Understanding today's Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems requires a comprehension of the rise and development, i.e. of the foundations of topical VET. This book provides a comparative view of its development in Europe. The contributions of renowned authors give insight into conceptual questions, cases, and challenges in this field.

Presents an overview of changing concerns in British curriculum research since 1950. The discussion covers the role of government agencies in curriculum research, the demand for both practical curriculum evaluation and theoretical models, new directions of study and recent paradigm shifts. (AM)

The author examines the background and purposes of open learning in Great Britain. Political motives are emphasized. The distinction between distance education and open education is made. The author calls for more focus on individualizing instruction in distance education. (CH)

Looking back on enrollment trends in higher education in Britain since 1800, this study examines the trend toward expansion and the philosophy behind such expansion. A statistical model is developed for enrollment trends, and recent literature on enrollment is examined in light of the model presented. (MSE)

Drawing on a recent empirical study of curriculum change in English secondary school mathematics and on the work of Kuhn, Bucher and Strauss, Archer, and Bhaskar, a tentative model for analyzing how and why changes occur in the legitimacy of particular definitions of secondary school mathematics and science subjects is developed. (Author/IS)

The 14 chapters in this volume examine different types of apprenticeships from a variety of perspectives. "Introduction" (Patrick Ainley, Helen Rainbird) provides an overview of the content. Three chapters in Part 1 examine the history of apprenticeship: "The Apprentice in History" (Richard Aldrich); "The Changing…

This occasional paper describes the development of physical education (PE) in further education (FE) in Great Britain since 1945, and suggests the need for a more systematic approach to curriculum development in this area. Section I reviews the development of PE in FE and identifies major issues and possible future developments. The document…

The objectives of physical science teaching and research projects in higher education in Britain are reviewed as a means of stimulating debate. It is noted that in recent years, concern has been expressed over the quality of these efforts, and as resources stabilize or decline allocations must be made more carefully. A statistical profile is given…

This report examines various approaches to social education that are currently in use in Great Britain. Discussed in an overview of social education are the following topics: social education in secondary schools, social education and the Youth Service, social education for adults, training in personal interaction, the social education of mentally…

This book examines the New Labour policy on lifelong learning in Great Britain. Special attention is paid to developments surrounding the University for Industry and the New Deal initiatives and the issue of upgrading the British vocational education and training (VET) system to match those of Britain's European competitors. The following are…

The recent history of apprenticeship in Great Britain was examined to identify the issues arising from the latest reforms and future expansion of the system. A team of university academics with strong research interests in training and skills collected information from a large body of academic work in the field of apprenticeship and training and…

This book, which focuses on how personality, societal values and politics have influenced the mission of adult education, contains 34 papers originally presented at a 2000 conference on the history of adult education. Following a Foreword (Poggeler) and Preface (Nemeth) the papers are: "The Globalization of Adult Education and the One World…