One of the issues consistently attracting the attention of employers and policy-makers is the link between education and work. Education and work may be said to have a love-hate relationship. This is because of the conflict it tends to give rise to. It is appreciated that education is part of the process through which children become responsible citizens, each contributing to society in accordance with their capabilities. Since one way of a child becoming a responsible adult is through his or her work, then it is only logical to expect a link between education and work.

On the other hand, it should not be that the learning process, which we go through during our years in education, be dictated by the world of work. We do not go to school or university, or even we do not learn new things, only to find a job. However, if we learn things at school that eventually do not serve us in our job, there is the risk that what we have learnt is described as irrelevant and, as such, could be done away with. So we know there should be a link, the nature of which has been very elusive to find.

All too often, there exists a conflict between the expectations of employers and the attitude displayed by policy-makers and operators in the field of education. This conflict does not have to do so much with the so-called hard skills, that is, the subjects students are taught at school. For example, I have never heard an employer complaining that the geography or the chemistry or the accounting or the French that a student has learnt during his or her years in education is inadequate.

When there was a lack in a particular area, like computer studies several years ago, the subject quickly found its way into the curriculum, and the gap was closed. The only problem is that employers need persons with skills now, or even yesterday, while the education process can only achieve any significant results over a number of years. However, so long as the time lag issue is understood, then the problem from this perspective would be addressed.

The conflict has more to do with the softer skills. Are students taught how to take decisions? Are students taught how to organise themselves better? Are students taught how to communicate? Are students taught how to develop and strengthen their interpersonal skills? Are the concepts used to manage a school, or even a classroom, by the teaching profession relevant for the concepts used in the management of work? Is there a natural progression from the world of education into the world of work? Does education prepare students to accept the need for lifelong learning with enthusiasm?

There should be no doubt about the professionalism (that is their commitment to, and understanding of, their role and their ability to do their job well) of the persons involved on either side, but maybe it is the professional pride that may exist (again on either side) that is at times rendering education and work incompatible. With regard to the softer skills, there are persons in the teaching profession who believe that it is really the role of the parents, and not the teacher, to make sure that the student learns such skills. On the other hand, the employer does not really care how and from where a student acquires such skills, so long as they are acquired.

One can easily understand the uneasy relationship between the world of education and the world of work. A fourth stakeholder is introduced, the parent, and no one really knows how to involve this stakeholder in the process. Moreover, there is an expectation that is not met and a lack of clarity as to where the responsibility for meeting that expectation lies. However, this is not even the main issue. I believe the main issue is something a bit less concrete, which is what makes the link between education and work so elusive.

The real conflict that may exist between education and work lies in the concepts that each have to achieve their objectives. Education and work look incompatible because employers and the teaching profession go about doing their job in ways that are so different to each other. In schooling, the individual is given priority while at work the individual is expected to give less importance to his or her personal interest because the interest of the team is expected to prevail.

At work, the concept of democracy is now well rooted, with employers of large organisations even expected to hold regular discussions with the workers' representatives to discuss developments in that enterprise. At work, employers expect to be challenged when they take certain decisions. On the other hand, the concept of democracy in education is still being born. The teacher expects not to have his or her ideas discussed, let alone challenged.

I think there is agreement on the need to make education and work more compatible. This can only be achieved if there is more understanding of the way each operates. If we expect to make the transition from education to work less bumpy, we need to have an open discussion, not so much on the subjects taught but on the values that underpin these two seemingly different worlds.