Mediators for sustainable livelihoods : Promoting sustainable livelihoods in vocational and adult education through university curricula and programs
Heikkinen, Anja; Sorsa, Santeri; Xing, Xin; Li, Qiao; Cheng, Jiao; Tan, Li; Kalimasi, Perpetua; Kilasa, Nicholous; Wadende, Pamela; Oyaro, Erick; Opwonya, Nelson (2022)
Heikkinen, Anja
Sorsa, Santeri
Xing, Xin
Li, Qiao
Cheng, Jiao
Tan, Li
Kalimasi, Perpetua
Kilasa, Nicholous
Wadende, Pamela
Oyaro, Erick
Opwonya, Nelson
Tampere University
2022
Kasvatustieteiden ja kulttuurin tiedekunta - Faculty of Education and Culture
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-2592-3
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-2592-3
Tiivistelmä
This preliminary study was accomplished during November 2021-March 2022, as part of “global innovation networks in teaching and learning”-initiative of the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, carried out by a team of senior and junior researchers from Finland, China, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. The ambition of the study was to clarify conceptual and methodological framework for future co-creative collaboration between key university and non-university actors, towards development and implementation strategies and practices of research-based curricula and programs, to shape expertise for sustainable livelihoods in vocational and adult education.
Sustainable development has become a universal aim in national and supranational economic, social, and educational agencies and belongs to the repertoire of industries, businesses and civil society organisations. The study assumes that social metabolism - the material and energy flows by social organisations of different scales - is potentially the foremost concept for sustainable development. The combat against unsustainable social metabolism happens in local and planetary organisation of work, industries, social and political life. For humans, sustainable social metabolism means livelihood in collectives or assemblies of humans and nonhumans. Although directly targeting this, vocational and adult education have remained marginal in policies and discourse of sustainable development.
While universities are prime institutions shaping agendas and expertise for political, economic and social development, we ask why they are ignoring vocational and adult education, despite their critical function for sustainable livelihoods. We hypothesise the impact of the established, taken-for-granted principles and practices in curriculum and program development and implementation, which overlook interaction and collaboration with non-university actors. From our experiences, we find this critical for analysing, understanding and shaping research-based expertise for sustainable livelihoods in vocational and adult education.
Sustainable development has become a universal aim in national and supranational economic, social, and educational agencies and belongs to the repertoire of industries, businesses and civil society organisations. The study assumes that social metabolism - the material and energy flows by social organisations of different scales - is potentially the foremost concept for sustainable development. The combat against unsustainable social metabolism happens in local and planetary organisation of work, industries, social and political life. For humans, sustainable social metabolism means livelihood in collectives or assemblies of humans and nonhumans. Although directly targeting this, vocational and adult education have remained marginal in policies and discourse of sustainable development.
While universities are prime institutions shaping agendas and expertise for political, economic and social development, we ask why they are ignoring vocational and adult education, despite their critical function for sustainable livelihoods. We hypothesise the impact of the established, taken-for-granted principles and practices in curriculum and program development and implementation, which overlook interaction and collaboration with non-university actors. From our experiences, we find this critical for analysing, understanding and shaping research-based expertise for sustainable livelihoods in vocational and adult education.