This article examines the problem of rising unemployment among graduates from post-school institutions in South Africa such as the further education and training (FET) colleges, universities of technology and universities. Although an emerging problem elsewhere in the world, the rate of growth of unemployed graduates is escalating at a rapid pace…

Texas faces numerous challenges but also has abundant opportunities to build the middle class and increase prosperity. Unfortunately, too many Texans are on the sideline, lacking access to opportunities to learn, earn, and save to secure a more prosperous future for themselves and their families. To create jobs, increase income, and promote…

Sometimes a proposed piece of legislation or new rule can catalyze debate about a key issue. That seems to be the case for the "gainful employment" rule currently being proposed by the Department of Education (DOE). The rule addresses a very real problem: The large amounts of debt being taken on by some students, mainly those attending for-profit…

In September 2007 the Government withdrew HEFCE funding for students studying for a second higher qualification at a level equal to or lower than their first--the so-called equivalent or lower qualification (or ELQ) rule. This policy hit students and universities in England, though not those in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. In a recent…

As workers continue to slough their way through a prolonged economic downturn, many are finding hope, and perhaps a little stability, in a new crop of emerging and revitalized industries. Business and all levels of government are making a concerted effort to protect the environment and develop sustainable energies. Community colleges have become…

This paper discusses the implications for managers' careers of the global financial crisis. It draws on empirical research during the last period of major job cuts. Evidence comes from a mail survey of over 1000 career histories of Australian managers, with a response rate of 44%. Changes to career satisfaction, job satisfaction, job security,…

The purpose of this study was to determine how well former employees at a television glass manufacturing plant were able to find employment in a new field of study following graduation from a local community college. The majority of participants were able to find reemployment, albeit at a lower salary. In addition, information was obtained…

The United States is at a critical juncture. The deep recession and weak economic recovery have left one in 10 American workers without a job, and the federal budget is driving the country's debt to unprecedented levels. Business Roundtable believes that the nation's business community, the White House and Congress must work together to encourage…

The authors examine how the American economy has experienced sharp contractions in overall levels of output, income, and wealth resulting from the recent financial crisis, and how these losses have had an impact on the nation's labor market. The significance of these trends to American higher education is summarized in these terms: "Large labor…

Graduate unemployment has been a major socio-politico-economic problem in the small open economy of Sri Lanka for the past 35 years. The nature of the problem, causal factors and policy responses are examined in this paper with a special focus on the role of higher education within a highly competitive and knowledge-based economic environment. The…

When Martin Lancaster took over as president of the North Carolina Community College System more than a decade ago, the state, not unlike much of the nation, stood at the precipice of a massive economic shift. As traditional manufacturing and farming jobs--from tobacco to furniture to textiles--began to disappear, demand for a new breed of worker…

Beginning in the 1970s, low-wage manufacturing areas in advanced industrialized countries experienced deindustrialization and worker dislocation as transnational corporations left for sites of lower-cost labor. In response, communities sought to rebuild their economies and pursue new employment opportunities in the restructured labor markets of…

As President Obama said in advance remarks about the American Graduation Initiative: "[T]he hard truth is that some of the jobs that have been lost in the auto industry and elsewhere won't be coming back. And that only underscores the importance of generating new businesses and industries to replace the ones we've lost, and of preparing our…

The mainstream economy and culture are unable to compete with the money, respect, and identity that selling crack offers. The infiltration of organized crime and narco-dollars into the local economy, the inadequacy of entry-level wages, and the breakdown of basic public services have created a new kind of poverty. (CJS)

This paper considers the implications of current notions of the learning city. It argues that popular neoliberal ideologies create an environment in which lifelong learners strive for the learning city as an end product, both in production and for consumption, rather than embrace it as a living, social context. The rhetoric of the knowledge…