One of the dominant contributory factors to a country's long-run productivity and economic growth is the education, training and skills possessed by its working-age population. Higher education qualifications are one of the key mechanisms in generating wealth for the students who attain them. The provision of education and skills also produces…

Expansion of higher education in Britain is driven by political expediency, resulting in imbalance between initial and recurrent education. To reach the goal of a learning society, there must be a better distribution between working time and education and recognition of learning as a social activity, not merely a human capital investment. (SK)

This paper is based on 1001 home-based interviews with UK adults. It describes their varying patterns of participation in lifelong learning and their use of technology for learning and leisure. It finds that 37% of all adults report no further education of any kind after reaching compulsory school leaving age. This proportion declines with each…

Economic success is an aim of governments around the world. Their "human capital" stance towards higher education implies the need to develop graduates' capabilities to the full. The concept of graduate "employability", currently being developed in the light of theory and empirical data, is beginning to find acceptance in the…

The contribution of higher education institutions to regional development is a theme that has attracted growing attention in recent years. Knowledge institutions are increasingly expected not only to conduct education and research, but also to play an active role in the economic, social and cultural development of their regions. The extent to…

Leading researchers from the United States and Europe report on new findings on the effect of education on equal opportunity, using economic and statistical techniques to assess the results of education policy reform in countries including the United States, Britain, Sweden, Germany, and Italy. Much educational research today is focused on…

A survey of 303 British Year 11 students found that they recognize the growth of flexible/nonstandard employment but most prefer the traditional ideal of standard employment. Those with higher attainment expectations were more negative about nonstandard employment. Females and those currently employed were less negative. (Contains 28 references.)…

Investigates the broad effects of learning on economic and social well-being in several countries, focusing on adults age 25-55 years. Results suggest that people who devote more time to learning for job-related reasons than learning for personal-interest-related reasons experience higher levels of economic well-being. Time devoted to…

Considers overeducation in the context of the UK labor market, using a one in six sample of 1980 UK college graduates surveyed in 1986. Fully 38 percent of graduates were overeducated for their first job; 6 years later, 30 percent were overeducated and earned less than peers in graduate-level jobs. (Contains 26 references.) (MLH)

Using critical discourse analysis as a methodology for analysis, this paper sets out the nature and form of the challenges directed to the compulsory schooling sector by the knowledge economy that is contained in key policy and related documents put out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, (OECD) the World Bank and the UK…

Estimates the rates of return to overeducation in the United Kingdom, using the 1991 British Household Panel Survey. Describes three approaches to analyzing skill utilization and their returns. Analyzes characteristics of the overeducated and undereducated work force. Overeducation is part of an adjustment in the labor market and tends to…

Reestimates the P-test in the United Kingdom, correcting for the possible endogeneity of employment sector. Results do not support the strong screening hypothesis. After accounting for selectivity bias regarding choice of employment sector, the rate of return for the private sector is still higher than for the public sector. In 1985, an extra year…

U.S. welfare reforms, whether promoting work first or human capital development, have had in common an emphasis on employment as the key to improving the life chances of children living in single-mother families. We describe in this article a different type of reform--a "third way" in welfare reform. The welfare reforms carried out in…

Criticizes the consensus that lifelong learning, on its own, has the power to solve a wide range of educational, social, and political ills. Presents alternative visions of lifelong learning and stresses the relevance to policy of viewing lifelong learning as social control. Reflects on possible ways forward. Includes references. (CMK)

The education policies of governments have become increasingly directed towards economic ends, including the development of workforce skills. UK governments have been particularly committed to such policies and have adopted some quite distinctive tools, relying heavily on targets and emphasizing certificated rather than uncertificated learning.…