Welcome to episode 15 of the Art of Learning podcast.

In this episode, we sit down with Shirley Puspitawati, Educational consultant, BPK Penabur, and Academic General Manager, Kipina Kids Indonesia, to cover how English language skills create employment opportunities, plus some of the challenges Southeast Asian learners face when embarking on their language learning journey, and tips on how to learn English with a purpose.

We discuss Shirley's busy day-to-day schedule (0:58), why employers value English language skills now more than ever before (3:49), how curriculums have evolved over the years to become more accessible for learners and increasingly career-focused (9:05), how technology is assisting learners in their English language learning journey (14:09), plus much more.

Listen below:

 

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Welcome to episode 11 of the Art of Learning podcast. 
 
We’re joined by Anisa Zulfiqar, Business Development Manager at Pearson Asia, to discuss critical thinking and its importance as a soft skill in the modern workplace. 
 
We explore the definition of critical thinking and how it complements technical skills (0:49), the emphasis being placed on critical thinking as a desirable, sought-after skill (4:08), whether critical thinking is industry-agnostic (7:33), case studies that highlight the importance of critical thinking in the workplace (9:12), what happens when a workforce is devoid of critical thinking skills (10:46), the potential impact of critical thinking on economic output in Southeast Asia (13:31), the challenges of teaching critical thinking in Thailand and Vietnam (15:24), and more. 

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Welcome to episode 6 of the Art of Learning podcast.  

We’re joined by Pearson’s Simon Young, Portfolio Director, BTEC Asia, to discuss what it truly means to upskill the workforce in the modern economy and the importance of career-focused qualifications.  

We talked about how upskilling unlocks the true power of the workforce (1:01), changing the perception of vocational education through the success of BTEC (3:35), the process of building a BTEC qualification (8:29), why educators love teaching a BTEC qualification (12:14), the popular BTEC qualifications in Southeast Asia (14:30), how BTEC can work for learners who want to go to university and more (17:44). 

 

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Welcome to episode 5 of the Art of Learning podcast, brought to you by Pearson Asia.  

We’re joined by Jason Gregory, International Director, UK BTEC & Apprenticeships at Pearson, and Simon Young, Portfolio Director, BTEC Asia at Pearson, to discuss why it's important to constantly and effectively upskill the workforce in the new economy.  

We explore the idea of the fourth industrial revolution and what it means for job prospects and employment patterns in Southeast Asia (1:08), the insights from conversations with government ministers and business leaders on addressing the future skills challenge (3:42), the definition of upskilling (8:04), the need for collaboration among learners, educators and governments to affect education policy change (10:13), Pearson’s role in Thailand as a strategic partner for industry and government (12:09), the steps governments and industry can take to ensure their sufficiently investing in future skills strategies (15:35), how COVID-19 has accelerated underlying trends and increased the urgency to upskill (18:16), and the importance of applying a ‘lifelong learning’ mindset (23:22).  

 

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