British vocational learning launched in Belarus and available to COBCOE members

The British Belarus Chamber of Commerce (BBCC) is launching the Online Vocational Skills Platform to promote intellectual growth and critical thinking. The aim is to help redress the lack of high value products, intellectual property ownership and creative industries in local economies, and to compliment the strong technical knowledge that already exists. The platform is being launched in October 2014 and will initially be an e-commerce offer with high quality, endorsed courses in human resources management, sales and marketing, management skills and customer service. It is available to COBCOE member chambers to widen participation Internationally. “In Belarus and neighbouring countries, people are being educated in such a structured and prescriptive manner that we end up with brains that can build world beating tech solutions, but that lack a creative polish” said Bruce Ogilvie, BBCC Membership Development UK and Belarus. “These countries need to develop a culture of creativity and entrepreneurship to change the model from ‘job for hire’ to ‘IP owners’. This is not limited to the tech sector; the lack of confidence in the creative industries generally or situations where fast decision making is required, means that by developing key skills we can help emerging economies to become powerhouses. “In the UK, the government actively backs the funded delivery and certification of vocational programs of learning that actively engage the learner to reflect on experiences, make decisions and challenge where things could be done better. We take for granted the opportunity that this gives us as a small island nation and the advantage we have in a global market when presenting our ideas. For many employees in former Soviet republics, the notion of critical thinking was and has remained exactly that, a notion” Mr Ogilvie explained. Online learning or e-learning is currently revolutionising education around the world. Some online learning programmes for business already have currency as units linked to such schemes as the Qualifications Credit Framework, the European Qualifications Framework and Europass, a new scheme to help facilitate the mobility of learners and workers. All of the courses to be launched on the new BBCC platform come with a decade of delivery and are internationally recognised leadership and management courses, providing learners with various options for endorsement or certification. Phase Two of the platform will include continuing professional development courses in marketing and human resources, with web based pastoral tutor support in virtual classrooms. Please contact the BBCC for more information. No Act of Initiative Goes Unrewarded How British Vocational Learning will promote Intellectual Growth & Critical Thinking in a World where decisions and reflective judgements are limited to The Boss. The Heart of the Matter My first experience in the Russian speaking World was in Kiev, Ukraine, where I was working for a British business, developing an IT Application. I often wondered why there was a high concentration of serious coding with less focus on creative design of Products. My colleague summed this up for me when I asked “why develop back end ‘Mission Critical’ applications here, only to do the front end development and asset design in the UK?” His answer was as follows: “Well…if I were to ask a British designer to design me a spoon, it would look great, be the best designed, aero dynamic, shiny and beautiful spoon you had ever seen……but it would only be usable for stirring coffee in a China cup and would only be good for a year or two. If, however, I asked someone here to design me a spoon….they would give me a spoon that you could stir your tea, eat soup, carve fruit with, spread butter on your toast, eat your boiled eggs with and on and on. It would be the ugliest spoon that you had ever laid your eyes on, but it would last ten thousand years. That is the reason we build the engine to run the applications here.” This is the most powerful demonstration of all that is good, when a majority is being educated in such a structured and prescriptive manner. We end up with brains that can build World beating tech solutions, but that need a Creative polish to make them stand out as High Value Products, normally IP being owned by others. There is not a culture of creativity and entrepreneurship to change the model from ‘job for hire’ to ‘IP owners’. This is not limited to Tech personnel, and a lack of confidence in Creative Industries or those where ‘thinking on your feet, decision making and at times just sheer brass neck’ are job requirements, new provision of ongoing Skills Development to compliment strong technical Knowledge, will see many of the emerging Economies we hope to service, developing to become powerhouses in their own rights. Critical Thinking and Experience of the World around us. For many employees in former Soviet Republics, the notion of Critical thinking was and has remained exactly that, a notion. The raw materials to succeed and grow in Business that Critical Thinking offers include: Problem Solving, Strategic Thinking, Planning, Openness, Creativity and Decision Making. Critical Thinking is part of the syllabus of life in the UK and continues to see the British continuing to lead the World in innovation, creativity and design. We encourage the Self-Development of new Skills from cradle to grave, and this resonates in the established areas of Academic and Vocational Learning & Development, with many learners self-funding the development of skills, to graduate through promotion to their ultimate vocation in a work context, many others having this privilege bestowed on them by Government or their Employers. Where in the UK, the Government actively backs the funded delivery and Certification of Vocational Programs of Learning that actively engage the Learner to reflect on experiences, make decisions and challenge where things could be done better, we take for granted the Opportunity that this gives us as a small island Nation and the advantage we have in a Global Market when Presenting our ideas. Pure ELT is not the Panacea Many times I personally receive ‘Marketing’ Linkedin messages from Business Development teams in Belarus and other Russian Speaking Countries offering me a list of magical services from Minsk, Kiev, Tomsk, Vladivostok and Astana, services I have never enquired about and without the structure of formal and informal selling that is very much a part of Commerce in the UK. The reason for this one way interaction is in the most part, because the Marketing/Sales functions have one highly valuable skill in the eyes of their Employer… ‘knowing English’….the International Language of Business. This may be true, but what people don’t understand is how to conduct ‘very British’ formal or informal Sales dialogues that will engage me. I lived in Belarus and understand that this is partly due to our Cultural differences, and that much of our dialogue in this Context is neither ‘literal’ nor ‘formulaic’ as translated language and Academic Course delivery both are in a Soviet legacy system of Education. The opportunity for me does not sit in the area of English Language Training, as this is not where there is a requirement, or the instant gratification in terms of potential immediate Business impact. Most Belarusians or Russians I have met who speak and, or write English have as good rates of Literacy and Comprehension as most native speakers of English I know, but what they require is a series of 'British' Vocational Learning Opportunities to see, perform, achieve recognition and Certification through self-study, self-paced self-development, that will bolster career and life chances in established Internationally recognised Programs. Therefore the greatest opportunity to radically shift life chances of people and the Economies of Countries with a British Chamber or Embassy, may be to offer affordable Vocational Courses that will give currency in the roles people perform, then offering those with a language requirement 'virtual teaching & coaching' of how best to use these new skills. Part of the Solution Through the British Belarus Chamber of Commerce a new Online Vocational Skills Platform has been developed with a view to helping to change the status quo in Learning, by giving access to Online Programs of Learning in a Business Context that already have currency as linked units to QCF, EQF and Europass Qualifications. The planned launch of the Platform will be during October and will initially be an e-commerce offer, with High Quality, Endorsed Courses in the following areas: • Human Resource Management • Sales & Marketing • Management Skills • Customer Services All of the titles we will launch with come already with a decade of delivery, supporting Internationally recognised Leadership & Management Courses and will provide Learners with the following options in terms of Endorsement or Certification. The initial Course Modules will retail at between $19 and $79, all achievements are available as Printed Certificates, Business Card size Certificates and Mozilla Open Badges which will be pushed direct to Linkedin Profile of Learners, giving Instant Currency in the skills acquired. Phase 2 of the Platform will include fully accredited CPD Courses in UK Compliance areas of Marketing & Human Resources, with web based pastoral tutor support in Virtual Classrooms. Learners will have the choice of both native and non-native tutors for general Tutorial and Group Tasks. The platform will be launched with our own Chamber and offered to other Chambers within the realm of COBCOE Members, as both an e-comm and added value services offer for Businesses represented within each Chamber, which will help to widen participation Internationally.

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