PhD graduates are often recruited for positions that entail various work demands. Based on theoretical models of work demands, PhD graduates can appraise these demands in three main ways: as challenges, hindrances, or threats. The more aware they are of the skills they developed in their doctoral program, the more likely they are to appraise…

This study addresses the gap in evidence on employability of people from disadvantaged groups in the context of the greening of the economy. We focus in particular on people with low qualifications (i.e. those with at most a lower secondary qualification (level 2 or below in the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED)). However,…

This study focused on people in Île-De-France with low qualifications, meaning those with at most a lower secondary qualification who experience a high risk of poverty and social exclusion, and explored green job opportunities that exist for them, including those that would require reskilling (training to obtain different skills) or upskilling…

There are three different types of activities performed in higher education institutions that, taken together, form the components of a trilemma in higher education. These include traditional academic activities (research and teaching) and those that aim to transfer knowledge beyond academia (industry-oriented activities). The increased use of…

The purpose of this article is to explore graduate engineering students' perception of their employability perspectives, strategy and the skills and competencies they require for their career. We have applied qualitative methodology to obtain a better understanding of the students' transition from studies to professional life and conducted 28…

"Public-Private Partnerships for Skills Development" discusses the concept of public-private partnership (PPP) and its application in the domain of skills development. Volume I proposes a three-dimension typology of PPPs for skills development, and identifies common elements and governance characteristics of these PPPs. Volume II…

Concise, clear and comprehensive snapshots of vocational education and training systems in EU, Iceland and Norway: this is what the Cedefop Spotlight on VET series offers. Building on individual country Spotlights, this publication provides an overview of VET systems with their distinctive qualities, such as main accession and progression routes…

This literature review aims to encapsulate existing research on the executive headteacher (EHT) position in England, building on the work of Fellows (2016). It covers three main areas: the history of EHTs in England; the skills, qualities and motivations identified in EHTs by existing literature; and the governance and school structures associated…

European qualifications framework (EQF) levels reveal what a learner knows, understands, and can do at the end of a learning experience. Thanks to the comprehensive nature of the EQF, these learning outcomes can also provide policy-makers with a fine mesh of data about each particular level and every kind of qualification. Nowhere is this mesh…

This paper looks at the importance of mechanisms that give formal recognition to vocational skills acquired through work-based learning and how such mechanisms might be developed. It describes how skill recognition can benefit individuals, employers and society as a whole, and identifies in which contexts skill recognition has the highest…

Improvements in workforce skills are essential for European countries to attain higher economic growth and to compete effectively on product markets. Literature indicates a positive relationship between levels of education and productivity growth. This report builds on and expands this body of research in two ways: (1) It investigates the…

The Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will establish technical standards and guidelines to ensure that the survey design and implementation processes of PIAAC yield high-quality and internationally comparable data. This document provides a revised version of the technical standards and guidelines originally…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to analyse the conceptual approaches to competence and practice in competence management in France. Design/methodology/approach: Extensive literature review, discussion with academic experts in the French competence network of AGRH and interviews concerning developments following the 2003 national agreement…

Purpose: Though the notion of competence is common terminology in European VET policy at national and supra-national level, understandings vary widely, both across countries and within. The particular conceptions of competence adopted in the EQF are themselves problematic and the framework allows for a variety of interpretations. The purpose of…

This paper examines the notion of "competence" in the VET systems of France and England. While both countries have developed "competence-based" approaches, underlying the similar terminology are distinct meanings, rooted in the countries' institutional structures and labour processes. A key distinction is identified between a…