Purpose: Studying academic careers can be particularly useful for discussions about new forms of professional careers. This conceptual paper seeks to shed light on academic careers by discussing the (changing) multiple contexts governing academic careers. Design/methodology/approach: A neo-institutional framework for analysing academic careers is…

This study compared the timing of early vocational preferences in young adolescents from former East Germany and West Germany. Results suggested that as the memory of the Communist system fades and as younger adolescents have had less exposure to it, East-West differences tend to disappear. The formation of early vocational preferences was…

A study was conducted to show that economic and societal differences between the former Eastern and Western parts of Germany had produced differences in the timing of young people's school-to-work transitions. Data were collected from samples of approximately 350 participants from the West and 380 participants from the East conducted in 1991 and…

Curriculum-based vocational assessment procedures as implemented in the United States Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Germany are assessing a match of handicapped students' interests and strengths in terms of career and vocational instructional options. The model is described, with emphasis on project planning and design and…

A total of 81 percent of all German students surveyed mentioned broadening of experience and horizons to be the most important gain after a study abroad. Improvement of knowledge of foreign languages and professional improvement were each named by only nine percent of the students as the greatest gain. (RM)

Perceives vocational orientation/guidance as a school responsibility. Discusses changing work attitudes, vocational guidance as counseling for life, parents' roles, work experience for 14-16 year olds, continuity between vocational guidance and competent career choice, vocational ethics, and midcareer and retirement guidance. Cites research on…

This paper presents the first results of a project initiated in 2004 by the OECD in collaboration with Eurostat and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, and aimed at developing a regular and internationally comparable production system of indicators on the careers and mobility of doctorate holders. A first data collection was launched in September…

This study compares vocational education programs in seven countries in order to evaluate the different elements of a comprehensive approach to education for work that reaches beyond isolated skill training. Despite their divergence in scope and intention, a common feature of these programs is that they endorse the approach of lifelong vocational…

In Germany, after elementary school, the school system splits into three branches, with students either preparing for an apprenticeship or continuing in school. A second system exists, parallel to this education system, which combines general education with basic professional training. The first key career decision point is in Grade 4, when…

Knowledge about the structure and availability of work, and the ways people prepare for it, are important issues for both career specialists and policymakers. This paper begins with a discussion of the concepts of work, employability, and employment. Work is described as a complex concept that means different things to different people, and…

Compares U.S. and German schooling processes, noting how the countries socialize their youth to adulthood and employment; mentions key elements in achieving good outcomes and preparing productive adults; recommends creating an appropriate balance between the country's labor force needs and the developmental needs of its individuals. (SM)

Compares adolescents from East Germany who experienced an educational system offering little choice with adolescents from West Germany who experienced more leeway to investigate career maturity. East German adolescents reported more career maturity. Person-related variables predicted career maturity in both groups; family and peer context were…

The relationship between higher education and the world of work is examined in terms of the changing structures of higher education institutions and the effect of the relationship on curricula. An international perspective is provided on the changing nature of employment and the labor market; the increasing diversification of higher education…

Compares American and German educational system structures, emphasizing organizational and curricular features of school- and work-based preparation for the labor market. The countries have fundamentally different school to work transition models which significantly affect their students. The article makes recommendations for improving both…

Reports on a study of 454 college-level faculty on the tension between setting up a family and a professional career. Finds data that support the thesis that, in the course of an academic career, a process of selection takes place that has a negative professional impact on women who choose to have a family. (CFR)