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As Arbo and Benneworth (2007) have alerted us, higher education institutions are now expected not only to conduct education and research, but also to play an active role in the development of their economic, social and cultural surroundings. They call this the ‘regional mission’ of HEIs. This paper is concerned with cultural engagement. Research on universities’ cultural engagement in their regions and the impact of that engagement is still in its infancy, partly because there are different understandings of ‘culture’ and of what ‘engagement’ entails. In this paper, qualitative data from the reports of mixed teams of academics and regional administrators involved in a large international project designed to improve universities’ regional engagement are analysed and discussed. The on-going study — PASCAL Universities' Regional Engagement (PURE) — investigates the role of HEIs in their regions across in a variety of fields such as the economy, community development, the environment and others. This article analyses the data from the study to identify the different perspectives universities and regions have of cultural engagement. The aim here is to demonstrate the value of PURE in facilitating the development of mutual understanding both between universities through a common language and between universities and their regions in respect of mutual expectations. For example, particularly difficult to de-construct is universities’ engagement with disadvantaged communities (Doyle, 2007) but Powell's (2009) work suggests that universities might engage more broadly and effectively ‘through better knowledge sharing and co-creation with business and community partners’ to become ‘real drivers of creative change in developing socially inclusive projects’. Others have written about the educational role of universities in developing a ‘lifelong learning culture’ in their region (European Universities’ Charter on Lifelong Learning, 2008). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on attempts to understand how the curriculum and pedagogy can help to reduce inequalities in the outcomes of schooling between those from higher and lower socio-economic backgrounds. In the 1970s, the author was involved with Michael F.D. Young and others in the development of the so-called ‘new’ sociology of education. Much of this work entailed laying bare the assumptions underlying the school curriculum and demonstrating how the selection of school knowledge was implicated in the reproduction of social inequalities. During the 1980s in England the curriculum was overtly politicised by the Thatcher government but the interests of sociologists of education moved increasingly away from the sociology of school knowledge to focus instead on the sociology of education policy. This paper identifies a recent tendency on the part of sociologists of education to return to the ‘knowledge question’. In particular, it examines Young's own role in this and his attempts to revisit and revise of his earlier position. Contemporary developments in curricular policy in England and Northern Ireland are then outlined and discussed. Finally, the paper considers whether the work of Basil Bernstein, particularly his concepts of classification/framing and recognition/realisation rules, might help us to address one of the prevailing political problems of many modern education systems — the systematic failure of socially disadvantaged pupils to perform well at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the potential and actual use of child social indicators and indices in the policy-making process. It opens with a brief overview of the child indicators field and its current development and trends. A discussion of these new developments follows, with special emphasis on the consequences of the changing field to the potential role of child social indicators in the policy-making process. The third section focuses on existing knowledge on indicators of children's well-being and the information needed to enhance their policy impact. The article then turns to discuss two major efforts to measure and monitor children's well-being: the UNICEF child well-being index and the Foundation for Child Development (FCD) child well-being index. As both cases were mainly data driven, the paper uses them as case studies assessing the potential for using existing indicators of children's well-being in the policy process. The paper if finalized with discussing the two indices within a context of a future oriented research and indicators development agenda for anyone who want to enhance the policy impact of indicators and indices of children well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects a fairly pessimistic view of Hungarian higher education (HE). The reason for this is not the quality of Hungarian HE or the prevailing processes in it, but the contrast between the present situation, achievements and trends, and the unique opportunities for development and the introduction of new paradigms offered by the restructuring of society, the prominent role of HE in the preparation of the integration processes as well as by outside assistance and international cooperation. Comparing the position of HE with other sectors of society or of the academic sphere (e.g. the research institutes of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) HE can be seen to have a considerable comparative advantage: due to the relatively favourable government policy of the past years which has protected the sphere from devastating budget cuts, the universities and colleges are more or less intact and can operate without greater restrictions. Furthermore substantial developments have been carried out mainly on the basis of outside assistance and cooperation. The main problem lies in the fact that, unfortunately, these developments have not considerably altered the structure, the 'philosophy' of the system, the main frameworks, the activities at grassroots level and the way staff and students think. Comparing the main characteristics of Hungarian HE with those of Western European HE systems, a set of consistent differences can be listed. Consequently the restructuring of Hungarian HE would require a change of paradigms, i.e. introduction of a set of consistent and coherent measures, the transition from the present system of operation to another harmonising with the HE systems of Western European democracies. There seems to be no other possibility: experience of implementing excellent ideas has shown that changing only some parts of a consistent system is unsuccessful. This paper was prepared before the favourable changes at the Ministry of Education and Culture in the... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 30 years, major changes have taken place in the public sector worldwide under the rubric of New Public Management [NPM]. The education sector is perhaps one of the key areas drawing an intense interest and discussion in the wake of NPM. The Russian State seems to be no longer an exception to this global trend. In line with this, the Russian education sector was declared as a large-scale top priority national project in the late summer of 2005, which was aimed to help raise the living standards of each Russian citizen. This empirical paper seeks to reveal the major institutional and legal changes taking place in Russian higher education over time. This insight is vital as it points to the contexts in which Russian public universities operate. To make the acquaintance of a system of Russian higher education, this research sketches its evolution. It commences from the Soviet era to the present time, highlighting the most significant government initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the work of three international governmental organisations (IGOs) dealing with human rights will be discussed, namely the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Council of Europe (CoE). In the first section, the main characteristics of the three IGOs in terms of similarities and differences will be elaborated. Then, their human rights approach to education will be described, dealing with the legal foundations. In the final section, the different strategies of implementation based on both their official mission statements and their present strategy papers will be evaluated under the heading 'competition vs. cooperation'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the background to the Chinese government's decision to embark on a programme of promoting the study of Chinese language and culture overseas. This includes the impact of Joseph Nye's concept of ‘soft power’ in China, ownership of the national language, the Confucius connection, and how these factors interact with political legitimacy. It also considers the development of the Confucius Institute programme in Europe. Europe has the greatest number of Confucius Institutes of any region: what should be read into this? What impact are these institutes having on the development of Chinese language education in Europe at different levels of the educational system? The paper provides some data on recent developments, outlines some of the obstacles to further progress and assesses the chances of Chinese becoming a global language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the process of enhancing quality, quality culture has become a taken-for-granted concept intended to support development and improvement processes in higher education. By taking a theoretical approach to examining quality culture, starting with a scholarly examination of the concept of culture, and exploring how it is related to quality, quality improvement and quality assurance, the aim of this paper is to create a better understanding of how one can make sense of quality culture, its boundaries but also its links to the fundamental processes of teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no doubt that what is generally referred to as ‘Ph.D education’ has undergone dramatic changes in Europe in recent years. Whereas the Bologna Process, launched in 1999, originally had in mind to make it easier for undergraduate students to gain international experience and enhance their employability by facilitating mobility and transparency of higher education in Europe, the idea of a ‘third cycle’ of doctoral studies came relatively late in the discussion (2003). For some academic cultures, the idea of educating doctoral students was and still is perceived as a threat against academic freedom, originality and credibility. Other academic cultures have already long adopted Ph.D training schemes as an integrated part of training future scientists and knowledge workers. This article presents the result of a recent survey on Ph.D training in the Nordic-Baltic Area (Andreas Önnerfors: ‘Ph.D-training/PGT in the Nordic-Baltic Area’, Exploring the North: papers in Scandinavian Culture and Society 2006:1, Lund 2006) initiated by the Nordic research organisation NordForsk, which discusses new concepts of doctoral education and training in the five Nordic and the three Baltic countries as well as in Russia, Poland and three northern states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Whereas there is great correspondence in the performance of doctoral training and education in the Nordic countries and changes have been introduced permanently for about 30 years, Poland, Germany and Russia are battling with their academic traditions and the challenge of adapting their academic cultures to joint European standards. This concerns especially the phenomenon of two postgraduate degrees (the Ph.D and a further degree) and the view upon training elements in doctoral studies. After their independence, the three Baltic countries rapidly adapted their systems of higher education to the Nordic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation, together with readier access to capability-enhancing technologies and to technological insights once restricted to a few leading economies, are resulting in greater competition within Europe, and more widely within the developed world, for influence of all kinds (not just influence over the choices that foreign students make about the Higher Education courses on offer to them from Europe, but also influence of a more overtly imperialist kind, extending to the policies, incomes and futures of others). This article looks at trends in one important market for European Higher Education, the Middle East (particularly the GCC countries), which has many providers from North America and Australia. As observed by the late Edward Said, the USA is particularly forceful in the Middle East. Its technological superiority is accompanied by fervour to introduce American methods and curricula, and strong belief in their merit, reminiscent of the belief of the old French empire that ‘France had a “mission civilisatrice”, to civilize the natives”. The danger, highlighted in a recent UNESCO report ‘New Ignorances, New Literacies’, is that the natives will not be listened to. Is Europe listening more or less than the USA, and is it being listened to? Despite attention-gaining initiatives such as the proposed European Institute of Technology, EIT, and the commitment of EU governments to the Lisbon goals on competitiveness, there are indications of a drop in the influence of European Higher Education institutions in the Middle East. This paper explores the kinds of issues that may be at work, and the implications for European Higher Education policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the Lisbon strategy back to the White Paper issued by President Jacques Delors in 1993 on Growth, Competitiveness, and Jobs as the launching point for the structural reform agenda needed to turn around the massive unemployment crisis and proposing a combination of policies for the structural reform of the labour market and stability-oriented macroeconomic policies designed to stimulate economic growth. The centrality of education and training in the Lisbon strategy is seen as key to the lifelong chances of every citizen linked to the need for Europe to compete on the basis of a knowledge-based economy if it is to maintain its high social standards. Describing the first years of the Lisbon strategy as ‘a stuttering start’, the mid-term stock-taking which offered European leaders the opportunity to fine-tune or radically modify the strategy is analysed. The article highlights the paradox that, although human capital is claimed to be Europe's most precious resource, there is inadequate focus on the weakest aspects of current systems. It also focuses on policy and financial levers which need to be mobilised within Member States as well as the implications for national budgets. It suggests the prioritisation of a small number of areas on which to concentrate efforts and echoes the Council calling for a ‘quantum leap’ in the ambition of the EU to ensure that the necessary follow-up is given to meet the challenges. Finally, a strong argument is put forward to take steps to move towards a unified set of proposals for lifelong learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the vocational education and training (VET) reforms and their related effects in Romania and Bosnia & Herzegovina, as of June 2003. Similarities of strategies used by both countries at the beginning of their VET reforms; Goal of the systemic reform implemented by Romania in the late 1990s; Decision of the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina to choose an occupational family to modernize its VET system.

Features a study which analyzed the changes in Norwegian policies concerning lifelong learning and higher education from the 1970s up to the year 2000. Background of employee education from the 1980s to the 1990s; Principles on the funding of lifelong learning and continuing education; Conclusion.

As other papers have made clear, government interest in Distance Education is high and rising. There is therefore an inevitability that it will play a much larger part in future decision-making. In writing about this subject, Séamus Ó Buachalla has the advantage of much experience and greater insight. He has been a teacher, an inspector in the Irish Government Education Service, and is now a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education of Trinity College, Dublin. In addition he has worked for the Ministry as a planner and, outside Ireland, has done consultancy work for Unesco, the Council of Europe and the European Cultural Foundation. With that sort of varied experience, who better to write an informed and well-researched .paper on this important topic. As other papers have made clear, government interest in Distance Education is high and rising. There is therefore an inevitability that it will play a much larger part in future decision-making. In writing about this subject, Séamus Ó Buachalla has the advantage of much experience and greater insight. He has been a teacher, an inspector in the Irish Government Education Service, and is now a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education of Trinity College, Dublin. In addition he has worked for the Ministry as a planner and, outside Ireland, has done consultancy work for Unesco, the Council of Europe and the European Cultural Foundation. With that sort of varied experience, who better to write an informed and well-researched .paper on this important topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It would not have been possible to have a set of papers on the subject of Distance Education without a contribution from the UK Open University. Peter Zorkoczy has worked there for many years and has a great depth of knowledge not only about the development of that institution but also about the subject of Distance Education as it has progressed in the wider European world. He has led teams of people working, first, to define the European Commission's DELTA programme and then to take part in aspects of its development. He has also played a major pan in setting up the technical and educational infrastructures of EuroPACE, the first European satellite education delivery system. Much of his paper describes real experiences in this latter organisation and acts as an excellent corollary to the paper of Jacques Bieber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses some issues and implications of the postgraduate education and training policies in the United Kingdom. Information on the Technology Foresight Initiative; Harris report on postgraduate education; Purpose of postgraduate education.

Discusses the reform of vocational education and training (VET) system in Slovenia. Educational challenges in the process of transforming education and social systems; General objectives of the reform; Development of key qualifications as a basis for transforming VET; Description of the country's educational system.

Examines whether the Dutch government approach to a fundamental change in the relationship between the national government and the higher education has been fully implemented with regard to curriculum design and curriculum change. Regulation of curriculum development; Government regulations; Structure of the Dutch university system; Autonomy and quality of higher education.

It is four years since communism collapsed in Poland. How much have we accomplished since then? Does the experience of those years provide a basis for an optimistic or pessimistic view of development of research and higher education (HE) in Poland in the future? In this paper I will present some data that may justify both views. I will also mention some of my personal opinions, my hopes and fears. This article is composed of two parts: (1) The Ups, and (2) The Downs. In these two sections I will attempt to list and characterise briefly those successes and failures which appear to me the major ones in the transformation period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout this paper I have used a fourfold classification of objectives that appear in varying degrees in each of the components of international studies. They are: the acquisition of factual information or knowledge; cognitive style, particularly the development of empathy; attitudinal change, particularly the development of favourableness; and the ability to perform specific internationally focused tasks. Each segment will be discussed in terms of its emphasis on each of these objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present some aspects of the precarious balance between Dutch general and vocational education. I will start with a brief outline of the relevant characteristics of the Dutch educational system, as regards the link between general and vocational education. The next two sections present trends in the occupancy of vocational and general education and some information on the individual benefits of general and vocational education. In the last section I will examine the balance between general and vocational education in the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for more effective co-operation between higher education and industry was recognised by most West European governments during the 1980s. This article provides an overview of the measures initiated to strengthen the relationship. The aim has not been to discuss such measures in depth, but to outline the main themes to emerge and, where appropriate, draw attention to questions which remain unanswered. The paper draws heavily for its factual information on reports prepared by national experts as part of the EC Community programme in Education and Training for Technology (COMETT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the creation of unified system of higher education in Great Britain. Measure of academic convergence with an increased emphasis on vocationalization and professionalization of both parts of the higher education system; Problems of expansion of higher education and its relation to the needs of the economy; Government's intention to pursue a binary policy in higher education.

The purpose of this article is to present the latest Education Lending Policy (ELP) of the European Investment Bank (EIB), adopted by the Board of Governors in 2008. It is structured in two parts. The first briefly presents the EIB in general and the evolution of its education lending portfolio in particular. This sets the stage for the second part of the article, which reproduces the Bank's new ELP — only the second such formal education sector policy statement adopted by the institution to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1994, South Africa moved away from its cruel and divided past to a future where its citizens would learn together, work together and grow together. In short we had to learn what it meant to live together by unlearning the ideas introduced by apartheid that permeated every aspect of our society. This required a new Constitution, brave and exemplary leadership by Nelson Mandela and others and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission led by Desmond Tutu. None of these efforts, as important as they may have been, could ever be sufficient to sustain change. Ordinary people who have no positional authority are those who will sustain change. Roughly one quarter of the South African population is at school and these are people who will take the message of reconciliation into the future. In this article we describe attempts to redefine what is good. In particular what kind of teacher, learner and curriculum we will need to form the basis of a transformed and admirable society, one in which we will know how to live together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first part of the article provides an overview of the changing policy contexts in Europe and North America in which doctoral education and training are embedded and points out the similarities and differences of the ongoing debates and concerns about doctoral education in the two world regions. The second part provides some insight into the differentiation of motives and purposes of doctoral education which has led to a differentiation of the models for doctoral education based on a clearer distinction between a research and a professional doctorate. In the third part, a number of networks, projects and initiatives concerned with reforming doctoral education are introduced to serve as an illustration of the direction current changes are taking. The last part draws some conclusions, emphasising in particular the fact that knowledge production has become a strategic resource in the emerging knowledge economies and thus an object of policy-making and institutional management. This development tends to lead to a concentration of research and research training in fewer institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article emerged from a series of debates and workshops on the impact of the Digital Divide on educational practice at the ‘Futures of Learning: New Learning Paradigms Conference’ in Paris. The conceptualisation of the Digital Divide into the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, with a perception of the economically developed world as ‘high tech’ and the developing and underdeveloped worlds as ‘low tech’, is no longer tenable. Building on the recognition based on mounting evidence that old perceptions of the Digital Divide are simplistic and that the Divide encompasses not one but many discontinuities, the nature of such a discontinuity between student and tutor becomes the focus of the argument presented here. Many have argued that increased use and availability of digital technologies in schools bring important benefits and opportunities for learning and teaching strategies but are staff and students able work together to ensure positive outcomes? If not, why might this be the case? In examining the implications of the student/teacher Digital Divide some questions concerning the future direction of education emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Harald Schomburg on the professional success of European and Japanese graduates and another by Ulrich Teichler on relationships between higher education and work.

This article charts the rise of global science and a global science infrastructure as part of the emerging international knowledge system exemplifying a geography of knowledge and the importance of new info-communications networks. The article theorises the rise of global science, which still strongly reflects a Western bias and is highly nationalistic, in terms of an historical account that sketches three ‘moments’— classical science, colonial science, ‘big’ science. The historical sketch is a basis against which to raise questions about the emerging political economy of international research collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the extent to which the notion of a publicly-funded university as an institution engaging in both teaching and research is likely to be sustained in the European higher education space of the future, given the variety of pressures (including funding and mass higher education) on such a conception of a university and changes in how national governments regard the purposes of higher education. Relevant literature on the changing purposes of universities is reviewed. For illustrative purposes, the article uses an example of recent legislation, the 2004 Higher Education Act, in England, whereby research degree awarding powers are no longer a pre-requisite for the conferral of university status. The position in England’s higher education system with regard to research and teaching is contrasted with that of a second UK country, Scotland, which has contrasting policies on teaching and research in universities. The article examines the research-teaching debate from the perspective of individual academics, universities and policy-makers, using recent empirical data where available. It is suggested that whilst academics and their institutions (for different reasons) may be in favour of retaining a link between teaching and research and may resist changes to this, policy-makers faced with rising demands on the public purse may see such links as suited only to an academic elite. Such pressures apply equally to other member countries of the European Higher Education space, so the outcomes of this policy debate about the centrality of research and teaching to universities have many implications for the future shape of European higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality, an expert advisory group commissioned by the UN Secretary-General, was asked to examine how dramatic improvements in education can be achieved in the developing world. The task force investigated the problems of low enrolment, early drop-out and poor learning outcomes that so profoundly affect many children in the developing world. The experiences of both countries that have achieved important successes in rapidly scaling-up access to primary education, and countries that have made only slow progress, shed light on the priorities for the leadership in both developing countries and donor agencies. The task force developed specific recommendations about overcoming demand- and supply-side constraints to greater primary school completion; and about how international donors and technical agencies can stimulate and support country-led progress, with financial resources that are linked to performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the effects of investment in education on the economy. Possibility of education to satisfy human needs; Contributions of well-educated individuals to the society; Increase in energy capacity on the labor market.

Looks into the effects of the Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning on the educational system in Ireland. Factors which shape the higher educational system; Practices in the educational system of Ireland; Reason behind the preference of a facilitating State over a regulatory State by the universities.

Analyzes standards, criteria and indicators used in program evaluation and accreditation in higher education in Western Europe as of September 1, 2003. Definitions of standards and criteria for evaluating the quality of education; Kinds of standards, criteria and indicators for program evaluation and accreditation; Evaluation of teaching and learning methods.

Editorial. Focuses on issues related to the assessment of an education system that is undergoing transition. Approaches to assessment; Techniques used for educational assessment; Categorization of the reasons why educational assessment should be carried out.

Explores the emerging policies and actions for evidence of support for widening participation to higher education in European Union (EU) policy and programs. Overview of the Maastricht treaty of 1992; Significance of Maastricht Treaty for the emergence of education in the EU policy discourse.

Assesses the social impact of tiering and examination systems on gender by focusing on 14 year-old students in England. Framework of national assessment across the four key stages of the English national curriculum; Implications for the use of tiered levels of entry in the national curriculum assessment system; Evidence of gender inequality in tiering practices and misrepresentation of student achievement.

Addresses questions relating to the supply of labor at different level skills. Proportion of working age population that are low-skilled in the European countries studied; Impact of changes in the supply of skills on labor market outcomes; Increasing the supply of labor.

Presents information on a study which described transnational and national initiatives designed to equalize access to the information and communications technologies (ICT) in higher education. Potential of ICT to reduce cost; Principal rationales for introducing technology in education; Implementation of ICT in Portugal.

Editorial. Introduces a series of articles concerning the vocational education and training (VET) in Europe, featured in the 2001 issue of the 'European Journal of Education.' Criteria by which VET reform may be evaluated; Important factors in VET reform; Interrelation between upper secondary VET and general education.

Examines the sources and forms of university resistance to government policy initiatives on the Evaluative State in Europe. Context for the university resistance; Effects of performance-funding in Tennessee; Perspective on policy effects and university resistance; Conclusion.

Governments tend to have strong opinions about education, largely because education eats up a large proportion of their budget. They do not always, however, have the opportunity to express those opinions in reasoned terms in learned journals. Here is the exception. Nicholas Fox has been seconded from the UK Training Agency to the COMETT Technical Unit. He thus has experience both of national and international governmental operations and an almost unique insight into the ways in which government decisionmaking takes place and the reasons why certain programmes are accepted while others fail. In this paper he gives an overview of European Distance Education programmes, and uses examples in the UK and France to illustrate national strategies in that field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In asking Professor Börje Holmberg to write this keynote paper, I believe that I have found one of the most advanced thinkers and prolific writers in European Distance Education. Professor Holmberg has a wide and interesting background. He has been Director General of the prestigious Swedish Distance Education organisation, Hermods, and is currently Professor of the Methodology of Distance Education at the FernUniversität, Hagen in West Germany. He is internationally known, having consulted in most of the continents of the world, and is a Past President of the International Council for Distance Education. He has written several books on the subject, is a Knight both of the Swedish Order of Vasa and of the Finnish Order of the White Rose, and has Honorary Doctorates from the UK Open University and Deakin University in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the debates concerning the funding of mass higher education in Great Britain. Key proposals contained in the announcement made by the state in the funding of higher education; Aim to reduce public expenditure and government allocations to universities and colleges; Conclusions made by the Dearing Committee on the issue which emphasized the short-term funding crisis.

Explores vocational education and training (VET) initiatives within the European Union. Developmental trends existing within and between national economies; Convergence and the VET question; Role of transnational business; Effects of organizational and technological change on occupations.

Focuses on higher education in the Republic of Ireland. Growth and diversification; Admission rates; Second-level influences; Policy issues relating to access.

Presents the issues, objectives and outcomes arising from the projects undertaken by European Union countries in the European Institute of Education and Social Policy (EIESP). Establishment of an economic base; Assisting the mobility of the workforce; Accomplishment of coordinators including the Welsh Joint Education Committee.

Discusses issues associated with a trend in British government policy of encouraging the integration of curricular and learning experiences associated with higher education with the practices associated in the workplace. Contexts of work-based learning and its support; Idea of integration in the context of government interest; Qualification profile of the working population.

How does Latin America fit into this picture? It is obvious that it lags behind in many fields of knowledge that are crucial for international competition. For it to take an active part and with some measure of autonomy in the new world economic setup, it ought to be more adequately equipped in terms of science, technology and commerce. Co-operation is needed more than ever before. This article touches on some of the needs and opportunities for co-operation in higher education between Europe and Latin America, with emphasis on the bigger Latin American countries for two reasons: first, because supply and demand for technological skills in those countries are greater and, second, for the pragmatic reason that we have more data about them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]