Fees and loathing: …

higher education finance and university participation

an article by Gill Wyness published in CentrePiece – The Magazine for Economic Performance (CEPCP343. June 2011)

With the UK's cap on tuition fees due to rise to £9,000, Gill Wyness looks at the impact of past fee increases on young people's decisions to go to university.

Full article: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/cp343.pdf

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Evaluation of Information Strategy Implementation: A Critical Approach

an article by Yongmei Bentley (University of Bedfordshire Business School), and Steve Clarke (University of Hull Business School) published in Journal of Organizational and End User Computing (Volume 23 Number 1 (January-March 2011))

Abstract
Information strategy is often relegated to an information technology element of corporate strategy, or worse, ignored in favour of IT operational planning. This research, conducted over a five-year period, stresses the correct framing of an information strategy and its implementation. The authors propose a framework that assists in the evaluation of such strategies, primarily those at higher education institutions, but also in a wider range of organisations seeking to improve the understanding and implementation of their information strategy.

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Explaining the class gap in training: …

the role of employment relations and job characteristics

an article by Steffan Schindler and Felix Weiss (University of Mannheim, Germany) and Tobia Hubert (Bogotá, Columbia) published in International Journal of Lifelong Learning (Volume 30 Number 2 (March-April 2011)

Abstract

Existing studies consistently find a gap in further education between high- and low-skilled workers, implying a gap in formal training between high- and low-skilled classes. In this paper, we hypothesise that the most important reasons for differences between social classes in further education participation are grounded in job characteristics rather than worker characteristics. This is in line with theoretical foundations of the construction of the widely used Erikson-Goldthorpe-Portocarero (EGP) class scheme and related classifications, such as the new European Socio-Economic Classification (ESeC) scheme that we apply in our analyses. We explore the importance of different job characteristics for the explanation of the class gap with a dataset providing detailed information about the jobs of more than 20,000 German employees. The tasks performed and the technologies used in the job are found to be of particular importance. Both are able to explain much of the variation in training activity between different class positions and different educational levels. We discuss the implications of our results for social inequality. Our conclusion is that much of the variation of training incidents between classes comes from the very simple fact that they carry out different jobs. This should always be taken into account when inequality in training between individuals is examined.

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Consultation on Passported Benefits under Universal Credit

The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) has been asked by the Minister for Welfare Reform to undertake an independent review of Passported Benefits and provide advice on possible approaches to the provision of Passported Benefits under Universal Credit.

DWP press releases – read in full here but please note that this is a very short consultation which lasts only until 22 July.

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Lifelong learning, education across the life-span …

are, in general, meaningless terms since both equate, in policy terms, to adult learning as few, if any, countries think of life as starting before leaving compulsory schooling.

OK, I am over simplifying again but you get the point, I’m sure.

I have just finished reading an interesting article on the subject in The International Journal of Lifelong Education (volume 30 number 2 (March-April 2011)) by Vera Centeno (Humboldt-University, Berlin) which looks at the policy concept internationally.

If you're in an institution which has a subscription to this journal then it is worth reading otherwise you will have to make do with the abstract at http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a935075034~db=all~jumptype=rss

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World Report on Disability

via UN Pulse by UN reference

The World Report on Disability, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, with contributions from over 380 experts, calls for the elimination of barriers that often force the people with disabilities to “the margins of society”. The report suggests that more than one billion people in the world today experience disability.

People with disabilities have generally poorer health, lower education achievements, fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. This is largely due to the lack of services available to them and the many obstacles they face in their everyday lives. The report provides the best available evidence about what works to overcome barriers to health care, rehabilitation, education, employment, and support services, and to create the environments which will enable people with disabilities to flourish. The report ends with a concrete set of recommended actions for governments and their partners.

Full report (PDF 349pp)
No, I haven't read it all!!

Also available in an “easy read” version and hard copy (ISBN: 9 789 241 564 182 Price: CHF 40 / US$ 48 paperback)

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Yet again … only this time I’m finding it harder

Some of my regular readers will be aware that I have been battling mild depression for a while. Feelings of helplessness and a lack of confidence are not the best foundation for managing a blog, nor indeed for job hunting which I have been doing since January.

Talk about regular readers – I guess they might be if I could manage posting regularly. I am very good a reading, logging something as a draft and then … and then …

I guess you know the rest of the story.

No, nay, never, no nay never no more

Will I – be so stupid!

Get the real words from The Dubliners here.

PS Went to YouTube for above link but I can’t just pick up one thing! Time-wasting again. I ended up with this which surprised me by having cigarettes on stage.

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