4-6 December

Rapid and far-reaching change, stimulated by technological innovation and global competition, is refashioning the economic and social organisation of the planet and forcing us to rethink the relationship between education, training and work.
Each year, at least 10% of all jobs disappear and are replaced by new, different jobs in new processes and new enterprises, requiring higher or broader skills. The old mass-production system, in which the professional development of the individual is a linear progression - a single career based on the same qualifications and skills - is disappearing fast, and is being replaced by a more knowledge-based economy, where information and technology play a crucial role. What will the situation be like ten years from now, when 80% of the technology we use today will be obsolete?
This challenge must first be met by the educational system, which can no longer limit itself to turning out people who have been "educated" once and for all. It must instead form individuals who are able to continue to learn new skills in continuously evolving situations. In the words of Unesco experts, the emphasis must be on "learning to be, learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together". But how, and how much, must educational systems change to reach this goal?
Another challenge that our changing society must meet is to provide people with the means for lifelong learning. Lifelong learning has become an essential part of enabling workers to adapt and, above all, anticipate the evolution of technology and work, following flexible and personalised learning paths. This regards young people, those who already have jobs and, first and foremost, the unemployed, who without new and appropriate skills are unlikely to re-enter the active labour force. Despite the cost society bears to support them - 200 billion ECU per year in Europe alone - the unemployed are not learning anything new; in fact, they are de-learning. How can we transform this unproductive expenditure into investment in human capital that will enable people to escape the trap of unemployment? Can we develop a model of development that reconciles economic growth, full employment and an adequate welfare state?
The real imperatives for teaching science, to all
Thursday 5 June 1997
Why should scientists, so successful at acquiring reliable knowledge - why should we reach out, and teach?

I think the least important reason is to attract young people to our professions. Likewise, I am unconcerned about countering some supposed negative image of scientists. I will argue for two more serious motivations for reaching out.

  • If we do not know the basic workings of the world around us, especially those components that human beings themselves have added to the world, then we become alienated. Alienation, due to lack of knowledge, is emotionally impoverishing. It makes us feel impotent, unable to act.
  • I am concerned, very much so, that ignorance of science poses a barrier to the democratic process. I believe deeply that "ordinary people" must be empowered to make decisions, on genetic engineering, waste disposal sites, on dangerous and safe factories, on which addictive drugs should or should not be controlled. To be sure, they can call on experts to explain the options, benefits and risks. But experts (who, it seems, can be assembled on any side of an issue) do not have the mandate. The people, and their representatives, do. And... they also have a responsibility - to learn enough, say, chemistry to be able to make informed judgments.
There are many audiences for what we want to say, from children to future politicians, to our friends in the arts and humanities and religion, the shapers of the spirit. How to do it, how to speak to all? There is no simple prescription, but it can be done. I will discuss several approaches, including the use of television and more broadly, of narrative. People like facts, but really they love a good story, well told. Telling stories is very, very old. I think that one way into peoplešs hearts and minds is to tell stories, which I will try to illustrate, of science in culture, of culture in science. Itšs a way to humanize science, to "normalize" it, and, in the process, to build understanding and empower people. We must reach out.