This paper studies the determinants of age-specific employment rates among Swedish males, focusing on the effect of education on employment. We use cohort specific data for the time period 1984-1996 covering male cohorts aged 21-45. It is found that aggregate age-group-specific employment rates increase with the proportion of the cohort with an…

The decision to invest in education is influenced by a large number of economic, social, family, personal and institutional factors. Many of these changed in Australia during the 1970s and 1980s. Several of the more important of these changes, such as the Equal Pay for Equal Work decision of 1969, the Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value decision of…

This article provides a theoretical discussion of the concept 'object' within Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). It also introduces some of the methodological considerations that are raised in the study of the formation and transformation of objects of activity. A research project is described in which a theoretical discussion concerning…

The article starts by providing a brief historical context for the introduction of the New Deal and then describes the aims and structure of the New Deal in FE (Further Education) colleges. Based on a small-scale research project on FE colleges in London and south-east England, the article analyses issues and challenges arising from the experience…

The government, through several White and Green Papers, has promoted the 'Skills Revolution'. This requires central direction and coordination of a wide range of policies, practices and partnerships. But there are several difficulties: the impossibility of micromanaging the complex social and economic system; the dominance of the rather limited…

This article examines the cyclical nature of government policy vis-a-vis work-related learning. First, it looks at the purposes and types of work-related learning which exist in the 14-19 educational phase. Second, it describes the policy history surrounding work-related learning, highlighting policy emphasis on recurring themes such as enterprise…

This study examines the changes in the school-to-work transition of young adults in the United States over the latter part of the twentieth century. Their transition is portrayed using data from National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women, Young Men, and Youth 1979. In general, we find that indicators of educational attainment, working while in…

With an urgency not seen in decades, policy leaders concerned about America's global competitiveness and widening income gaps within U.S. society are propelling issues of academic and workforce preparation to the forefront of the nation's education policy debates. Worried that current expectations and structure are ill suited to the 21st century…

In contemporary China, there are two far-reaching developments that impact directly on graduate employment: (a) a highly entrepreneurial and rapidly growing small business sector and (b) a rapidly expanding higher education sector. Paradoxically, while the small business sector continues to suffer from acute skills shortages, new graduates are…

Discusses expansion of access to higher education. Reviews contested development and promise of the Weberian theory of educational credentialism. Examines the relationship of educational expansion to economic growth, relative importance of technical skills versus occupational status-group cultures in degrees and recruitment, significance of degree…

The present study explores stages in managerial problem-solving skills of participants beginning with formal education, and continuing through the professional workplace setting. We studied nine different levels of expertise: from novice student groups, to graduates and expert groups. Participants were asked to diagnose and solve business cases.…

The research underlying this article seeks to improve our understanding of the processes of entry into working life of higher education graduates. In theoretical and conceptual terms, contributions from a variety of disciplines (particularly economics and sociology) and different theoretical currents and frameworks have been used to interlink…

During the 1990s, the number of students enrolling in science subjects at universities was declining each year in Germany, France, Italy, amongst other countries. These decreases are too readily attributed to a general disaffection caused by the image that younger generations have of scientific studies: they are seen as being the most…

There are major developmental changes and challenges associated with the period of adolescence, as youth acquire and consolidate the competencies, attitudes, values, and social capital necessary to make a successful transition into adulthood. Late adolescence and the period following, often referred to as emerging adulthood, have been noted as…

While education involves much more than a set of habits, their formation is integral to learning. Within many Western countries, however, habit formation is no longer considered a pedagogic goal. Students may still acquire certain habits of learning as a function of schooling, but the process whereby teachers utilize a form of instruction designed…