EARLI SIG 24, Researcher Education and Careers (SIG-REaC), was founded because increasing interest has emerged within the EARLI community into understanding different aspects of doctoral and post-PhD researcher educational and career development. This special issue brings together the outcome of our first scholarly discussion at the SIG-REaC…

The study investigates how the Finnish model of providing initial vocational education and training (IVET) has succeeded in terms of enhancing educational progress and employability. A relatively high level of participation in IVET makes the Finnish model distinctive from those of three other Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. All four…

Though a relative small part of the school sector, private schools have an important role in British society, and there are policy concerns about their negative effect on social mobility. Other studies show that individuals who have attended a private school go on to have higher levels of educational achievement, are more likely to secure a…

In this paper we seek to put Irish poverty rates in a comparative European context. We do so in a context whereby the Irish economic boom and EU enlargement have led to increasing reservations being expressed regarding rates deriving from the EU "at risk of poverty" indicator. Our comparative analysis reports findings for both overall…

Comparative analysis of the transition from higher education to work often focuses on cross-national variations of higher education systems to explain country-specific mobility patterns of higher education graduates. The structure of graduate labour markets, however, has received less attention, despite differences across countries. Variations in…

AN INTENSIVE STUDY OF TWO SAMPLES DRAWN FROM ONE GEOGRAPHIC AREA IN EACH OF FOUR COUNTRIES AIMED TO DETERMINE THE TRAINING AND JOB HISTORIES OF SKILLED WORKERS IN THE METAL TRADES AND THE RESULTS OBTAINED BY DIFFERENT TRAINING SYSTEMS. THE COUNTRIES WERE SELECTED TO REPRESENT (1) PREDOMINANTLY SCHOOL-BASED TRAINING (BELGIUM), (2) HIGHLY REGULATED…

In a comparison of self-employment patterns in Germany and the United Kingdom, data from the Labour Force Survey (United Kingdom) and Mikrozensus (Germany) were analyzed to identify the personal characteristics of self-employed individuals in the two countries, the characteristics of their self-employed activity, and movement in and out of…

In a Norwegian study, mature adult graduates had low rates of unemployment compared to traditional graduates, women were likely to have high-status jobs, and ageism was greater in the private sector. In Britain, mature graduates have higher unemployment, are excluded from better paying jobs, and are more commonly in the public sector, especially…

The system of student assessment in Russian universities is described and contrasted with that of universities in Britain. Focus is on entrance examinations, use of problem solving and case studies for continuous assessment, individual research projects, and graduate employment patterns as they relate to student performance. (MSE)

A survey of 20,000 college and university faculty in 14 countries, particularly in large teaching and research institutions, investigated the extent of international mobility within this group. Issues examined in relation to mobility include gender differences, distribution among disciplines, patterns of employment (full- vs. part-time,…

The employment outcomes and career progress of ethnic minority members who graduated from four United Kingdom universities in 1993 were compared to those of their white counterparts. A final matched sample of 272 graduates (half were members of ethnic minorities) was achieved by filtering an initial sample of 3,421 graduates. Additional data were…

The literature on employment growth in the United States and selected industrialized countries and the wage, benefits, and job security characteristics of new and existing jobs were analyzed to determine how job growth and quality in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s compares to that in other industrialized countries. Among the study's…

A study examined the employment patterns of women working in the United Kingdom's hotel and catering industry and the opportunities for vocational education that would lead to careers in management. Sixty-four women from different sectors of the industry were interviewed (including women in senior and middle management and some still looking to be…

This paper is concerned with the strategies being adopted for vocational education and training (VET) in Australia and the lessons that could be learned for them from policies in other countries. Six issues are considered in the paper, each relates to or more of the objectives and particular strategies in the Australia's National Strategy for…

This report summarizes in tabular form the results of national studies that were conducted in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom to identify the job skills and knowledge required of persons employed in the fields of rehabilitation and conservation of historic buildings. Presented in chapter 1 is a comparative analysis of the…