Critical Perspectives on the Skills Debate: Implications for Adult Education

In this presentation I will raise some issues focusing on role of university adult education in educating the workforce. While many of my examples relate to the US American context, I think that European and US American universities are facing similar issues. More specifically, I will problematize the notion of “skills” and the complex choices adult educators face in addressing what at first glance seems to be a rather uncomplicated educational project: creating programs that teach work “skills.” It is my hope that reflecting on these issues will provide a basis for cooperation among university-based adult education in Romania and the US. I begin by addressing there interrelated questions: 1) Is their a skills shortage and how do we know? 2)What constitutes a skill and can they be objectively measured; 3) Who gets to determine what skills are and based on what assumptions?