With all the doom and gloom news about the current global economy, I think there is not enough discussion about the education of the children who will and are growing up in this era of change.
Global education issues continue to be impacted by a lack of funding sources. As a result, the youth will be impacted without even having an opportunity to assist with solving the problem.
Corporations and governments are concerned about the quick fix for the current problems without investing in the real drivers of a stable future - the education of our childern. To be fair, there are several international education organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Global Education Fund working to solve the problem.
I think it is time for more public-private partnerships to invest more time and money into our educational systems. Without well-trained and well-rounded youth as the next generation of the workforce, we will have even more problems in the future.
Does your company promote a better education system?
Shortly after I posted the post about our new division, I received an email from Twitter notifying me that "PlayPumps Intl (playpumps)" was now following me. I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. PlayPumps International is combining one of the joy's of being a child with the benefits of physics and good marketing.
According to their website, PlayPumps International’s mission is help improve the lives of children
and their families by providing easy access to clean drinking water,
enhancing public health, and offering play equipment to millions across
Africa.
This organization combines global education and business to solve one of the most serious global issues (not to discount the capital market issue). If you still don't think that online social networking can benefit your organization (for-profit or NGO), you are missing the proverbial boat.
This morning, I read a press release with title "National Law Enforcement Leaders: Dropout Rates Fueling Violent Crime" issued by an organization named Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.
The global education landscape has many issues. This press release focuses on the issues in the United States. Once again, the pundits and officials have convened to report on a report that high
school dropouts in the United States are less likely to be productive members of society.
The press release speaks to the lost wages and taxes, and the costs for
incarceration. The sad thing is that this is yet another group of
adults that are wasting money gathering data that yields the same
results and trends from a decade ago.
In my opinion, let's stop wasting money on reports and invest (time,
money and skills) in our youth. Too often, we cut the funding or
invest in archaic, corrupt or mismanaged school systems. If these
school systems were corporations, they would be out of business.
The corporate world needs to take action as well. For a sustainable business, you need a diverse a deep talent pool. As dropout rates increase and graduation rates decrease, the talent pool is depleted. One way to help your chances is to include high school internships in you strategic plan implementation.
You might ask what we are doing at S4X to help the cause. We require our employees to
volunteer 1% of annual hours worked. Personally, I am a mentor in the
Starfish Initiative in Indianapolis.
You might want to pay attention if you are not involved. The future of your business is at stake. In the United States, we easily create business solutions yet we have difficulty creating solutions for the education system. What are your thoughts on the education system in your area?
On Wednesday, I attended a conference titled, "Nanotechnology: Concept to Commercialization...What You Need to Know". The hosts for the event were The MEK Group and Barnes & Thornburg LLP. The stated purpose of the event was to bring together academia, entrepreneurs, service providers and investors to discuss current status and future potential of nanotechnology.
From my perspective, the global business of nanotechnology is moving forward. The presenters, especially global education leaders including Purdue University, informed the attendees about how nanotechnology is already being used in multiple industries.
Additionally, the collaborative efforts of these international education institutions were discussed. One example was nanoHUB. This is another example of how online communities are crossing borders to achieve a goal.
Although there is still much to learn about nanotechnology, our firm will be looking for the opportunities for business formation. Through the collaborations of academia, investors and entrepreneurs, businesses will be formed. The question of leading or following is the main challenge.
What collaborative efforts are happening within your industry between academic research and the service providers related to commercialization? If you are a NGO (Non-Governmental Organization), what are your observations with regard to the current state of collaborations for common goals or missions?
You never know what will happen when you connect a client, business partner or friend to something you think they may find helpful. Social networks can connect people in unexpected ways...
A few months ago, I sent an email to my clients and my personal network. The email included a link to a YouTube clip for the trailer for Two Million Minutes, a documentary on global education.
One of my clients from Indiana sent me a surprising reply. She mentioned that she had a passion for global education on a local level. This particular client is in the Indiana Life Science industry and does not have activites in the edcuation sector at the present time. From this reply, my client and I have had further discussions on global education and other opportunities to work together beyond our current endeavors.
If you haven't seen the movie, check it out or read the blog from Executive Producer, Robert Compton at http://www.2mm.typepad.com/. It may start a dialogue with a client or friend which could lead to potential collaborations. The current state of education is something for which everyone has an opinion.
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With all the doom and gloom news about the current global economy, I think there is not enough discussion about the education of the children who will and are growing up in this era of change.
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