This article considers the representation of the controversial issue of the Great Irish Famine (1845-50) in 27 recent Irish and UK history textbooks for the secondary level. Key contested issues -- imports and exports, the British government's laissez-faire economic policy, providentialist interpretations, and victim--perpetrator discourses --…

Purpose: Global gender diversity and equality indexes have been developed to promote gender diversity and equality at the country level, but it is difficult to see how those indexes are applied to organizations on a daily basis. The purpose of this study is to examine the application of environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures for…

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused complex challenges across the apprenticeship landscape. The unique position of apprenticeships -- which combine education, training and employment - has made the sector particularly vulnerable to the current health crisis. Impacts on training providers and access to learning are being compounded by the profound…

Intermediaries--also referred to as bridge builders, boundary spanners, conveners, and other names--fill the critical role of connecting all the parties in the system to empower people with the skills required in the labor force. Those parties generally include employers, educators, workers, and prospective workers. Within these categories may…

This study examines rationales for internationalization at a research intensive university in the UK. Internationalization is often described at a macro level without reaching down to explore the individual motivations that may support or constrain internationalization at a particular institution. The article argues that it is important to…

This report compares the fundraising activities of universities in the United Kingdom and the United States--continuing on from two previous Sutton Trust reports published in 2003 and 2006--and looks at the extent of fundraising and the size of endowment funds held by individual universities on both sides of the Atlantic. Key findings in this…

This paper reviews the reasons behind the absence of central Government funding for enterprise and innovation at Further Education Colleges (FECs). Enterprise and innovation are, according to conventional wisdom, crucial in rebuilding the UK's economy and providing jobs. In pursuit of this, the Government has provided central funding for…

This week, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is publishing the findings of new research undertaken to explore the relationship between educational spending and economic growth. The report, "The High Cost of Low Educational Performance--The Long-Run Economic Impact of Improving PISA Outcomes", employs recent…

The nuclear engineer emerged as a new form of recognised technical professional between 1940 and the early 1960s as nuclear fission, the chain reaction and their applications were explored. The institutionalization of nuclear engineering--channelled into new national laboratories and corporate design offices during the decade after the war, and…

In recent years there has been an overall lack of a clear and cohesive research funding policy for higher education which poses real risks in Australia's ability to sustain research excellence and is likely to lead to a decline in Australia's research performance at the international level. This could well lead to a decline in the reputation of…

There has been considerable interest in recent years in comparing the operation of social work services for children and families internationally, particularly between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Reviewing the respective policy environments and drawing on recent research experience in these three nations, the author…

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…

This article presents the methodology and findings on school attendance obtained over two years from 2006 for the National Behaviour and Attendance Review in Wales. The review was led and chaired by the author and the report was presented to the Minister for Children, Lifelong Learning and Skills and the Welsh Assembly Government in May 2008. The…

Examines the political and economic reasons for government support of small businesses in the United Kingdom. The impact of current government measures to encourage existing and aspiring entrepreneurs is examined. (AM)

Traces how the meaning of "skill" has broadened considerably since the 1950s by examining relevant policy literature and the central, "re-defining" role of the (British) Manpower Services Commission and Further Education Unity in the 1970s and 1980s. Recent usage seems compatible with a low-skill economy. (Contains 71…