Study in Australia

“Knowledge is Power”

We have all heard the maxim “knowledge is power”. It was first coined by Sir Francis Bacon in the sixteenth century and arguably, still resonates with cultural relevancy today.  And yet, like most qualitative terms, what constitutes knowledge is far from being agreed to unanimously: there are in fact countless definitions offered by philosophers and sociologists as well as theories related to how knowledge is created and how it is used as a broker for power.

Of course we can not examine all epistemologies in this essay, so instead we offer the following definition of knowledge from the Funk and Wagnall’s Dictionary:

Knowledge: A result of knowing; information or understanding acquired through experience; practical  ability or skill; Deep and extensive learning; erudition; The cumulative culture of the human race; A sure conviction; certainty; The act , process , or state of knowing; cognition; any object of knowing or mental apprehension; that which is or may be known; specific information; notice.

But in today’s world, knowledge is more than the above definition. It has become a commodity. Indeed, the value of Education in a global economy is a reality. Likewise, as the value of knowledge is increasingly perceived as a crucial asset in the global economy, individuals will need access to these types of information.

Indeed, the contours of a new world system are emerging: the effects are globalization, a new information economy and a knowledge society. These effects have became visible during the last few decades of the 20th century). As a student living in this global economy, it is important that they advantageously position themselves within their ‘knowledge society’. They can do this by participating in an advanced education program.  Consequently, as they become more skilled and equipped to meet the challenges of this new knowledge-based globalised society, they help to improve their employability.

However, what is important in this new learning environment and radically different from our previous learning contexts is the rise of global education networks. Increasingly, education has rapidly evolved, and national curriculum has increasingly morphed into an new international curriculum. In this post-industrial, knowledge-based global society and economy, key strategic Educational qualifications and resources will be necessary to attain prosperity.

As more discerning adult learners start looking beyond their own national borders for alternatives to traditional providers of knowledge and learning, (i.e. such as universities that offer more flexible learning resources and new education institutions offering programmes that are quite different from traditional academic institutions), students will have access to courses that are relevant in the modern economic age.

Some of these cutting-edge courses can be found in Australia. Indeed, many market-driven learning institutions are creating new programmes which are highly marketable in an international market.