イギリス成人教育の新しい可能性(その5) : ED(Employee Development)プログラムの提起するもの

The aim of this paper is to analyze the current provision of Adult Continuing Education in the U.K., which is an EDL(Employee Development Learning) Programme. The EDL programme, whose US precedent was a UAW-Ford L/EPP(United Automobile Workers-Ford Life/Education Planning Programme) to promote and help workers' personal development, started a s an experimental provision in workforce and workplace learning. In the past, U.K.government and enterprises did not think it so important to invest their money in training and education of the workforce. Their tendency to think it a cost rather than an investment was different from that of other countries. As a result they were forced to admit the decline of competitive capability in industrial products over the last three decades. In addition, trade unions have recently been losing their influence on the working classes. Union as well as enterprises had to search for an alternative way. Under such circumstances British Ford EDAP(Employee Development and Assistance I'rogramme) has been established and developed since 1987. It started as a product of an industrial agreement at Ford. It was a unique initiative in British Industry. Its significance consists in developing a new field of adult education and in widening educational opportunities for the disadvantaged workers. The contents of the paper are as follows. (1) Preface (2) an EDL programme: its significance (3) a case study of British Ford EDAP 1. on the survey of workers' educational needs 2. on the developments and evaluation of EDAP