Take this job...

 If you were around in the 80s, you know what comes next :)

I don't really mean that we should "shove it" when it comes to jobs but simply that the work we do is about so much more than that.

And here is some support for that idea.

Jian Ghomeshi from RadioQ did an essay on literacy and funding this morning.
Literacy not just about employability

Protesters gather outside the Hants Learning Network in Nova Scotia to rally against cuts to literacy programming. (CBC)
Copian, formerly known as the National Adult Literacy Database, has lost funding from Canada's federal government.

In light of this, Jian reflects on Parliament's latest austerity measure and its implication for literacy across the country.

"Reading, writing, being able to find your way around your world safely and intelligently, all seem like the kinds of things anyone in Canada would support," Jian says.

The government says it no longer wants to spend money on "administration and countless research papers," and instead want to prioritize literacy for the purpose of obtaining employment.

But literacy, Jian says, does more than make you employable -- it enriches your life.
Listen to the complete essay by clicking here.

On a similar note - this post about one of those despicable research papers was on the British Psychological Society page today.
Adult education found to boost wellbeing
Participating in adult education courses could significantly improve people's wellbeing and even their health, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland collected data from three universities, three research institutes and five adult education organisations as part of the Benefits of Lifelong Learning (BeLL) project, resulting in 8,646 valid questionnaires and 82 interviews across ten countries.

The researchers examined the responses of adult learners participating in non-vocational courses over a year and discovered that studying boosted their self-confidence and wellbeing, as well as expanding their social networks.

Tolerance for others grew, learners paid more attention to their health and some even reported changes in their work and career opportunities.

Adult education was found to be particularly beneficial for people with a lower educational level.

The age of the participants also influenced the benefits they achieved - younger people said it made them feel more in control of their lives, while older age groups reported adult education as being able to soften the transitions related to ageing, such as bereavement.

Commenting on the project, the authors suggested that "liberal adult education should be better taken into consideration both in national and EU-level education policy, and that a more systematic approach should be taken towards the utilisation its clear benefits on wellbeing".

Last summer we covered the Generation X Report, which found that many people born between the early 1960s and early 1980s are choosing to engage in lifelong learning.

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