In 2010, the government announced their latest drive to raise the status of vocational qualifications in secondary education. This overhaul was subsequently enacted based on recommendations made by Alison Wolf in her review of vocational education. As a result, the Department for Education (DfE) introduced four new categories of vocational…

In this article institutional and structural factors relating to access to education are assessed. First, the macro frameworks of institutional regulation that exert influence on the educational trajectories of young Europeans are demonstrated. Based on different aspects of these frameworks and drawing from extant research, the article presents a…

Increasing numbers of students are applying to university with the International Certificate of Christian Education (ICCE), an alternative to mainstream qualifications based on a biblically-based, individualised curriculum called Accelerated Christian Education (ACE). No formal validity arguments exist for the ICCE, but it claims to prepare…

This report shares the findings and lessons learned from an investigation into the economics of disaggregated models for assessing and accrediting informal learners undertaking post secondary education. It presents some key economic and governance challenges for universities to consider in implementing OER assessment and accreditation policies. It…

UK awarding bodies increasingly use technology to distribute digital copies of students' examination scripts to examiners for marking. This process allows senior examiners (team leaders) to remotely monitor and feedback on the marking quality of examiners under their supervision throughout the marking period. The objective of this study was to…

Health and social care students spend up to 50% of their course in practice. Placements are distributed across a wide geographical area and have varying degrees of IT access and support. Consequently, students may feel isolated from peers, academic staff, and resources required for effective learning. Mobile technology has considerable potential…

A credit-based qualifications system within the framework proposed in the Dearing "Review of Qualifications for 16-19 Year Olds" could enhance the United Kingdom (UK) qualification system in the 21st century. The United Kingdom currently has over 14,000 qualifications and more than 100 awarding bodies, which makes it difficult to compare…

The United Kingdom (UK) system of public education and training has been fundamentally reformed over the last 15 years. The improvements were designed to raise the quality of the system through increased autonomy for schools, colleges, and universities; a strengthened framework of accountability; enhanced parental and student choice; a more…

The National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) was formed after a 1986 review of the system for certifying vocational qualifications in the United Kingdom and charged with the task of reforming the existing system. The following are among the NCVQ's major achievements to date: establishment of a framework of achievement levels to which…

Institutions of further education and schools have traditionally been viewed as competitors. With the rising unemployment of the late 1970s, however, the further education system in the United Kingdom began reexamining its role in preparing young people for working life. The result was a process-based approach incorporating the elements of…

A study examined the computer and information technology (CIT) training provided in 61 training schemes in 10 regions throughout the United Kingdom under the auspices of the Youth Training Scheme. Of the 52 programs for which data on the time spent on CIT were available, 12 offered 5 days or less of off-the-job training with little other…

Three major models of vocational education and training provision for the 16- to 19-year-old age group have been identified: schooling model, which emphasizes full-time schooling until age 18; dual model, which involves mainly work-based apprenticeship training with some school-based general education; and mixed model. Germany is an exemplar of…

This handbook, which is designed for use by tutors involved in teaching adults to spell, contains information about the main techniques for teaching spelling, basic spelling programs, ways of integrating spelling in writing, and useful resources. Presented in the first section are 26 items of basic information about such aspects of spelling and…

This report focuses on programs for the transition from education to adult and working life in Ireland and the United Kingdom that are actively concerned with development of new forms of assessment and certification of students' work in schools. Part 1 reviews the central issues with which the British and Irish pilot projects are concerned. The…