ERIC ED372199: New Technologies and Emerging Careers. Trends and Issues Alerts.

3 Pages·1994·0.18 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CE 066 789
ED 372 199
Kerka, Sandra
AUTHOR
New Technologies and Emerging Careers. Trends and
TITLE
Issues Alerts.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational
INSTITUTION
Education, Columbus, Ohio.
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),
SPONS AGENCY
Washington, DC.
94
PUB DATE
RR93002001
CONTRACT
NOTE
3p.
Bibliographies (131)
Reference Materials
PUB TYPE
Information Analyses - ERIC Clearinghouse Producta
(071)
MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Annotated Bibliographies; *Career Change; *Career
DESCRIPTORS
Education; Economic Change; Educational Change;
Educational Needs; *Emerging Occupations; Employment
Patterns; Employment Practices; *Futures (of
Society); Organizational Change; Pastsecondary
Education; *Role of Education; Secondary Education;
*Technological Advancement; Vocationat/Education
ABSTRACT
Technological innovation& are giving rise to
structural changes :n the economy that are in turn creating profound
changes in the nature of work and work organizations. Predicted
changes are: traditional hierarchical organizations in the workplace
will give way to network or weblike forms of organization; customary
vertical divisions of labor will be replaced by horizontal divisions
characterized by collaboration among autonomous teams; customized
manufacturing will replace mass production; new service industries
and occupations.will evolve; the numbers of specialists and
integrators will increase; and a "freelance economy" will emerge. The
following are some implications of these changes for education and
training: more occupations will deal with abstract information and
procedural or mathematical reasoning; prepare.tion for work will
include formal education plus contextual or craft knowledge; formal
education may impart just a disciplined way of thinking and the
habits/skills of lifelong learning; the increased value of
experiential learning will require new forms of tech prep and
apprenticeship for youth and adults alike; and individuals will need
to develop new attitudes about the cyclical nature of careers, career
paths,-and continuous learning. (An annotated list of 17 related
publications is included.)
(MN)
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Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education
{ERIC
ALERTS
TRENDS AND ISSUES
1994
by Sandra Kerka
New Technologies and Emerging Careers
The education and training issues associated with these
"We are, right now, in the very early stages of a new econ-
changes include the following (Barley 1992; Model 1993;
fundamentally different from its
omy, one whose- core is .
.
.
"The New Economy" 1994; Zemsky and Oedel 1994):
predecessor's" ("The New Economy" 1994, p. 36). Technol-
ogy is the heart, though not the only driver, of this new
More occupations, including current blue-collar ones, will
economy. Just as technological change readers some occupa-
deal with abstract, symbolic information and procedural
tions obsolete, it brings other careers into being. Trends in
and mathematical reasoning.
the relationship between new technologies,and careers and the
"The new crafts challenge the tradition of managers being
issues they raise for education, training, and career develop-
educated at universities while workers below them rely
ment are the focus of this publication.
solely on high school education" (Gapper 1992, p. 2).
Preparation for the new kinds of work will include formal
Technological innovations usually give rise to new jobs, and
education plus Contextual or craft knowledge"the most
this era is no exception. The Institute for the Future (1990)
valued Skills appear to be those developed inii hands-on
predicts that virtual reality parks, "lifestyle protection pro-
conversation with materials and techniques" (Barley 1992,
grams," environmental services, and the burgeoning electronic
p. 15).
marketplace are some of the areas where new occupations will
Formal education may impart just a disciplined way of
emerge. Other examples of new careers are work flow ana-
thinking and the habits and skills of lifelong learning.
lyst, network security manager, biophotographer, and cyto-
Higher education may be able to confer status on the
technologist. However, some argue that technology is now
emerging new occupations by providing new credentials
causing a fundamental shift in the economic infrastructure
and degrees.
from an economy centered around electric motors and engines
The increased value of experiential learning suggests a
to one based on computers, which take over work that can be
need for neW forms of tech prep and apprenticeship, both
routinized and perform coordination functions (Barley 1992;
for youth and adults in career transition.
This structural change will do more than
Kiechel 1993).
Individuals will need to develop new attitudes about the
create new occupations: It will profoundly change the nature
cyclical nature of careers, career paths, and continuous
of work and work organizations. The following technology-
learning.
driven trends are reshaping the workplace (Barley 1992;
New organizational forms will necessitate learning new
Kiechel 1993; "The New Economy" 1994; Paracone et al.
ways to manage (coordinate) autonomous teams.
1991; United Way 1988; Zemsky and Oedel 1994):
Ttaditional hierarchical organization will give way to vari-
Print Resources
ous forms, especially the network or web.
Vertical division of labor (in which authority and expertise
Barley, S. R. The New Crqfts: The Rise of the Technical
increase at higher levels) will be replaced by horizontal, in
labor Force and Its Implications for the Organization of
which expertise is vested in individuals with specialties, not
Work. Philadelphia, PA: National Center on the Educa-
in positions. Collaboration among autonomous teams will
tional Quality of the Workforce, 1992. (ED 358 321)
replace chain-of-command management. The division of
labor between- manual and intellectual, acting and reason-
The trend toward an increasingly technical work force has not
ing, is disappearing.
only necessitated better educated workers but has challenged
Mass production will be replaced by customized manufac-
the ways in which the work force and the workplace are con-
turing; new service industries and occupations will evolve.
ceptualized and organized.
More companies will shift some inhouse functions or ser-
vices to "outsources" (external providers); smaller firms
Barley, S. B. What Do Technicians Do? Philadelphia, PA:
will increase in importance.
National Center on the Educational Quality of the Work-
specialists and
Two tyjyes of occupations are emerging:
force, 1993.
integrators (highly educated generalists termed "gold-collar
woikers" who add value to products and services).
By 2000, professional and technical occupations will be the
"Technization' of work may not only enhance the impor-
largest occupational sector. The division of labor between
tance of the horizontal division of labor, but also seems to
engender a new breed of occupations" (Barley 1992,
technicians and professionals is more collaborative (horizontal)
than hierarchical (vertical) and the two groups command sub-
Technical occupations (the "new crafts") will
p. 15).
stantively different knowledge and skills.
become the new elite.
Coates, J. F.; Jarrett, J.; and Mahaffie, J. B. Future Work:
The emerging pattern has been termed the "freelance econ-
Seven Critical Forces Rethaping Work and the Work
omy" (Kiechel 1993), in whiCh multiskilled, flexible, entre-
Force in North America. San Francisco: Jossey-Bus,
preneurial workers derive pay, prestige, and status from their
Their commitment may be INnewhat
specialties or skills.
1990.
divided between their employers and their specialtila. Some
Examines trends and implications around seven themes: diver-
assert that the concept of *job" may disappeer and be replaced
sity, family-work relationship, global economy, restructuring,
by "meaningful, market-driven work assignments in post-job
knowledge-based work, rising employee expectations, and cor-
organizations" ("The New Economy" 1994, p. 44).
CS NPMINISI?il IMICATIN
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Fortune, June 27,
Dom, M.; Farid, M.; and Vasarhelyi. P.
'From Informal
"The New Economy/Special Report.*
Emergence of a
Gatekeeper to Information Counselor:
1994, pp. 36-100.
New Professional Role.* 1988. (ED 322 908)
Describes the new economy as a tectonic shift and explores the
service occupations, govern-
changes through these topics:
Explores the emergence of information counselors, a type of
professional gatekeeper who adds value to user-oriented
ment role, eddonal innovation, productivity, geographic
booms, and no* ideas about globalism.
information systems and services.
Paracone, C.; Schiavone, N.; and Uberto, F. Description of
Further Education Unit. The Key Technologies: Some Impli-
cations for Education and Training.. London: Further
a Framework of Macroproflles (Archetypes).
Berlin:
European Centie for the Development of Vocational
Education Unit, 1988. (ED 294 012)
Training, 1991. (ED 338 859)
Key technologies that are likely to affect existing products or
The new conception of work as a permanent creative process
lead to new products may be classified in three groups: mate-
has implications for job skills, labor relations, and training.
rials, components, and manufacturing and process. They have
Emerging skill needs are of two main types:
specialist and
the potential to improve competitiveness.
integrator.
Gapper, J. The Challenge: To Understand How ;he Growth
'Health Jobs You Might Not Know About."
of Technical Jobs in the Middle of Organizations Is
Stanton, M.
Occupational Outlook Quarteriy 35, no. 4 (Winter 1992):
Changing the Traditional Ways of Teaching Skills and
2-11. (EJ 442 424)
Managing Work. Philadelphia, PA: National Center on
the Educational Quality of the Workforce,,1992. (ED 349
New health occupations described are biomedical equipment
420)
technician, perfusionist, orthotist, biocommunications mana-
ger, biophotographer, health sciences librarian, instructional
Predictions of Occupationel growth to 2000 show the impor-
designer, medical writer/editor, and medical artist/illustrator.
tance of new technical workers, who need a different blend of
formal education and continuing training. Educators must prey
The Status of Emerging
pare students for jobs that do not fit the old categories bf
U.S. Department of Commerce.
managerial or entry-level work.
Technologies: An Economic/Technological Assessment
to the Year 2000. Washington, DC: DOC, 1987. (ED
Gradler, G. C., and Schrammel, K. E. "The 1992-2005 Job
339 793)
Outlook in Brief." Occupational Outlook Quarterly 38,
Describes emerging technologies and their future impact on
no. 1 (Spring 1994).
the economy in seven categories: advanced materials, elec-
tronics, automation, biotechnology, computing, medical tech-
Presents future employment prospects for 250 occupations in
12 clusters, including major trends since 1950 and uncer-
nology, and thin-layer technology.
tainties about the future.
The Future World of Work.
United Way of America.
Alexandria, VA: United Way, 1988. (ED 304 521).
"Information Technology/Special Report." Fortune, July 11,
1994, pp. 44-144.
Dacribes eight trends centered on family concerns; underused
groups; education, training, and retraining; corporate environ-
Looks at how network technology changes organization and
ment; small' businesses; global marketplace; automation; and
management, innovative companies developing goods anIser-
employment prospects.
vices needed by networks, and changes in desktop computing
and telecommunications.
Higher Education and the
and Oedel, P.
Zemsky, R.
1990 Ten-Year Forecast.
Institute for the Future.
Changbeg Nature of the American Workforce. Philadel-
Menlo
Patic,C,r--Institute for the Future, 1990.
phia, PA: National Center on the Educational Quality of
the Workforce, 1994.
demography, social,
Presents core forecasts in seven areas:
Describes three labor market trends (service-sector shift, small
labor force, economy, technology, environment/energy, and
firms and labor market churning, and the rise of technical
Discusses issues for consumers, employees,
international.
crafts) and their implications for higher education, including
managers, investors, and government.
the role of the college credential, job-related skills training,
Kiechel, W. III. "How We Will Work in the Year 2000."
and the struggle to balance changing labor markets and enroll-
pp. 38-41, 44, 46, 48, 52.
Fortune:May 17, 1993,
ment pools.,
smaller com-
Identifies six trends shaping the workplace:
This Trawls and him AIM was developed with fintding from the Office of
panies, networked Of webbed organizations, technicians MS the
Educationsl Research and lniprovement, U.S. Department of Education, under
new elite, horizontal division of labor, shift from products to
Contract No. RR93002001. Opinions **premed do not necessarily reflect the
services, and redefinition of work, including continuous learn-
position or policies of OERE or the Dwartment. AIM: may be freely
reproduced.
ing and higher-order thinking.
McGregor, E. "Emerging Careers." Occupational Outlook
Qyartedy 34, no. 3 (Fall 1990): 22-25. (EJ 417 725)
WI IN 111 ESUCATISI
AU TIMM FIR EMPLIYINENT
Although technology is fostering the evolution of new occu-
NS OHIO RATS UNNIINEIY
potions, ideatifyin; them is Challenging because of the dif-
11110 KIM WM COLUMNS. MO IWO
ficulty of distinguishing between new careers and existing
careers being changed by technology.
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