A focus of Government policy has been the need to ensure that those at the lower end of the labour market invest in their human capital through re-engaging with learning, which has been assumed to enable progress into better-paid employment. This article explores the problems created by "bad jobs" and the evidence for the existence of a…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the key themes in the area of the impact of demographic change on young workers and older workers in relation to education, skills and employment, as discussed in the papers included in this section. The authors have also drawn upon data from their project "From Young Workers to Older…

The College Board has just published a "Wake-up Call to the American People and American Educators." In a report entitled "Coming to Our Senses," it argues that this "nation's dominant position in the world order is at great risk.... Across the globe, leaders have put their faith in education. They understand that economic…

Young people's experience of education in a "risk society" is characterised by a terrain of "initiative overload" which appears to make the routes through which young people are seeking to plot a path evermore perilous. This article is concerned with the impact of creative learning on young people, as represented by the UK…

Despite evidence linking youth unemployment to labor market conditions rather than poor educational preparation, British policies have focused on education and training. Hard-core youth unemployment needs a wide range of policies concerned with the economic, social, and physical context. (SK)

The rigid economic structure of the medical labor market in the United Kingdom has produced a growing number of junior hospital doctors, who are very dissatisfied with their long-term career prospects and with their current working conditions. The nature of these problems and prospects for reform are examined. (Author/RM)

Includes "Higher-Level Skills in the UK" (Connor); "US and UK Labour Markets for New Grads" (Court); "Contribution of National Laboratories to the European Scientific Labour Market" (Smith); and "Recruitment of Nontraditional Scientists and Engineers in Europe" (Court, Jagger). (SK)

Describes emerging employment markets in the United Kingdom that require information skills, and examines the reasons why librarians and information workers have had little impact on these markets. The need for practical competencies, as well as formal qualifications, is cited as a major reason for this trend. (3 references) (CLB)

This report presents keynote papers and summaries of panel discussions from a conference dealing with such issues as future career patterns in the United Kingdom (UK), the impact of microelectronic technology on the workforce, and the role of education in preparing persons for careers in an information society. Verner Wheelock describes the growth…

Developments in both universities and public sector postsecondary institutions are reviewed. Discussed are: status differences, government control, enrollment from 1971 to 1981, effects of structural change, women, engineering education reform proposals, professionalized studies, government policy, and staff reductions. (LB)

Reasons underlying a low demand for vocational skills in United Kingdom industry, relative to major competitors, are investigated. Low demand leads to a low supply of skilled labor, since the rates of return to vocational training are unattractive to potential trainees. Suggestions for reform are made. (Author)

This paper, written in 1991, examines some of the problems related to technological and cultural change common to American, British, and continental universities citing, for example, global competition; adaptability of the national workforce; changing concepts about the role of higher education; changing relationships among business, governments,…

The United Kingdom's system of apprenticeships and its relationship to vocational education and employment are discussed, with focus on recent government initiatives, access to apprenticeships, and efforts to coordinate training with labor market needs. (MSE)

It is suggested that the weakened demand for Master's in Business Administration (MBA) programs represents an overdue adjustment in expectations. Pressure to reduce student experience requirements and fees is anticipated. A brief history of the degree in the United States and the United Kingdom is provided. (Author/MSE)

This article cites a variety of sources and synthesizes a number of studies on the social implications of technological innovations (microelectronics). These studies were related to six European and Asian countries and were also concerned with the international division of labor. (SSH)