2015 Education Countdown: Failure is Not an Option.
That’s one of the provocative challenges to be addressed in the upcoming series of webinars being presented by the United Nations Global Compact and the Global Business Coalition for Education.
“Today, 58 million children are out of school [around the world]. Experience shows that business has the potential for transformational impact in education and can be an effective partner in improving education systems and learning worldwide.” — UNGC/GBCE.
There is, of course, the emotionally-moving thought of even a single child being deprived of an enriched life through education. But also, on the global societal level, the accumulation of young adults without preparation for jobs and hopes for an improved quality of life can have disastrous consequences — alienation, conflict and, in the extreme, even terrorism.
The UNGC/GBCE webinars are, by no means, for dilettantes. If your organization is seriously interested in getting involved — or improving its current involvement — in this sustainable development initiative note that the webinars will relate to business criteria.
For example, the agenda includes a new report by PwC USA and A World at School aptly titled, “Planning For Impact: Measuring Business Investments in Education.” The purpose of the report is “to help organizations begin to better measure the impact of their investments in education — including the benefits for both business and our society.” The report also aims to help organizations develop “an impact narrative framework about their investments .. and provides a sampling of the indicators, tools and resources … for impact.”
Also quite apt, available via the webinars is the guide:
“The Smartest Investment: A Framework for Business Engagement in Education.”