Trends in Advancement to University Later and Continuing Education of High School Graduate Employees
2. Main Issues and Tasks Related to Advancement to University Later and Continuous Education
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2. Main Issues and Tasks Related to Advancement to University Later
the period of higher education. In relation to the background characteristics of high school graduates, employees, etc., a response to various demands for continuous education is needed. However, there are still some problems with the current policies
Note: 1) “Various universities” means all school types except junior colleges and general, universities, industrial, and technical universities, as well as cyber universities such as Korea Polytechnics, Korea Polytechnic University, and Korea University of Technology and Education.
2) “Companies” means a course for a corporate technology university that a company operates on its own.
3) “Company’s affiliated institute” means a company’s affiliated university (corporate and technology universities, etc.) established under laws and regulations.
Source: Kim and Choi (2010). p. 41.
Figure 7-5 ❙ A conceptual diagram of the Work-to-School (WTS) system in relation to employment first, advancement to university later
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for advancement to university later. In particular, special admission for employees, contracted departments, and corporate universities have some problems in terms of the possible participation of high school graduate employees, the flexible operation of a curriculum fit for employees, and the participation of or support from universities and companies. Furthermore, there are other obstacles, such as the economic burden for learners and companies, and the lack of policies that facilitate work and learning at the same time. Under the circumstances, a multilateral and comprehensive approach to advancement to university later is needed to continue the education of high school graduate employees. Accordingly, this part will present relevant tasks, focusing on several issues related to advancement to university later.
(1) Can it be possible to meet the demands of advancement to university later?
In a strict sense, there is no research on how many demands for advancement to university later have surfaced and what kinds have emerged. However, the employment of high school graduates is growing nationally, and across all lines of specialized and Meister high schools. In that the increasing employment of high school graduates is based on the premise of advancement to university later, there is a mere expectation that various demands will occur. Under the circumstances, various efforts are being made to promote advancement to university later for high school graduates. For instance, there are diverse programs, including special admissions for incumbent workers, contracted departments, and corporate universities. Through these policies for advancement to university later, it is estimated to meet the demands of approximately 100,000 people every year, either broadly or partially (See [Table 7-1]).
However, departing from a simple and quantitative prospective, if the educational demand for advancement to university later is examined from a qualitative prospect, the ineffectiveness of the current system can be pointed out. In particular, the problems associated with the advancement to university later system in recent years can be summarized as follows.
First, considering the job characteristics of specialized high school graduate incumbent workers, a question arises for high school graduates who are employed in
industries and occupations related to technology and technical skill: does the current advancement to university later system provide them with sufficient opportunities? In particular, this can be limited to the demand for a degree-focused curriculum with the advancement to university later system, including special admissions for incumbent workers. To make up for the limitations, more special admissions for incumbent workers can be provided, focusing on industrial fields. Cyber universities help to create or reorganize natural science or engineering departments in order for high school graduate employees to have easy access to such universities.
Table 7-1 ❙ Overview and number of student admissions by major in the advancement to university later system
Classification Overview Degree Number of student admissions
Individual demand
Special admissions
for incumbent
workers
Incumbent employees who worked for over three years after graduating from specialized and Meister high schools enter a school beyond a fixed number
• Associate’s degree
• Bachelor’s degree
63 schools 3,748 persons (Based on the fixed number in 2013)
Major intensive
course
Junior colleges provide a bachelor’s degree course by operating a one- or two-year intensive course for employees with work experience
• Bachelor’s degree (junior college)
67schools 5,183 persons (Based on the number of student admissions in 2012) Industrial
entrusted education
The head of a company entrusts/operates the opening of the curriculum for its own employees
• Associate’s degree
• Bachelor’s degree of industry
79 schools 12,469 persons (Based on the number of students enrolled in 2011 ) Korea
National Open
University Distance education through communications and media
• Bachelor’s degree
• Master’s degree
1 school 63.879 persons (Based on the number of student admissions in 2012) Cyber
university
• Associate’s degree
• Bachelor’s degree
• Master’s degree
21 schools 8,830 persons (Based on the number of students enrolled in 2012)
Industry demand
Contracted departments
The head of a company provides employees with educational expenditures and entrusts and operates the opening of the curriculum
• Associate’s degree
• Bachelor’s degree
• Master’s / Doctoral degree
89 schools 7,860 persons (Based on the number of students enrolled in 2011) Technical
university
A company directly operates a university for its own employees’ education (higher education institute)
• Associate’s degree
• Bachelor’s degree
1 school 100 persons (Based on the number of students enrolled in 2012) Corporate
university
A company directly operates a university for its own employees’ education (opening lifelong education)
• Associate’s degree
• Bachelor’s degree 3 schools 270 persons
Total - 324 schools
102,339 persons
Note: The total is simply made by adding up the number of student admissions by each advancement to university later system.
Source: Kim (2012)
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However, one problem is whether the current system is adequate for the characteristics of incumbent workers’ jobs for specialized high school graduates, and this is one aspect of the problem that will be considered.
Second, discussions are occurring as to whether the purpose and function of high school graduates’ advancement to university later should focus on competency development, or whether it should put an emphasis on high school graduates’ higher education (or lifelong education). The latter can meet the demands of learners by allowing them to have easy access to current higher education institutes, while the former requires companies to additionally prepare firm-specific curriculums or the operation of teaching and learning methods, rather than the general curriculum that the current higher education covers. If the focus is on the development of competency by high school graduates, this will initiate a further discussion as to whether it is effective to have the three- to four-year learning period of higher education.
Admittedly, problems arising from the purpose and function of high school graduates’
advancement to university later cannot be regarded as a matter of alternatives.
However, if the purpose and function is pursued at the same time, such a discussion will be considered in terms of whether the current advancement to university later system fully meets the demands of various learners. In the current system, there are degree-centered programs focusing on the competency development of high school graduates by corporate universities, contracted departments, and industry-entrusted education. In this regard, a policy agenda was announced for the expansion of the advancement to university later system. A Measure for Enhancing Employment First, Advancement to University Later and Open Employment to Establish the Era of High School Graduates (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2012a) suggested measures for operating corporate universities in an attempt to develop non-degree competency. Furthermore, it proposed the expansion of contracted departments that focus on natural science or engineering, which are lacking in the current advancement to university later system. At the same time, the Second Basic Plan for Vocational Competency Development (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2012c) suggested the expansion of contracted departments as a future service sector.
Third, in a similar vein, there is a discussion as to whether high school graduates’
advancement to university later should be explored at the level of personal career development, or considered as a corporate plan for operating manpower. More specifically, if incumbent workers who have graduated from high school acquire a university degree, the problem is whether their educational attainment should be reflected in the personnel management system of a company. One of the core policies of the current open employment is that, if a high school graduate has a certain period of work experience and full competency through various types of vocational competency development, he/she should be entitled to the equivalent treatment (including promotion to the level of college/university graduates, in some cases). However, in such a promotion pathway, there is no clear definition as to what kinds of policy mechanisms should be used to meet the demands between high school graduate employees and industries, particularly in terms of managerial aspects in small and medium-sized businesses, and as to what roles the policy mechanisms should assume.
To solve the problems that will occur, one of the basic directions is that the advancement to university later and continuing education should move toward flexibility and diversity. Flexibility here includes the concept of curricular flexibility, as well as in delivery, pathways, and for individuals (Raffe, 1994). In other words, the direction provides various opportunities for the advancement to university later and continuing education. At the same time, such educational institutes are required to maintain flexibility of the curriculum and operation of academic affairs, while learners provide an opportunity to create learning pathways through moveable learning.
Flexibility and diversity are prerequisites for meeting the demands of learners and companies.
In recent years, the government announced a plan for establishing a “smart campus” based on distance education, and recognition of prior learning (RPL) centering on a leading university such as the Korea National Open University (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2012b). However, in light of the background characteristics of high school graduate employees, the participation of higher education institutes such as junior colleges or universities plays an important role. The
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Support Project for University-Centered Promotion of Lifelong Learning was announced and implemented from 2008, and starting from 2012 the project included a measure for operating programs for up-skilling high school graduate employees, focusing on technology-centered natural science and engineering by introducing an employment first, advancement to university later (technology-specific type) policy (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2012a). To promote lifelong learning in universities and enhance later advancement to universities and continuing education for high school graduate employees, an expansion of flexible academic affairs is needed that will enable employees to study while working at the same time. There is a need to develop a curriculum fit for industry demands, operate instructors, develop and disseminate teaching and learning methods suitable for adults, introduce the RPL system, and improve the degree system (Choi et al., 2009). In addition, it is necessary to connect a policy for promoting lifelong learning in universities with a policy for lifelong vocational competency development for employees. Rather than setting a limit on the advancement to university later policy exclusively for high school graduate employees, it is needed to take an approach that includes the improvement of conditions or systems in terms of lifelong learning and vocational competency development.
(2) How can people be motivated to participate in an advancement to university later program?
Coupled with flexibility in learning opportunities, analysis of whether it is possible for learners to exercise flexibility is needed. In general, for adult learners participating in continuing education, the main obstacles are financial difficulties, a lack of time, and the burden of keeping work and learning at the same time. Mark (2006), Osborne (2003), and Pouget (2006) presented four barriers to adult participation in lifelong learning: personal barriers (low motivation, low self-esteem, a lack of learning culture, negative learning experiences, unwillingness to fulfill career development, etc.); situational barriers (a lack of time, the distant location of educational institute, a lack of facilities suitable for children or disabled persons, the burden of tuition fees, the value of a degree at a higher education level, support from companies, etc.); regulatory barriers
(a lack of interest by nontraditional learners due to the operation of school-age children only, admission requirements, a lack of flexible delivery systems, etc.); and information barriers (difficulties in having access to information on the needed educational programs, etc.) (re-quoted from Choi et al., 2009).
This is associated with a problem of whether learners are given opportunities to participate in continuing education in the work place. In particular, many specialized high school graduates are employed at small and medium-sized enterprises, their work conditions are poor, and job security is unstable (Park et al., 2011; Choi et al., 2010).
In other words, although opportunities are provided for advancement to university later and continuing education, it is possible that there are not enough high school graduate employees utilizing or participating in such education. According to “The Status of Adult Learning in Korea” (Korean Educational Development Institute, 2011), the participation rate of adults (aged 25-64) in lifelong learning in Korea was 32.4% (the participation rate of formal learning was 4.2%), showing an upward trend since 2008. However, the rate remains far short of the OECD average of 40.2%. In particular, the participation rate of lifelong learning for adult employees was 31.5%, a widening gap compared with the OECD average of 46.2%, while the participation rate of formal learning was only 2.2% (the OECD average is 7.6%). Furthermore, when adults do not have a higher level of education, the participation rate tends to be low. As of 2011, the participation rate in lifelong learning for high school graduates was 25.2% (the rate of formal learning was 4.2%; the rate of non-formal learning was 22.9%). And as of 2007, the OECD average was 38.5% (formal learning was 7.2%, non-formal learning was 34.6%) (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Korean Educational Development Institute, 2011). In particular, the participation rate of work-related non-formal learning was low compared with the international level.
The participation rate of each participant spending in non-formal learning was the highest compared with other countries, but this included vocational training for the unemployed. Indeed, the actual rate of participant spending in work-related non-formal learning was low.
In that regard, the current lifelong learning system, in particular, formal lifelong
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learning focusing on a degree, is not favorable to high school graduate employees.
And as mentioned before, there are many barriers. Moreover, this indicates that a degree-centered advancement to university later system for high school graduates is possibly only useful to some high school graduate employees. Accordingly, from the perspective of lifelong learning, further discussions on the advancement to university later for high school graduates are needed, and it is necessary to come up with various motivations for high school graduate employees to participate in education.
To do this, along with reduced tuition fees (for example, the expansion of the application of the return of unemployment insurance, the introduction of credit unit registration, etc.), there is also an educational leave system that enables workers to both work and study at the same time. Additionally, it is necessary to clearly define the influence of the pathway of the advancement to university later for high school graduates on the career development of employees coming from specialized and Meister high schools.
Concluding Remarks
In recent years, the most pressing issue that secondary vocational education has faced is “the employment of high school graduates.” To this end, reforms that reflect industry demands in the vocational education curriculum are promoted, and various policy programs are operated to support the transition of high school students into the labor market. This leads to a rising employment rate for high school graduates, the exploration of decent jobs at the high school graduate level, and the exploration of new pathways based on the advancement to university later and continuing education.
The emphasis on the employment of high school graduates and the advancement to university later and continuing education is aimed at achieving a rapid entry into the labor market, securing economically active people of good quality, and establishing career paths for individuals without advancing to university right after graduating from high school. And such goals still need to be pursued.
To achieve such policy goals, there are several requirements to meet as follows.
First, the so-called “Employment First, Advancement to University Later” policy is based on the fact that high school vocational education graduates can continue to perform economic activities. In particular, it is necessary to find solutions to whether graduates can get jobs that enable them to continue to fulfill economic activity based on systematic vocational education at the high school level, and to whether they can acquire second or third opportunities in the labor market. Second, to seek these solutions, it is necessary to expand various statistical infrastructure for the transition of high school vocational education graduates to the labor market. In particular, with the usage of the existing statistical infrastructure, it is necessary to survey secondary vocational education. Third, advancement to university later and continuing education should be a necessary rather than sufficient condition for the constant career development of high school graduate employees.
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