The activity zone of economic forces

In the agricultural economy, the farmer or craftsman worked with raw materials which he obtained locally and sold most of his produce in the region. The first industrial revolution (1850-1900) saw the development of transport infrastructures which began to change things because the railway, in Europe as in the United States, allowed the transportation of agricultural produce from one end of the country to the other. The explosion of different types of transport in the 20th century led to a progressive opening up of industry towards the export market, and this factor, together with the reduction in import taxes, led to the globalisation of the economy. This global economy has its limits, however, as it is essentially big companies that take this theory to its conclusion. With the development of telecommunications, the greater ease of transport, the multi-lingual and cultural openness which is progressively taking place, any company, no matter what its size, will be able to forge commercial links with suppliers throughout the world.

Professions and training

Craftsmen and peasants transmitted their professions from father to son, and the change in working practices remained slight. One kept the same profession all one's life, and it was the same profession as one's forebears. This was true to such an extent that one often ended up taking the name of one's profession (carpenter, roper, baker). In the industrial era, school became obligatory and one sometimes had the chance to climb the social ladder which led to higher education. The superior intellectual professions were then within reach (teachers, doctors, lawyers, managers) in which one continued all one's life, taking more and more responsibility (the idea of a career was born). Sometimes, an incident along the way obliged one to learn a new profession. In the computer age, higher education is essential to begin one's working life. But it is not considered as part and parcel of that life, only as an initial springboard. Afterwards, one must anticipate the changes in the employment market and acquire additional training or develop new skills oneself in order to keep pace with the needs of a constantly changing economy.

Skills needed

Farmers and agricultural workers must, above all, produce. Industry must keep its machines working, but also plan its production, modify its products in relation to its research and development efforts and seek markets for its products. A business is looking for skills which correspond with a functional organisation (research, production, accountancy, marketing, sales). The digital butterfly is looking for two types of skills : project directors who will have a global vision of their product, and experts that it finds within or outside its company.

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