E-learning 'introduces young people to needed skills'

The rise of online learning offers global governments the opportunity to control the increasing costs of education and provide young people with access to the skills they need.According to an article by Karen Kornbluh on Policy Network, politicians need to work with educators and companies to discover the best uses of digital tools and ensure broadband is made as widely available as possible.The US government official said any parent who has seen a child figure out how to play a complicated video game in less than an hour will be frustrated that there is no equivalent on the market to teach useful business skills."While not a panacea, online education combined with one-on-one interactions can theoretically provide access to an education tailored to needed skills and readiness - and can offer certification of skills attained," Ms Kornbluh explained.She argued governments should use their authority to develop virtual tools that are able to solve the market failure of the lack of knowledge about what skills young people need to acquire or whether they already have them.These services need to reach out to the youth and anyone that is seeking to help them access business training, the expert stated.The article also pointed to a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development entitled Off to a Good Start: Jobs for Youth, which said training programmes on top of work experience and mentoring have been tried, tested and deemed to be effective.Many learning providers are currently trying to get the word out in the UK about this tailored training by visiting schools and working with both pupils and staff.For instance, Virtual College - which is based in West Yorkshire - has its own dedicated apprenticeship team that informs schoolchildren and teachers about the workplace, engaging with young people through a combination of e-learning technology and face-to-face instruction. More details about this can be discovered by watching the company's video on the initiative.