This factsheet, the first in a series on innovation and growth, provides an overview of the benefits of innovation vouchers, and gives some examples of how universities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are including them in their European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) strategies. [For the second factsheet in the series,…

This review of the research literature was commissioned by the New Zealand Post-Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua as a means of informing the decision-making of the Association and its members about the Teach For All (TFA) scheme seeking to prepare teachers for New Zealand's schools. The systematic review is about fast track…

The British government continued intervention to support apprenticeship training across the economy has been notable in recent years. The construction industry is the only sector to retain a levy/grant scheme (that supports training including apprenticeships) since 1964, yet it still faces the problem of skills shortages. This article thus reviews…

Co-investment between the state, employer, and employee is an intrinsic feature of most vocational and education training systems. The government's strategy is to "profoundly" shift responsibility for funding learning and skills from the state to individuals and businesses. At a time of stringent cuts in publicly-funded further education…

The further education (FE) and skills sector has known for months that far less tax-payer money will be available for skills in the future. This means that more training will have to be paid for by those who directly benefit. The government's skills strategy is intended to mark a new era for FE and skills, based upon increased contributions from…

Against a background of concern about staff recruitment and retention in social services in the UK, the authors examine one model of employer support for staff undergoing professional training alongside their employment. It is argued that support for these mature students needs to be broader than that normally offered within educational…

Describes the organization of a school's physics competition for middle school students sponsored by Physics Section of STEEL (Science, Technology and Engineering Education in Lancaster) and an industry group. Presents one typical problem, marking, and prizes for the competition. A suggested marking scheme is appended. (YP)

Describes an increasing shift in the British educational system toward vocationalism. Recognizes proliferation of the belief that education primarily should prepare the student for work. Differentiates between industry's profit-making goal and education's complex range of functions. Expresses concern that society emphasizes individualism as…

This volume of essays sets out to consider the contributions that higher education and industry, understood in the widest sense, could make to improving the quality of students' learning and to increasing its relevance to the needs of employment. The essays fall into four parts, the first of which is on how the relationship between industry and…

Many countries have introduced a range of policies that attempt to reformulate the relationships among government, schools, and parents through the application of market forces. This paper looks at the hidden curriculum of marketization and explores the extent to which the recent trend toward quasi-markets in public education systems are…

This publication describes efforts in the United Kingdom (UK) to develop mutually beneficial, collaborative partnerships between businesses and communities that promote digital inclusion (access to information and communication technologies). Case studies of different kinds of relationships are listed, including UK online centers, schools, events…