Background: We explore the theoretical and methodological aspects of decolonising speech and language therapy (SLT) higher education in the United Kingdom. We begin by providing the background of the Rhodes Must Fall decolonisation movement and the engagement of South African SLTs in the decoloniality agenda. We then discuss the evolution of…

Teaching-focused career tracks are increasingly prevalent across the Higher Education sector internationally, driven by student number growth and perceived managerialist agendas. Opportunities for advancement are challenged, however, by ambiguous and inconsistent conceptual frameworks regarding the role of scholarship in career progression,…

An ongoing debate is centred around the question of how we can understand the value of university credentials in accessing jobs. We know that occupations are strong determinants of which skills, knowledge and abilities are utilised in work but we do not know enough of how occupational contexts shape what university degrees represent to employers…

The academic professoriate is a determinant of successful higher education systems. Yet, recently, worsening conditions of employment, deteriorating salaries, and threats to job security have made the academic profession less attractive, especially to young scholars, in several countries. This paper investigates the salaries as well as the…

Where do workers with Higher Education (HE) degrees develop their work skills? Although few would expect these to be developed in HE exclusively, there exists an assumption that the core skills of those working in graduate occupations are predominantly formed at HE. This article examines how within four graduate occupations, employers and workers…

The significance of equipping higher education graduates with both practical skills and theoretical knowledge relevant to their future workplace has been identified as one of the priorities in the higher education sector. Specifically, the issues, such as the preparation of young people for the world of work, facilitating the links between…

Over the last 20 years, the UK Higher Education sector has experienced a significant change to its funding base with a shift away from government funding, to operating within a highly competitive marketised environment. This shift has impacted the governance and management structures within the sector, with universities encouraged to adopt a more…

This briefing reports on recent developments affecting Europe's recognition regimes -- both professional and academic. At the start of 2023, the European Year of Skills, the author looks at the context facing higher education stakeholders across four areas: the European labour market, Ukraine, developments in the higher education sector and the…

Discipline in the higher education classroom is a widely debated phenomenon, especially since it is defined interchangeably with classroom management, which is pertinent to schooling in non-adult institutions. This research aimed to apply the principles of discipline in a higher education context to study the impact of attitude and behaviour on…

The National Health Service (NHS) celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023. Its founding principles of care for all, free at point of need, funded from general taxation, a source of British pride. However the public has growing concerns about the standard of care and is pessimistic about the future. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP),…

Which occupations are best for wellbeing? There is a large literature on earnings differentials, but less attention has been paid to occupational differences in non-pecuniary rewards. However, information on both types of rewards is needed to understand the dispersion of wellbeing across occupations. We analyse subjective wellbeing in a large…

The rise in technology-rich learning environments is reflective of a global trend in higher education (HE), recently accelerated because of necessary digital teaching and assessment practices embraced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study facilitated through focus groups and an interview explores the teaching and learning…

This briefing reports on recent developments affecting Europe's recognition regimes -- both professional and academic. Currently, the principal change factor is the drive to digitalise, accelerated by the new circumstances created by the pandemic. The crisis in Ukraine, too, has prompted a range of initiatives. Meanwhile, uncertainty still…

Technicians and technical staff are making increasingly significant contributions to the teaching and learning of undergraduate and postgraduate students in the UK. This paper reports on a survey of 1766 technical staff regarding their roles within teaching and learning environments, and a series of follow-up focus groups with 44 technical staff…

Employers are increasingly selecting and developing employees based on skills rather than qualifications. Governments now have a growing focus on skilling, reskilling and upskilling the workforce through skills-based development rather than qualifications as a way of improving productivity. Both these changes are leading to a much stronger…