Suggests that a chief contributor to the continued economic success of the western economies will be the productivity gains available through efficient preventative maintenance planning and argues for appropriate changes in engineering curricula. Describes the formulation of maintenance planning problems and illustrates with numerical examples the…

Discusses methods for analyzing case studies of failures of technological systems. Describes two distance learning courses that compare standard models of failure and success with the actuality of given scenarios. Provides teaching and learning materials and information sources for application to aspects of design, manufacture, inspection, use,…

Examines the current status of existing curricula, accreditation requirements, and new developments in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering education in the United States. Discusses the emerging needs of the maritime industry in light of advances in information technology and movement toward risk-based, reliability-centered rule making in the…

Describes the French elementary, secondary, and higher education systems and women's current role in them as teachers and administrators. Barriers to women's entering administration include the system's traditional male hierarchy, difficulty of transition from teaching to administration, need to reconcile family and professional life, and often,…

Outlines the situation of women in educational administration in the Netherlands and describes a model for the process of attaining management positions. This management route model differentiates between the factors influencing the career path to a management position and distinguishes three phases: anticipation/preparation; acquisition; and…

Using recent statistics on women in educational administration in Europe, the literature on administrator roles and characteristics, and expectations of administrators, an explanation is sought for women's underrepresentation. Sources of support for women in administration are discussed, different cultural contexts are considered, and suggestions…

Argues that the Spanish educational system does not discriminate between men and women in access to administrative positions, and that women in Spain are neither interested in nor motivated to seek positions in educational administration because they do not identify with the traditional hierarchical model of administration. Organizational reforms…

Using recent data on gender differences in the characteristics and interests of school principals in the Netherlands, it is suggested that the underrepresentation of women in educational administration reflects women's greater orientation toward internal, teaching-related processes and men's greater interest in issues of power. The relationship…

Trends in vocational education and training (VET) within the European Union (EU) are examined from three viewpoints (education, geography, and industrial sociology) to determine whether policies have fostered the desired convergence of economies. Factors considered include pressures motivating VET reform, changes in national VET policies, and…

Discusses the modalities of access to public universities and private Fachhochschulen (technical colleges) in Austria in light of the 1993 University Organization Act, which gave universities greater autonomy and allowed them to take market conditions of supply and demand into account in regard to admissions and programs. (MDM)

Discusses higher education in the Czech Republic in light of the 1989 Velvet Revolution and the 1993 division of Czechoslovakia, focusing on secondary schools, motivation to enter higher education, admissions, funding, the state university system, capacity limits, and other barriers to access. (MDM)

Provides a brief overview of the Finnish educational system and examines the effects of family educational and socioeconomic background on access to and success in higher education. Data on 1985 and 1990 secondary school graduates and young adults indicated that children tended to aim at the same sort of education and jobs as their parents. (MDM)

Discusses trends in German higher education over the last decade, focusing on the expansion and differentiation of postsecondary education, societal changes in the student population, and the relationship between education and social class in light of the "individualization thesis" of sociologist Ulrich Beck. (MDM)

Discusses trends in Israeli higher education over the last 15 years, focusing on the interrelations between secondary and higher education, access to universities, the rapid growth of the Open University of Israel, the upgrading of non-university postsecondary education, the under-representation of Sephardic Jewish and non-Jewish students, and…

Provides an overview of the Spanish educational system, focusing in the growth of demand for higher education over the last decade, policies implemented to meet the demand, socioeconomic influences affecting the demand for higher education, and the changes in the structure of higher education. (MDM)