This book presents the most comprehensive discussion of emerging trends in higher education in the Asia Pacific, ranging from graduate attributes to integrated workplace learning, with an in-depth focus on work readiness, employability and career development. It draws on the relationship between graduate attributes and employability, as well as…

This monograph examines the apprenticeship system, especially in electrical and motor vehicle repair work, from two different approaches. A general introduction discusses the choice of industries and apprentices used as a basis for both studies. The exploratory study in Part 1 concentrated on attitudes and perspectives of the participants in the…

This book proposes restructuring the education system using the principles and practices used by successful businesses during the past 15 years of rapid change. It suggests that the skills taught by schools today, even if test scores measure them as improving, are not sufficient for high school graduates in an increasingly-changing, challenging…

These 12 papers are part of the study materials for the one-semester distance education unit, Project Development Plan 2, in the Open Campus Program at Deakin University (Australia). They examine the breadth and depth of the actions and debates around the social construction of skill and the critical role played by the concept of skill in the…

This book contains the following chapters: "The Demarcation Issue: Introduction" (Wim J. Nijhof, Jan N. Streumer); "Qualifying for the Future" (Wim J. Nijhof); "The Many Meanings of Occupational Competence and Qualification" (Per-Erik Ellstroem); "Qualification and Labour Markets: Institutionalisation and…

Unemployment among young people is a serious and persistent problem in this country. Unemployment rates are especially high among members of minority groups, for high school dropouts, and in economically depressed areas. Vocational education can help to alleviate the problem of unemployment, and a close link between schools and employers can help…

A study investigated the impact of the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) program on former students' study and employment patterns and attitudes. The program was designed to promote international exchange of university students within the European Union. A series of three questionnaires was sent to…

The changing skill requirements for the occupations of childcare worker and eldercare provider in Great Britain were examined. Data were collected from the following: review of existing literature; preliminary exploratory interviews with representatives of voluntary organizations, professional bodies, training providers, organizations involved in…

WORKTOW was a multidisciplinary action research project carried out in 27 small and medium-sized enterprises in the United Kingdom, Finland, and Norway. The main focus was on the learning of workers aged 45 and older. In-depth case studies were conducted in all three countries involving a range of learning interventions. Results showed age was not…

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…

This book, the sixth in a series, adds to debates about race, skill, and hiring with interdisciplinary, indepth, qualitative field research about employers' attitudes. Chapter 1 provides background to the research. Chapter 2 describes the three employer surveys from which data are drawn and provides a snapshot of the recent history of industrial…