EDUCATION
The workshop began with Maria Pierret of CEDEFOP presenting a paper entitled "Links between employment and training", which dealt mainly with in-house training in Germany. Training opportunities exist for women, but the women who could benefit the most are not those being trained . It is mostly young, well- qualified , ambitious women who are admitted, while women over the age of forty are largely excluded because employers want a "return for their investment"
New technology in itself has not created adivision in labour, but the way it has been introduced has reinforced the hierarchical structures and i swidening the gap between the technical education level of women and men.
Women do, infact , have the power to change the organisation of their working environment, but they do not at present have the knowledge or the confidence. They are not involved in the negotiations prior to the introduction of the new technology, neither within trade unions nor within employee committees. They have simply to adapt to the imposed technology. Women should define their work, not be defined by it.
In order for women to participate in new technology, however, they need not only professional training, but also political education, assertiveness training , and consciousness raising.
The question of political education as opposed to just technical education formed a major part of the ensuing discussion . How can women participate in the decision making and the power structure? The Japanese women were asked to describe the "quality control circle": the management specifies the rate of production, the workers decide how they will organise themselves - giving them responsibility and control However, this was not felt by others in the group be a real participationin the work process.
Also discussed was how the introduct technology puts more power in the hands of ' the employers ,by fragmenting the work. Workers, particularly those at low levels, cannot gain knowledge of the over all functioning of the system. This fragmentation of work also simplifies tasks, which leads to deskilling.
At this point, some suggestions for strategy were made: 1) More research into vocational training for women and methods of participating in the work process is needed .
2) Assertiveness training for women. 3) There should be feminist, not just women, in decision making positions. 4) The social implications of new technology should be included in technical courses.
Women have the same if not better, all-round qualifications as men for entering courses related to new technology, but they are not taking up the opportunities . Women are discouraged from taking technical subjects . There are many subtle factors which influence girls' choices, including parental, teacher and peer pressures . There are presently projects in England whi ch hope to widen women's choices , but these are only tackling a small are and we are fighting an educational system design by men, for men .
In conclusion, it was felt that the technical content of the courses offered, wether in schools, universities or vocational training c ourses was less important than the political education of women.
