Lifelong Learning As Determinant Of Enhancing Social Welfare Of Russia’s Adult Population

Systematization of analytical studies of lifelong learning

The purpose of monitoring of education economics is to provide information for the development and implementation of education policy, supply Russian education authorities with up-to-date, complete, reliable and regularly updated data on the economics of the Russian education system, develop relevant databases for analysis and forecast of developments in the field of education.

Quarterly labor force monitoring data provided by the Federal State Statistics Service primarily contains information on the employment of adult population in Russia. Based on the array of analytical information on lifelong education we have gathered a collection of materials on monitoring studies in the field of education economics.

We have analyzed materials published in the framework of monitoring of education economics in the following avenues of research: lifelong learning (issues of motivation and engagement of adult population in lifelong learning), further (continuing) education, management of personnel education and training by corporate employers (including continuing education of employees and interaction of educational institutions with the labor market) (Table 1 )

Content analysis of research materials on lifelong learning revealed that the majority of publications containing research results are devoted to management of adult education in companies (30 publications), management of further (continuing) education (24 publications) and lifelong education for adults (10). Selection of the above-mentioned research subjects by researchers is not accidental. The analytical materials allow us to expose issues and identify possibilities for the management of lifelong learning targeting key stakeholders of this process, namely adult population in Russia, corporate employers and educational institutions. The studies also contain analysis of the role of state in lifelong learning.

Notably, most recent data was published on the issues of lifelong learning (1 study in 2017 and 6 studies in 2016) and management of continuing education in companies (5 studies in 2016). Over the past three years no studies on the issues of management of the education process by further (continuing) education institutions were identified (3 studies were carried out in 2013 and published in 2014). This demonstrates insufficiency of research on the issues of management of adult education by further (continuing) education institutions in real-time mode over the past 5 years.

Analysis of the degree of engagement and motivation of adult population in lifelong learning

The degree of engagement of population in lifelong learning is one of the key indicators of human capital development. Performance of this index is affected by a considerable number of external factors of influence, including level of development of the economy and current economic environment, which may play a key role (Bondarenko, 2017) (Fig. 1 ).

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A number of factors determine irregularity of the population's involvement in lifelong learning in Russia:

• Economic. Due to availability of the main types of lifelong learning in Russia strictly on a fee –paying basis, the decrease in engagement of population in lifelong learning in 2008 and 2015 can be attributed to economic crisis while the rise in involvement in the following years - to the economic recovery.

• Structural changes on the labor market. Changing structure of employers' demand for professionals in new and emerging occupations shapes demand of adult population for career change and professional development courses in these career streams.

• Technological. Extensive and intensive computerization and popularization of the Internet among the Russian population on the one hand, and dynamic development of distance and online learning on the other, contribute to the increased accessibility of education.

• Cultural. In recent years the following trends in the changing attitude of the Russian population towards education have been observed:

  • education and career development have become fashionable;

  • perception of older people by society is changing: retired individuals are no longer viewed as a passive liability born by families and the country’s economy but potential and actual consumers of lifelong learning services;

  • attitude of older people towards themselves is also changing: it is less and less embarrassing nowadays to study along young people.

Data on the change in engagement of adult population in various types of lifelong learning may serve as the basis for 1) analysis of a structure of demand for educational services and 2) decision-making process on the structure and volume of supply of these services by market participants (Table 2 ).

Data presented in the table demonstrates that the largest growth in involvement of the Russian population within the framework of formal education is observed in secondary professional (vocational) education in the last three years: interest in training for mid-level professionals has increased 8.7 times while interest in training for skilled workforce has seen a 20 times increase. The following reasons can be noted behind the trend: difficult economic conditions, prompting individuals to choose less costly education, less complicated admission procedures in technical schools and vocational colleges compared to higher educational establishments, the state’s communications efforts to promote secondary vocational education among the population.

Analysis of data on involvement of adult population in further (continuing) education in 2016 compared with 2014 produced a number of observations. Firstly, demand of adult population for a second higher education degree (bachelor’s or specialist) or a master's degree has increased 2.2 times, for professional courses – by almost 3 times, for internships – by 3.6 times, for special-purpose courses – by almost 1.5 times and for safety training demand has almost doubled. At the same time demand for career change courses and retraining dropped by 40%, for professional conferences, seminars, trainings on a regular basis - by 23%, for one-time professional lectures, conferences, seminars and trainings – by 43%. Despite significant decline, these areas of training are still in high demand among survey respondents. One can note high demand of adult population for short-term training programs in comparison with long-term ones for obtaining a second higher education or a master's degree. Overall high demand of adult population for short-term educational programs compared to long-term ones is observed.

The results of desk research demonstrate that key incentives for engagement of respondents in lifelong learning in the field of their occupation are efforts to retain a current job and succeed at a current workplace. It appears that the need to increase mobility on the labor market, i.e. obtain more options to change a job/career, find new sources of income, etc., is not a determining factor in the individuals’ decision-making on engagement in lifelong learning. No more than 5% of respondents used different types of lifelong learning to obtain a new job, 5% used lifelong learning to change careers and 8% - to increase chances to find part-time work for extra income (Bondarenko, 2017) (Table 3 ).

Studies have shown significant differentiation in terms of engagement in lifelong learning between the poorest and the wealthiest segments of the Russian population. According to the results of data analysis, affluent individuals take part in lifelong learning activities more than twice as often as financially disadvantaged individuals (Bondarenko, 2017) (Table 4 ).

Lifelong learning in Russia is distinguished by considerable differentiation in terms of participation in formal and further (continuing) education between age groups. Thus, engagement in formal or further (continuing) education among Russians aged 25 to 35 is three times higher than that among people aged 55 to 64 (the ratio for the EU is less than two times).

According to the results of a desk study, the main reason for non-participation of respondents in formal and further (continuing) education is lack of established demand for acquiring additional knowledge and skills related to professional occupation, interests, career development (Bondarenko, 2016). A significant portion of respondents found it difficult to respond to this question. (Fig. 2 ).

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Respondents who exhibited a need in education named time constraints, difficulty to combine work and study, family responsibilities and lack of training opportunities in the vicinity of place of work or residence as the main barriers for engagement in lifelong learning. These barriers have prevented 13% of respondents, who did not participate in formal or further (continuing) education in 2016, from engaging in lifelong learning. Moreover, 8% of such respondents did not obtain training due to financial constraints, namely, high cost of educational services, lack of financial support from the employer and the state, etc. Only 4% of such respondents named lack of supply of educational services as a reason behind non-participation in lifelong learning.

Self-education as the most popular type of lifelong learning comprises a considerable variety of activities, therefore a list of items on self-education survey forms has been continuously updated and refined over the past three years. Surveys incorporated a “physical education, sports, fitness practiced on stadiums and in sports facilities” item in 2016. Adult population has been actively engaging in exploring the Internet and a range of information technologies, using them for self-education, among other purposes. Analysis of the degree of engagement of adult population in self-education for the period 2014-2016 demonstrates a decrease in a number of respondents, using traditional educational media for enhancing their educational level by 3.9% in 2016 compared to 2014, while a number of adults using educational services via Internet has grown by 2.6% over the same period. A number of respondents who entrusted their education to friends and family members, as well as those who acquired professional skills at a workplace more than doubled over the period 2014-2016.

Based on the analysis of involvement of adult population in lifelong education and its motivation behind engagement in lifelong learning activities, the following issues impeding further development of lifelong learning have been identified:

• “Opportunity divide,” i.e. low accessibility of lifelong learning for the individuals, who are particularly in need of educational opportunities, i.e. unemployed, individuals with low a level of education and low-paying jobs;

• Low level of engagement of the older population in lifelong learning, particularly compared to the EU;

• Non-participation of adult population in lifelong learning for objective and subjective reasons: lack of established demand for lifelong education and awareness of the necessity of continuing education, time constraints due to family responsibilities and working overtime, among others.

Identification of factors impeding further development of lifelong learning enabled us to determine opportunities for a more extensive engagement of adults in the process of lifelong learning, namely: developing short-term educational programs, increasing financial support from the state and employers, changing incentives for adults to pursue further educational opportunities.

Analysis of management of lifelong learning by economic entities operating on the education services market; the role of state in lifelong learning

For the purposes of analysis of management of the lifelong learning processes by corporate employers we compare the results of surveys conducted among British and Russian corporate employers for the period 2014-2015 (Bondarenko, Krasilnikova, Lisova, 2016). Unlike Russian companies, the overwhelming majority of the British employers allocate budget both for personnel training and for evaluation of key employee competences, as well as monitoring of the effectiveness of the implemented training programs. The most striking differences are revealed when comparing British and Russian small businesses: Russian small businesses use different elements of personnel training policy several times less often than their British counterparts (Table 5 ).

The majority of companies provide in-house training for their employees, using their own resources and structures. Roughly 30% of respondents noted that their companies own educational infrastructure, in particular, 12% of companies own a training center and 17% provide training courses.

At the same time a significant share of companies uses services of external partners to provide efficient training to their employees. Russian companies tend to finance training of their employees outside the company less frequently than the British companies, accounting for 40% and 70% of all respondents respectively. Interaction between Russian corporate employers on the issues of employee training and exchange of best practices in continuing education for personnel are poorly developed.

According to the results of a desk study, approximately 20% of the companies that provided training opportunities for their employees launched joint educational initiatives and skills exchange and 14% of the companies arranged for a joint training of their employees (Bondarenko, Krasilnikova, Lisova, 2016). Russian corporate employers tend to cooperate in the area of employee training and skills exchange on the grounds of the following affiliations: industry affiliation (39%), affiliation in terms of supply – distribution chain (24%), affiliation according to common development objectives (23%), parent company affiliation (21%). Thus this type of cooperation is mainly based on the vertical integration principle; considerably less often Russian companies cooperate with independent partners.

Cooperation of the British corporate employers, on the other hand, leans towards horizontal integration. Respondents named opportunities to learn about new trends, exchange best practices and retain competitiveness as the main advantages of such cooperation. According to employers, these benefits are missing as a result of training at educational institutions (Kiseleva & Anikina, 2015).

Employees of the British companies are more frequently trained in the fields of management (45%), quality control and labor efficiency assessment (45%) and new qualifications (51%), compared to their Russian counterparts. Thus Russian companies less frequently provide training for their employees in the fields of new and emerging occupations and skills used to adapt to a more innovative and technologically-savvy working environment.

Based on the results of a comparative analysis of the training programs developed by Russian and British employers, the following issues impeding the development of lifelong adult education in Russia are identified:

• poor procedural regulation of the mechanism of financing and evaluation of the effectiveness of companies' investments in personnel training;

• underutilization of a variety of elements of personnel training policies, especially by small enterprises;

• lack of interaction and cooperation of corporate employers in the areas of personnel training and skills exchange;

• lack of mutual interest in cooperation between corporate employers and educational institutions.

Analysis of management of lifelong learning in the field of further (continuing) education is based on a survey of executives of educaitonal insuitutions in the period 2012-2013. Results of the survey were published by Higher School of Economics in 2014 (Borodina, 2014). Further (continuing) educational programs aim to update the knowledge base of adult population, bringing together the economic sector, state and public interests. Each economic entity independently develops a tool to manage this process.

Programs, aimed to develop and enhance employees’ existing competences, qualifications and professionalism, are the most demanded on the market of further (continuing) education services. They are offered by almost 80% of the institutions providing lifelong education services. According to the analysis of collected data, independent institutions provide these services most extensively (91%), followed by departments of continuing education for adult population at vocational institutions (86%) and departments within companies (83%) (Borodina, 2014) (Fig. 3 ).

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Supply of further (continuing) education programs of various duration is determined by institutions and correlates to the demand of adult population for short-term or long-term programs. Professional training programs lasting 72 to 499 hours that were most sought-after on the market in 2012 and 2013 were offered by 80% of the institutions. Programs lasting less than 72 hours, such as seminars and trainings, were offered by 61% of the institutions (Fig. 4 ).

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A system of formal vocational education possesses the most extensive resources for the implementation of long-term programs. The share of programs lasting over 1000 hours in a total number of programs offered by departments of further (continuing) education in institutions of vocational education amounts to 12%.

The content of further (continuing) education programs is constantly updated: 55% of an educational portfolio was modified in 2012 and 59% of educational programs were modified in 2013. The initiative to modify the content of educational programs comes equally from educational organizations (18%) and corporate customers (17.5%), as well as directly from the attendees (9%). More than half of further (continuing) education programs are updated annually across all educational institutions, which can be attributed to changing market demands (Bistrova et al., 2015).

Development and implementation of professional (occupational) standards and employee core competence requirements in Russia are designed to facilitate systematization of lifelong professional training of employees throughout their career. Analysis of collected data revealed positive trends related to certification and evaluation in the system of adult further (continuing) education (Borodina, 2014) (Fig. 5 ).

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Educational institutions see an increase in the share of programs related to personnel certification and evaluation of core professional competences across various sectors, for instance, in the fields of information and communications, transport, and healthcare.

According to survey results, each institution providing further (continuing) education services to adult population employs on average 50 teachers/instructors, which is a twofold decrease in 2013 compared to a previous year. Independent institutions on average employ 68 people while the maximum number of employees exceeds 2500 people. The organizational structure and key responsibilities of teaching staff are less extensive in corporate universities and professional training courses – they employ 17 and 20 employees respectively.

Executives of almost 30% of educational institutions note that all faculty in further (continuing) education programs at their organizations are full-time employees. A trend of replacing part of the academic faculty with practicing experts from respective fields has also been observed. Faculty, fully employed by other educational establishments accounted for half of the total faculty of educational institutions in 2012 and the share has grown by 10% in 2013. The share of faculty, who are fully employed as academic researchers at state institutions has dropped by 4% over the same period, and the share of faculty, fully-employed at state-owned industrial entities decreased by 4.5%. Just 6% of institutions use services of foreign faculty, who, for the most part, act as native speakers at language courses or consultants on utilization of foreign equipment and introduction of new technologies.

Another trend is a gradual change in requirements for the faculty. A number of professional and personal characteristics of teaching staff became more important for attendees of lifelong education programs in 2013, namely practical work experience not directly related to teaching (76%); ability to engage the audience and respond to its needs (64%); relevance of material (57%) and availability of methodological aids and programs (35%). This is a significant development from 2012 survey results, when the main requirements for the faculty were relevance of material (93%), practical experience (66%) and academic achievements (45%) of the teaching staff. These changes in the faculty selection criteria indicate a tendency of refocusing of further (continuing) education programs to the needs of attendees through maximum individualization of programs (Kiseleva et al., 2016).

Financial standing of further (continuing) education organizations was estimated by the majority of surveyed executives as average (58%). About 5% of the respondents estimated financial standing of their organizations as poor. One-third of surveyed executives expressed confidence in financial stability of their institutions, while 9%, on the contrary, are very pessimistic in their projections. “Average” estimates of financial stability were predominantly given by executives of independent institutions (63%), one – third of which were seen as financially viable in 2013 with only 3,5% of executives questioning financial stability of their organizations in the future. Half of further (continuing) education institutions received stable income from their educational services in the past three years, while the income of 40% of the institutions has increased, and 10% of organizations reported a decline.

The majority of surveyed executives of further (continuing) education institutions (90%) most notably take into account demand of consumers and competing offers in their pricing policy: unique programs are expensive while the price for general professional development programs is going down. Key pricing factors on the market, according to surveyed executives, are the economy (64% of respondents), upgrading of educational infrastructure (38%), and development of professional competences of the teaching staff (21%). The market of further (continuing) education services is quite competitive. Half of respondents (54%) noted competition both in terms of quality and price parameters with 40% of respondents reporting just price competition and 7% - just competition in quality. Among the most important competitive advantages of 60% of respondents named high level of professionalism of teaching staff, 38% noted quality content of educational programs and 23% - flexible price policy.

Results of analysis of management of the lifelong learning process by further (continuing) education institutions, based on the data for 2013, were completed with the analysis of secondary research data on selected issues of further (continuing) education (Borodina, Galitskiy, 2016). The findings suggest the following conclusions:

• further (continuing) adult education is a complex subject for systematization and analysis due to impact of numerous parameters on management of lifelong learning, namely: target audience, size and type of institution, sources of funding, ownership, etc.;

• share of institutions offering vocational training programs in a total number of further (continuing) education programs offered has significantly increased, while a share of institutions offering general education programs decreased;

• share of short-term programs in a total number of further (continuing) education programs offered has increased due to decline in a number of long-term programs;

• the frequency of updating the content of further (continuing) education programs has increased;

• relevance of further (continuing) education programs’ content and ‘value for money’ factor are key aspects in attraction and retention of consumers of educational services;

• a trend of increasing number of experts with extensive practical experience rather than academic achievements being employed by further (continuing) education institutions is observed, due to practical work experience becoming the most important criteria for the faculty;

• financial stability of the majority of further (continuing) education institutions is estimated as average.

Data obtained in the framework of monitoring of education economics is of crucial importance, however, it should be noted that the lack of up-to-date information on the market of further (continuing) education in Russian statistics complicates the decision-making process, aimed to enhance effectiveness of lifelong education system.

Effective implementation of lifelong learning is key to development of functional literacy of adult population in a range of fields, acquisition of new opportunities for professional development, increasing labor mobility and social well-being. Role of state is especially crucial in achieving these objectives. The state acts, first and foremost, as a regulator of relations between different parties in the process of implementation of the concept of lifelong learning for adult population, it develops a legislative and a legal framework for efficient interaction of the parties concerned. In order to expand partnership between all participants of lifelong learning process, especially in the current environment, the role of the state as a moderator in the process of representing and informing businesses and educational institutions about each other is also vital. The state performs important public relations function, which is to explain and motivate population to study throughout life.