"What is essential [to the human resources development plan for the United States] is that we create a seamless web of opportunities to develop one's skills that literally extends from cradle to grave and is the same for everyone--young and old, poor and rich, worker and full- time student...A system of unending skill development that begins in the home with the very young and continues through school, post-secondary education, and the workplace.""A Human Resource Development Plan for the United States" by Marc Tucker, National Center on Education and the Economy, 1992, pp. 2 and 4.
We are all aware - or better be! - that every aspect of American society is being restructured "to meet the competitive demands of the global economy." The multitudinous programs and laws, which are literally forcing this restructuring down our throats, are so complex and intertwined that following the individual tentacles of this monstrous octopus becomes a full-time job! At the federal level the most visible and far-reaching legislation (both passed and currently pending) includes:
Every aspect of these laws and bills is well documented as being integral to the implementation of the Lifelong Education Model (published by UNESCO in 1973) and its supporting documentation. You WILL be a lifelong learner - whether you like it or not. If you are not familiar with these laws and pending laws or their counterparts at the state level, it's time for you to study them. Your future, and the future of your children and grandchildren depends on it. EVERY American will be trapped in the clutches of this government control octopus very soon unless we unite and destroy it.
HR 1617 - the CAREERS ACT passed the House of Representatives on September 19, 1995. The vote was YEA: 345, NAY: 79, and Not Voting: 10. The Washington state delegation cast 8 Yeas and 1 Nay. Voting in favor of this monster were: Rick White (R), Jack Metcalf(R), Linda Smith (R), Doc Hastings (R), George Nethercutt (R), Norm Dicks (D), Jennifer Dunn (R), and Randy Tate(R).
The bottom line in this act is that EVERY ADULT (defined as anyone over the age of 16) will be required to:
Are you getting the BIG PICTURE yet? Once all the rhetoric and buzz-words have been sifted out, there is little of the "efficiency" called for and LOTS of government control!!
I. The "Infrastructure" includes the National Workforce Development Board, a state "Workforce Development and Literacy Plan: developed through a "collaborative" process [READ: Policy Delphi Technique and Group Think], and local Local Workforce Development Boards to work with the Regional Workforce Development Boards set up in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. The GOVERNOR appoints the commission/council [another Commission on Student Learning or Healthcare Commission, anyone?], which develops the plan in compliance with FEDERAL MANDATES and which to School-to-Work Opportunities Act designates as the State Workforce Council.
II. Each local board must be tied into the NATIONAL LABOR MARKET INFORMATION SYSTEM, a computer data base that maintains:
III. Each local board must provide "comprehensive career guidance and counseling" for every person. Guidelines for minimum requirements are worded in a manner similar to all other restructuring programs. The buzz-words we all know indicate psychological profiling and evaluation abound.
IV. A "career grant," defined as an EDUCATIONAL VOUCHER for purchase of education or training services from CERTIFIED PROVIDERS [READ: Charter Schools] is to be issued to each person.
V. A "displaced homemaker" is defined in part as "an adult who has worked as an adult primarily without remuneration to care for the home and family, and for that reason has diminished marketable skills." [Remember that in the interest of "efficiency" EVERY ADULT will be required to engage in "productive" work for the benefit of the "global economy" according to Foundations of Lifelong Education.]
VI. The Family Literacy program calls for the parent to be the child's "first and primary teacher." [Parents As Teachers, anyone? Or Healthy Start? Or Washington Healthy Family Home Visitor Program? The "whole village" just has to help us raise our kids!]
VII. Each center is to provide "family and consumer sciences" programs, defined as "instructional programs, services, and activities which prepare students for personal, family, community, and career roles." [READ: the complex life roles of OBE.]
VIII. All programs lead to the issuing of a SKILL CERTIFICATE, defined as a credential "that certifies that an individual has mastered occupational skills at levels that are a least as challenging as skill standards endorsed by the National Skills Standards Board. [The National Skill Standards Board was set up by GOALS 2000 to match the "competencies" found in the Department of Labor's SCANS report.] Marc Tucker, in A Human Resources Development Plan for the United States, states:
"The system of skill standards for technical and professional degrees is the same for students just coming out of high school and for adults in the workforce. ...These new professional and technical certificates and degrees typically are won within three years of acquiring the general education certificate [Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM)]...This idea of post-secondary professional and technical certificates captures all of the essentials of the apprenticeship idea...Clearly, this idea redefines college... The new general education standard becomes the target for all basic educational programs both for school dropouts and adults. Achieving that standard is the prerequisite for enrollment in all professional and technical degree programs...Employed people can access the system through the requirement that their employers spend an amount equal to 1 and 1/2 percent of their salary and wage bill on training leading to national skill certification."
The additional provisions found in this legislation could fill a book. A very long book! I hope this gives you a peek at least at the tip of this particular iceberg. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me (Katie Levans).
So now you know, ALL ADULTS are to be RETRAINED and RECYCLED in the restructured society!! Mandatory, government controlled, lifelong education has arrived.