The article elaborates and discusses the relation between professional college programmes in social work, nursing and primary school teaching and professional work in institutions, hospitals and schools. Empirical data from bachelor students in the beginning (first year) and the end (third year) of their programmes and from candidates three years…

Against the backdrop of training provision in the apartheid era and a description of the promulgation of a new skills development regime post-1994, this article considers the status and distribution of enterprise training in contemporary South Africa. It is found that reasonable progress is being made with training in large and medium-sized firms…

This paper situates recent school-to-work transition policy in Ontario, Canada, within the historical context of secondary school reform in the past 50 years. This understanding informs our analysis of interviews with representatives from government, business, organised labour, education and partnership brokers. Data suggest tensions between the…

The number of students in higher education has risen sharply in recent years, and an increasing proportion of students combine paid employment with university life. In a review of studies which have investigated the relationship between "earning and learning", it is noted that the overall focus to date has been on the negative impact of combining…

Implications of rising levels of qualification for work attitudes - a hitherto neglected area in the debate on over-education - are examined. Theories of post-industrialism predicted that the spiralling educational requirements of an information-based economy would undercut the Work Ethic and intensify employee demands for work roles built around…

This article considers the nature of experiential learning and its relationship with other forms of learning that gain their authority through assessment. It argues that experiential learning is grounded in, and stands upon, the notion of phronesis and is the goal of an educated populace. This argument, should it prevail, would see wisdom as the…

Examines employability through the lenses of consensus theory and conflict theory. Expands the latter into positional conflict theory, which explains how the market for credentials is rigged and how individuals are ranked in it. Argues that even employable people may fail to find jobs because of positional competition in the knowledge-driven…

Comparison of policy approaches to national curriculum in Britain and Norway found three key differences: (1) subordination of education to economic priorities is more pronounced in Britain; (2) nations have differing views of worker-citizens needed in a high-skill society; and (3) Norwegian teachers have a much stronger voice in education reform.…

Finds little evidence of a paradigm shift in capitalism or a trend toward a high-skills knowledge economy. Points out problems in demand-side proposals. Concludes that it is necessary to recognize the centrality of conflict, power, and exploitation in capitalism and outlines a radical political economy of skill. (Contains 104 references.) (SK)

Compares two models of vocational education policy in England: the traditional Learning and Skills Council approach relying on institutional change and increased skills supply and the Performance and Innovation Unit's focus on skill demand. Outlines weaknesses in the supply-side approach but suggests that demand-side policy must overcome…

Examination of the government role in labor force development in Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korean identified strategies and structures enabling the "East Asian Miracle" of economic development, including strong states with high autonomy regarding capital and labor, super-ministries linking institutions, and strong central control of education…

Explanations for persistent youth unemployment (deficits in the unemployed, structural need for unemployment, location of decision-making power) lead to education of youth at risk as a solution, an old paradigm inadequate for the restructured labor market. New questions must be asked, such as separating income from waged labor and finding other…

Review of research since the 1980s shows a consistent trend toward higher skill demands in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. There is evidence both that higher skills are needed to implement technology and that implementing technology raises skill requirements. Automation is displacing low-skilled jobs and creating…

Presents a typology distinguishing conceptions of generic skill as (1) the property of individuals versus relationship between individuals and work context and (2) skills used in routine versus novel situations. Asserts that work experiences that develop generic skills must be part of a curriculum that supports the practice of learning through…

Reviews the growth of flexible employment, the United Kingdom youth labor market, and student employment. Reports on a survey of the retail grocery sector indicating that student labor enables the use of flexible work practices. Highlights the different employment opportunities available to students who are working while in school and school…