Vocational training systems that take the needs of the word of work seriously and maintain strong and dynamic connections with it are faced to growing complexity and instability. Some countries try to cope with this through creating new mediation mechanisms between the systems of training and work that allow higher level complexity while…

EU neighbouring countries (partner countries) have made considerable efforts to improve their vocational education and training (VET) systems, with different policies and strategies that take account of country-specific priorities in human capital development. This article addresses the donor community. It analyses the role of partner countries'…

This article presents a horizontal perspective on the dynamics of governance sites currently active for the European of Knowledge and places the Bologna process in this wider European level context. It introduces two dynamics of change in political organisation: (a) institutional differentiation and specialisation and (b) the interaction between…

A major surplus of food products in Europe highlights the need for development of training programs to coordinate agricultural and food industry labor needs and market considerations. These largely traditional industries are changing rapidly. Efforts currently under way are emphasizing the international dimension of the business issues and…

Trends in vocational education and training (VET) within the European Union (EU) are examined from three viewpoints (education, geography, and industrial sociology) to determine whether policies have fostered the desired convergence of economies. Factors considered include pressures motivating VET reform, changes in national VET policies, and…

A discussion of nonuniversity postsecondary education in Hungary, especially teacher training and postcompulsory secondary education, examines the relationships of labor force development, expansion, and a deteriorating educational system. New approaches to policy development and the emergence of the concept of institutional autonomy are…

The inadequacy of current information exchange between higher education and the labor market in the Czech Republic is discussed, focusing on how the structure of higher education affects this situation. Proposed higher education legislation that reflects new expectations about the match between higher education and labor requirements is also…

Discusses vocational education training in Slovenia since 1991, noting challenges posed by transformation of the economic/social system (privatization, development of market economy, labor force development, European integration) and reviews basic features of the Slovenian system. Cites general reform objectives adopted in 1996 and the need for…

Dramatic changes in Poland's economy since adoption of a free market and parliamentary democracy in 1989 are chronicled, and resulting changes in the occupation structure, vocational and higher education, earnings, and unemployment are examined. The experiences of other Western countries suggest that a strategy of flexibility and adaptation in…

Western Europe's demand for quality higher education at lower cost is discussed. It is argued that the criteria for quality are determined by external interests, including governments looking for economic development through an improved labor market. The situations in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom are considered.…

Discussion of international cooperation for the advancement of higher education, science, and technology looks at the areas in which European and Latin American interests converge. Issues examined include concerns about expansion of higher education, institutional systems and privatization, the labor market, fiscal capacity for change, research…

Analysis of recent vocational education reforms in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech and Slovak republics looks at the nature of modernization efforts and structural changes, and the role of foreign assistance and international cooperation. Current initiatives are seen as an attempt to catch up with the Western world of the 1970s. (MSE)