murphy.

ENDS