There is growing global recognition of the contribution that leadership development can make to improving quality and outcomes in the Early Years (EY) education sector. UK governments are responding to such evidence through the creation of new national qualifications for EY professionals across the sector and the expansion of publicly funded…

This paper provides a critical analysis of the Chartered Institute for Management of Sport and Physical Activity's (CIMSPA) transformative aspirations for UK Higher Education (HE) based Sport and Physical Activity Vocational Education and Training (SPAVET) provision. In doing so, we apply selected elements of Giddens' Structuration theory to offer…

The National Strategic Skills Audit by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills found that one in eight adults of working age has no qualifications; more than a quarter are not qualified to Level 2; and almost a half are not qualified to above Level 2. The CBI report, "Ready to grow: business priorities for education and skills,"…

Since the 1980s higher education (HE) in the UK has been continually developing to meet the needs of a changing economy. An economy now based largely on knowledge and its transfer, rather than manual skills and labour, has led to an emphasis by the government on increasing the number of adults with high level skills to contribute to economic…

Evidence from academic research and management experts in the United Kingdom and elsewhere confirms that the recent focus in work organizations on cost reductions through downsizing has changed the roles and structures of many human resources (HR) units. HR units have had to prove their contribution to the organization's bottom line, raise their…

Back in November, voters in the North East of England overwhelmingly rejected the move towards an elected regional assembly. The scale of the defeat (three to one) of a Government-backed scheme was a rude awakening for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the range of regional agencies created since 1997. After all, it was felt that the…

Western Europe's demand for quality higher education at lower cost is discussed. It is argued that the criteria for quality are determined by external interests, including governments looking for economic development through an improved labor market. The situations in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom are considered.…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on change and the consultant that was conducted during a conference on human resource development (HRD). "A Theory of Consultancy" (Daniel R. Boroto, Douglas A. Zahn, Darren C. Short) presents an emerging theory of consultancy that is based on an analysis of thousands of videotaped…

This book contains 22 papers on reflective learning in practice. The following papers are included: "Our Purpose" (Ann Brockbank, Ian McGill, Nic Beech); "The Nature and Context of Learning" (Ann Brockbank, Ian McGill, Nic Beech); "Reflective Learning and Organizations" (Ann Brockbank, Ian McGill, Nic Beech);…

This report examines how adopting the shared services model of human resources (HR) services delivery can help businesses achieve better alignment between their HR service and specific business needs. Chapter 1 provides background information on the research project underlying this report, which included the following data collection activities:…

Humanities departments at higher education (HE) institutions throughout the United Kingdom must determine what business expects of the humanities, devise strategies to improve understanding of the objectives and contribution of HE in the humanities, and develop language and standards that will enable members of the academic and business…

Some of the leading players in adult learning and a few regular contributors of "Adults Learning" were asked about what they would like to see on the agendas of ministers in the new Government. This article shares and presents the thoughts of these players in adult learning. These include: (1) "Sounds like lifelong learning" by…

Although education and training should be a source of relative advantage for Australia, the competitive benefits expected from the nation's "clever country" strategy have been slow to emerge. When 22 countries including Australia, Germany, Singapore, the United Kingdom, United States, and New Zealand were compared from the standpoint of…

The issues of equity, equal opportunities, gender, and organization performance in the health care sector worldwide was examined. Information was gathered from the available literature and from individuals in 17 countries. The analysis highlighted the facts that employment equity debates and policies refer largely to high-income countries and…

This document consists of a two-part report that was developed as part of a project to develop a national workforce development (WfD) system to ensure that people in the United Kingdom develop the basic, intermediate, and other skills needed in the 21st century. The first report sets out proposals for a more demand-led system that places skill…