Introductory Summary

Over the last three decades, global society has experienced profound changes. Educational concepts, technologies, trade, and communication systems have evolved significantly in response to the demands of a competitive world. However, education has remained relatively static, as learners lack the collective influence of customers to drive transformative change. The flaws in the current educational system and its loss of focus on tangible outcomes have rendered educational qualifications largely ornamental. Education has struggled to deliver concrete benefits to learners, a reality underscored by the widespread unemployment of educated individuals. Like consumers in the past who were unaware of their rights, today's learners accept this situation with regret. However, as times continue to change, they will feel betrayed.

It is imperative for the teaching and training community to adopt a new system where learners are treated as customers and education is aligned with their objectives and aspirations. While a customer pays only the monetary price for a product or service, a learner invests not only money in the form of fees but also valuable time and effort. The education a student receives is akin to an investment in his or her future. Teachers and trainers must recognize this and ensure that their efforts lead to meaningful and measurable outcomes.

The author explores education, teaching, and learning from the learners' perspective, treating learners as equally important as customers. The article proposes a new approach called the "Customer-Analogous Teaching & Training by Learner's Objectives and Goals System" (the CATTLOG System). This approach aims to make teaching and training more dynamic and results-oriented. It is hoped that everyone involved in teaching, training, and education will appreciate the insights presented in this article.