This synthesis report summarises the findings of the Cedefop project "The changing nature and role of vocational education and training (VET) in Europe (2016-18)." Research aimed at taking a step back and painting a comprehensive picture of VET developments in Europe, identifying challenges and opportunities. The summary shows that…

French is the sixth most commonly spoken language in the world and the second most taught language in the European Union. There are 274 million people who speak French worldwide. Since the introduction of the term 'Francophone' in 1880 and the establishment of the International Organisation of Francophonie in 1970, countries that use French as an…

This paper relates most closely to David Raffe's writing on "policy borrowing" across countries and across time and his illumination for policy purposes of transition concepts such as "pathways". The discussion makes the point that concepts can both illuminate empirical reality as well as distort it. The paper then moves on to…

Coherence of national education and training systems is increasingly tabled in European policy debates. Leaning on literature about the emergence and consolidation of national education systems, this article explores the rationale for VET reforms in Norway and Spain by scrutinising attempts to strengthen the coherence of their VET systems.…

This paper describes how the global talent pool is changing. The expansion of higher education in rapidly-developing G20 nations has reduced the share of tertiary graduates from Europe, Japan and the United States in the global talent pool. If current trends continue, China and India will account for 40% of all young people with a tertiary…

This paper is a theoretical examination of three major empirical trends that affect many people: globalisation, increasingly close relations between higher education (HE) and labour markets, and increasing social inequality. Its aim is to identify key theoretical resources and their contribution to the development of a comparative theoretical…

This paper provides an account of the main approaches, debates and evidence in the literature on the role of workforce skills in the innovation process in developed economies. It draws on multiple sources including the innovation studies discipline, neoclassical Human Capital theory, institutionalist labour market studies and the work organisation…

Worldwide expansion of enrollment in postcompulsory education has contributed to an ambiguous "post-adolescence" life stage as young adults transition into adult citizenship. Possible pathways at the end of compulsory schooling have diversified, particularly in developed countries under the influence of vocationalism. Young adults need…

This paper attempts to describe and analyze the development and reforms of secondary education in Hong Kong and Shanghai over the past 25 years. Comparing the two cities is useful in constructing a spectrum of possibilities on the one hand, and identifying some common themes in the development of secondary education on the other. The…

Discusses outcomes of two small scale sets of interviews carried out in the Netherlands and England. Outlines views about and interpretation of work-based education routes for adolescents. Examines the Netherland's highly respected vocational route. Compares it to England's apprenticeship model, which is not held in high esteem. (CAJ)

Vocational education, as a share of secondary education, has declined in almost every educational system since 1950. The history of vocational education and the relationship of its decline to the desires of countries to produce a more standard level of education in line with egalitarian principles are discussed. (Author/IS)

For close to three years, a reform process has been under way in Soviet education, representing an attempt to overhaul, upgrade, and streamline the state school system. How the system of public education in the USSR was mobilized to implement the reforms is discussed. (RM)

This issue focuses on the various forms that secondary technical and vocational education takes in different European Community Member States. "The Future for Skilled Workers" is an interview with Burkart Lutz, a German researcher. Other articles are as follows: "Contradictions in Technical and Vocational Education: The…

This article compares Austrian higher education and employment issues to those in other nations and concludes that Austria's situation is idiosyncratic. It specifically addresses university role and structure, open access, unregulated student-institution matching, individualized study structure, low proportion of graduates in the labor force,…

Annotated bibliography of 56 books, book chapters, journal articles, research reports, and government reports on education in Cuba, published 1971-97. Categories include general overviews; the 1960s; improvement policies and the 1970s; ongoing improvement, 1986-97; political economy issues; youth and socialization; power and people; and…