Since 1989, the French government has been developing a program to encourage forecasting studies on skills and training needs within the framework of a dialogue between the social partners. A review of the program showed that the forecasting studies have been conducted either by public research institutions or by private consulting firms. Some…

The genesis of this article is based on the observation by the authors that the French training system has witnessed an evolution since the 1970s that corresponds to the one that was later recommended by the European authorities, i.e.: --the creation of a national qualifications framework that integrates general and vocational training and initial…

This paper sketches major programs for adult education in Sweden, the Soviet Union, France, and England and considers several policy implications for adult education in the United States. The first section examines the reforms in Swedish public education designed to facilitate social equality, with special emphasis on the study circle. A…

Comparison of policies and practices in six countries focused on the concept of access to education as flexibility: systematic structural arrangements such as accreditation of prior learning, open and distance learning, and information/communications technologies. Successful international experiences have implications for Scotland and other…

The increasing emphasis on entrepreneurship and self-employment training in vocational education and training (VET) worldwide was examined. Special attention was paid to the following themes: (1) the content and various concepts of entrepreneurship, including the distinction between external and internal entrepreneurship; (2) trends in…

Essays address the relationship between second language education and intercultural communication in several countries. Following an introduction are the following papers: "Second Language Learning in Belgium" (Ludo Beheydt); "Foreign Language Education in Bulgaria: Present-Day Situation and Future Tendencies" (Madeleine…

Describes policies of educational validation in the context of European integration, finding assessment of prior learning more effective than equivalent degrees. Distinguishes between two types of arrangements in France, certification through diplomas and assessment of competence, and discusses the relative value placed on each in French society.…

This collection of essays analyzes the history, philosophy, and politics of the forms of early childhood provision outside the home for young children in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In particular, the essays examine the extent to which that provision is considered educational and intended to…

Public policy in France concerning the articulation of preschool education and primary education, particularly in the area of writing readiness and writing instruction, is discussed. A 1989 law expected to define, for the first time, the expected competencies at each educational level, was met with disappointment by early elementary school…

In 1971, the French National Assembly adopted new legislation on Technological and continuing education which attempts to bridge the widening gap between classroom and career by extending effective career education to greater members of French citizens. To interest students in technological and vocational education and to dispel the prejudices…

Expert reports about integrated learning (IL) and vocational-technical education (VTE) activities in Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) English speaking member countries, on France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Finland, papers of the relevant OECD seminars in Phoenix, Arizona, and in Marseille, France were…

In France and the United Kingdom (UK), procedures have been devised to allow the skills and knowledge acquired through life and work experience to be identified and accredited. In France, achievements from social and working life are identified in two ways: the personal and occupational competencies of workers are evaluated through a "bilan…

This report on some efforts being made in France to improve the education of the socially and culturally disadvantaged is presented for such value as it may have to American educational planners in their search for solution to this difficult problem. For the purposes of this study the term "socially and culturally handicapped or…

Spurred on by such discussions of education as Jenk's "Inequality" and Coleman's controversial pronouncements on desegregation orders and "white flight," this anthology focuses on the efficacy of educational reform. The articles were compiled from two issues of the journal "Social Problems." The introductory essay by…

This book contains nine papers devoted to the psychological experience of youth employment and its role in shaping future employment experiences and expectations. "Introduction" (Julian Barling, E. Kevin Kelloway) emphasizes the diversity of young people as a group and the diversity of individual youth's employment experience. "The…