Australia's system of vocational education and training (VET) is based on the principle of partnerships between key stakeholders: governments (Commonwealth, state and territory), training providers, employers and employees. Industry representation and governance in the VET sector in Australia has undergone several transformations in the past, and…

In the Finnish higher education system, government steering and the interests of industry and business have come to focus on the impact of the university in society. In 2010, "Aalto University" was created in a merger of three universities representing different academic fields. The new university developed a forward-looking strategy,…

The supply of student talent is now taking on an increasingly global dimension and this has extended the breadth of university-industry interaction. Set in the context of a rapidly growing international student market, knowledge transfer between academia and business through global student talent supply is an emerging practice. This paper…

The paper examines how the tensions of corporate responsibility are articulated and reconciled in a controversial situation of a foreign investment. We conducted a conventionalist analysis on the company press releases in a case where a Finnish forest industry company invested in a pulp mill in South America. The findings show that the use of…

The authors report the results of a European project, Lifelearn, and discuss how lifeplace learning (LPL) can be used to effect appropriate learning opportunities for all. The project tested the concept of valuing and accrediting learning from life experiences in higher education in Europe, and its conclusions suggest that LPL is valuable for both…

Higher education and public research play an important role in economic development, mainly in industrial research and development (R & D) and innovation through the manufacturing sector. Finland has taken great strides in this regard as it represents a Europeanization of a knowledge system in the European Union, being relevant at the…

There is little doubt that topics related to beer would be of some interest to college students. Anheuser-Busch, well known for its Budweiser beer and humorous advertising, faces a global trademark challenge to its "Budweiser" name. This battle between a global American company and a small Czech brewery is an opportunity for interesting…

This article proposes that efforts to coordinate higher education and employment of graduates depends on both the educational structure of the population and the structure of employment opportunities, making comparison across countries difficult. The situation in Europe, and particularly in Finland in relation to other countries, is examined.…