In this new learning and knowledge-based society, citizens must have global skills and competencies as well as universal ethos and value systems that would be required to meet the challenges of the globalized 21st century. To acquire such flexibility in adopting to change, the education must be a continuing one and must be available anywhere and anytime and on any subject needed by the individual. Hence, the new system of education must be lifelong and borderless. Universities and other traditional institutions of education must therefore also change and adopt to new conditions and societal needs. They will no longer have the monopoly of producing and transmitting information and knowledge.
Some industries can also become providers and source of information and knowledge.
Students can access information independently through Internet anytime and anywhere. Thus, to be able to be competitive, universities must be able to take advantage of all modern technologies in providing new learning systems and environment. More than ever, the learners must be exposed to the actual world of work both locally and internationally. Cooperative education or work integrated education is therefore most relevant and needed in the new schemes of education for the 21st century. Cooperative education must also be globalized so that experiences from different countries can be available to students either by real experience or virtually.