This article investigates the ways in which students are constructed in contemporary English higher education policy. First, it contends that, contrary to assumptions made in the academic literature, students are not conceptualised as 'empowered consumers'; instead their vulnerability is emphasised by both government and unions. Second, it…

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…

Changes in the trade union education system in the United Kingdom include a hardening of the attitudes of employers and the state, a reemergence of political education, and increased demand for paid educational leave. (SK)

A survey conducted in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom analyzed employment practices and viewpoints of the social partners regarding comparability of qualifications and geographical mobility. Carried out in late 1991 with a limited sampling of respondents (firms, employers' organizations, and unions), the survey focused…

A study examined employee training policies and their implementation in four or five large companies in five countries (Belgium, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom). Data were gathered through interviews by an expert in each of the countries using an interviewer's guide developed for the project (resulting in approximately 30…

The nature, extent, and likely future of outsourcing in the United Kingdom was examined through an extensive literature review and interviews with small numbers of local authorities, companies, and contractors. Despite the limited data available, it appeared that outsourcing is concentrated in ancillary activities and is relatively marginal, both…

The nine papers in this volume represent a majority of the presentations at a conference that examined in detail employee development (ED) initiatives from Europe and North America. An introduction provides a contextual background to the vocational training and education debates characterizing policy development in the European and North American…

This document describes the training of in-company trainers of young people in the United Kingdom (UK). Part 1 describes the context, including the focus and method of the UK study, the current situation for in-company training for young people, and the national context for training the trainers. Part 2 focuses on the following: characteristics,…

This book examines workplace learning in the United Kingdom within the context of the changing world of education and training, adult learners/learning, and stakeholder roles in employee development. Discussed in the first three chapters are the following topics: the current debates over vocational education and training and their links to…

The impact of developments in work organizations on the skilling process in the United Kingdom was studied through a macro analysis of available statistical information about the development of workplace training in the United Kingdom and case studies of three U.K. firms. The macro analysis focused on the following: initial training arrangements;…