JOBS/ROLES IN THE ECE COMMUNITY: INTERNATIONALLY

For this week’s blog assignment we were asked to explore the international community of early childhood.  We were asked to use this opportunity to inspire our thinking not only about places we might like to work, but also roles we might like to take on anywhere in the world, now and in the future.  We were then asked to choose at least three international organizations or communities of practice that appealed to us and explain why we chose them.  We also were asked to share job opportunities within these organizations and to list what skills and experience we would need to competently fulfill each of these roles.  Please find below my choices (some of my choices may seem familiar as I have posted about these organizations before):

United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco.org, n.d.)

         

The mission of UNESCO (their education sector) is to provide international leadership to create learning societies with educational opportunities for all populations; provide expertise and foster partnerships to strengthen national educational leadership and the capacity of countries to offer quality education for all; work as an intellectual leader, an honest broker and clearing house for ideas, propelling both countries and the international community to accelerate progress towards these goals; and facilitate the development of partnerships and monitors progress, in particular by publishing an annual Global Monitoring Report that tracks the achievements of countries and the international community towards the six Education for All goals (unesco.org, n.d.).

The job opportunities I found for this organization were all short-term as the Education Sector needed some extra services to work with their permanent staff.  However, each of these jobs required the applicant to reside in Paris, France.  The job chosen for this assignment was Associate Project Officer.  The main responsibilities are under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Education, the overall supervision of the Chief of Section for Teacher Development and Education Policies in the division for Teacher Development and Higher Education (ED/THE/TEP), and the immediate supervision of the Senior Project Officer (Nokia Project Coordinator), the incumbent will contribute to the support of projects under the UNESCO Nokia Partnership.  The selected person will contribute to several projects, primarily related to the section’s work on mobile learning and policies (unesco.com, n.d.).

The required qualifications for this job are as follows:

Education:  Advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) in a subject of direct relevance to education policy analysis, such as public policy, sociology or the economics of education.

Work Experience:  1 to 2 years of professional experience in research and analytical activities, with a strong education policy focus, including one year at the international level; extensive practical experience in the organization of major international conferences.

Skills/Competencies: Excellent ability to undertake analysis; ability to work effectively with research institutions and experts at all levels in other national and international organizations; very strong organizational skills and ability to manage projects effectively; proven capacity to produce high-quality and analytical reports and recommendations from a range of quantitative and qualitative data, and to link evidence to policy recommendations; ability to co-ordinate the work of a multi-national project team, to contribute to the work of other professional staff, to work under pressure and to meet strict deadlines; ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.

Languages:  Excellent oral and written communication skills including excellent drafting skill in English. Working knowledge of French would be an asset. Knowledge of other UNESCO official languages would be an advantage (unesco.org, n.d.).

Association for Childhood Education International (acei.org, n.d.)

The Association for Childhood Education International.  ACEI is a 501(c) 3 charitable organization.  This organization is interested in sharing new approaches to the education of children and ensuring that these approaches are delivered in ways that enhance children’s individual skills and abilities and provide opportunities for success in life (acei.org, n.d.).  Their mission is to promote and support in the global community the optimal education, development, and well-being of children ages birth through early adolescence, and to influence the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society (acei.org, n.d.).  Their vision is that every child in every nation will have access to a quality education.  This education will prepare children to become responsible and engaged citizens and ready them for life in a changing world (acei.org).  I could not find any job opportunities for this organization.  However, I did find that you can be involved by joining the organization at varying levels and cost.  By becoming a member it would be easier to be kept informed of upcoming job opportunities which may come up.  It would also be a very rewarding and educational experience.

Alliance for Childhood (allianceforchildhood.org)

 

This organization is one that I will make sure to keep in contact with since one of the issues they address which affects childhood is restoring play (i.e. loss of creative play and hands-on activities in children’s lives, and the excessive amounts of time spent in front of screens instead of in face-to-face engagements with their peers).  The Alliance for Childhood works with other organizations and individuals in a multi-pronged campaign to restore play (allianceforchildhood.org, n.d.).  According to the Alliance for Childhood, play initiated and directed by children should be a rich and vital part of every child’s life.  It enhances cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development and well-being. 

Though there are no jobs posted for this organization, but there is an opportunity to register with the Alliance.  By registering with them you will receive their updates and Action Alerts.  They also will inform you of what you can do to help them protect and preserve childhood in our own areas.  There are no skills or experience listed to become a member, but this organization seems to be a great resource.
 

References

Association for Childhood Education International. (n.d.). Association for Childhood Education   International. Retrieved from http://www.acei.org/

Just Published:. (n.d.). Research and Advocacy. Retrieved from http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/

 

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved   from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/