Search Results for
"education"

In the UK policy context, skills, education and learning are seen as a universal solution to a vast array of economic and social problems. In challenging this view, this paper argues that those educationalists calling for progressive reforms to the education system need to acknowledge the reality of the contemporary workplace and the institutional context of UK capitalism. When it comes to the question of how the UK might move towards a more inclusive high skills society, no matter where we start to look - be it the economy or a highly class-divided English education system - it all seems to add up badly. In challenging the current policy agenda, educationalists will need to insist that progressive educational reform cannot be separated from the struggle for broader political, social and economic change.

Universities are rarely structured to facilitate learning and when they are, it is often done so in a limited way. This book looks at the theory and practice of learning and how universities can improve their quality and competence. It tackles the past failure of the quality and competence movements and advocates a move towards 'Universities of Learning'. The authors advocate an integration of elements that are often dealt with separately - theory and practice, teaching and research, and the levels of institution and individual - and handle these dimensions of integration in conjunction with each other. This new paperback edition will be essential reading for all those who are concerned with improving learning in higher education. It includes an updated preface that takes account of developments since the publication of the hardback edition. © 1998 John Bowden and Ference Marton. All rights reserved.

Little is known on the existence of negative relative demand shocks against low-skilled workers on a 'US-style' deregulated labour market with a 'German-style' vocational (apprenticeship) education system. Switzerland provides an appealing testing ground to investigate this question. Traditionally a 'zero unemployment' economy, Switzerland has seen an unprecedented rise in joblessness in the 1990s, although unemployment fell again to a rather low level after 1997. This paper tests whether Switzerland experienced a negative relative demand shock against the low skilled during this period and whether this shock resulted in growing wage dispersion between education groups (like in the US) or in growing unemployment (like in continental Europe). It turns out that only workers with an educational level below apprenticeship were affected by a negative relative demand shock, which speaks in favour of the German-style vocational education system. The Swiss wage structure, however, did not react to the relative demand shock against low-skilled workers without apprenticeship, which resulted in higher relative unemployment for this group.

Jessup's widely acclaimed book provides explanations of the many facets of National Vocational Qualifications: who they are for, why they have been developed, how they work, and the benefits they confer. The author explains how NVQs relate to a wide range of issues in education and training. © Gilbert Jessup 1991. All rights reserved.

How can universities ensure that they are preparing their students for today's competitive job market? This book tackles the highly topical subject of graduate underemployment with insight and clarity. The authors argue the case for more sophisticated research into employability with passion and vision, discussing how employability-friendly curricula can be developed, even in subjects which have less obvious vocational relevance. The rapid growth of higher education over the past fifty years has seen expectations increase, and governments seeking to widen participation. There is now an urgent need for the Government and higher education institutions to address the issue of graduate employability. The authors of this timely book encourage a pro-active stance, offering a ground-breaking model that can be easily implemented in institutions to make low-cost, high-gain improvements to students' employability. Topics covered include: The challenge of employability. The study and careers of English graduates. The enhancement of practice. Assessing employability. The Skills Plus project. Based on a set of over 200 in-depth interviews with recent graduates, this book forms a unique account of the meanings of employability in the workplace. © 2004 Peter Knight and Mantz Yorke. All rights reserved.

Due to the increasing need for an understanding of technology and engineering for individuals in management positions, a familiarity with both business and engineering principles, as well as their interdependence, is required. This paper is a study of the academic opportunities offered by selected colleges and universities to prepare students to become business leaders in fields that require the systematic and efficient solution of technological problems. It first describes the categories of programs offered, along with descriptive examples, and then focuses on a unique program offered at Bucknell University. The strengths of these programs are highlighted and suggestions for improvement are given for developing the most effective program.

In recent years many professional accounting associations have become interested in establishing competency-based professional requirements and assessment methods for certifying accounting professionals. A competency-based approach to qualification specifies expectations in terms of outcomes, or what an individual can accomplish, rather than in terms of an individual's knowledge or capabilities. This idea has an obvious appeal to many practitioners and administrators of professional qualification programs. However, there is limited knowledge about competency-based approaches in the accounting profession and among accounting academics, which is constraining discussion about the value of these approaches and about the strengths and weaknesses of the different competency models that have sprung up in various jurisdictions. In this paper we review and synthesize the literature on competency-based approaches. We identify a number of theoretical benefits of competency-based approaches. However, we also find many alternative definitions and philosophies underlying competency-based approaches, and a variety of visions of how competencies should be determined and assessed. We note that there is limited evidence supporting many competency-based approaches and we identify 14 research questions that could be used to help policy makers to more effectively address policy matters related to competency-based education and assessment.

Medical education has witnessed recently an accelerated and worldwide trend of change. The race is on for curricula that are relevant, appropriate and accountable. One of the consequences of this is the need for a drastic reassessment of how we devise curricula, and of what models, approaches, and strategies to adopt. Outcomes-based education is currently offered as an alternative to the content-based approach, which has been criticized by many educational experts in the past. Although this new approach has its detractors, it holds some promise of being able to improve on a current situation that is in deadlock with itself. There has been a great deal of interest in educational strategies in the last decade. This has been associated with the development of new concepts such as "problem-based learning", " student-centered learning", and "integrated teaching". Each school has to assess each of these strategies and adopt what ever will serve the aims of the curriculum. Similarly, the considerable progress that has taken place in the design and development of instructional materials and instructional technology should be appreciated. This includes, development in computer assisted learning, virtual reality, the use of simulated subjects, e learning, and the new concept of Reusable Learning Objects (RLO's). Finally, it was realized, with the rapid development in medical education that medical education requires professional training. The assumption that any good medical practitioner has the ability to teach no longer holds and professional training is required.

Against a background of 'second-wave' lifelong learning in Aotearoa New Zealand a new framework for post-compulsory national qualifications was introduced. The resulting competency-based system was argued to present a number of benefits for mature women including flexibility in curriculum and delivery and portability across educational sectors. Competency-based education was to include provision for recognition of prior skills and knowledge gained in formal learning environments and the workplace as well as informal learning environments such as the home and the community. Such recognition was a significant factor in gaining support from women's groups given the potential to recognize and value the domestic labour of women and the skills and knowledge that flow from it. This article explores the rhetoric around recognition of prior learning and discusses approaches to realise its potential. It then draws on research undertaken in Aotearoa New Zealand to suggest that the potential of recognition of prior learning is yet to be realised.

The mobility effect of general and specific training is a key issue in the debate on the design of educational systems. Using data from two retrospective life-history surveys, we compare general school-based vocational training and specific apprenticeship training with regard to inter-firm, inter-occupational and inter-industrial mobility. The results show that workers with school-based degrees display greater occupational mobility, while no difference in firm and industrial mobility can be discerned. This suggests that apprenticeships do not eliminate job search at labor market entry, that they reduce occupational mobility, and that responsiveness to structural change is similar under both training systems.