In Europe the social economy employs almost 15 million workers. During the crisis years, unlike other sectors, it has often generated an increase in jobs. The aim of this comparative study is to investigate how to allow the supply and demand for young people to meet in the different types of social economy bodies. In particular, it concentrates on the problem of how to bring into line initial university training and the skills required by these organizations. The focus is placed on the varied family of training workers present in at least 75% of the organizations, whose professionalism is nevertheless rarely acknowledged. The papers proposed in this book try to identify the most suitable solutions at the level of curriculum, career development and accompanying measures, while drawing solutions from objective findings and not from training system needs or convictions.

The book is the final report of the researches, discussions, conversations around and about the Project PRIN Employability & Competences which took place on March 9th-­‐11th, 2017 within an International Conference at the University of Florence. It was the final event of the project PRIN2012LATR9N which aims were: «to design innovative programs for higher education, to promote personalized and learner-centered teaching and learning, to build on job competencies, to value talents to create new work opportunities, to support young adults during their employment emergency, as a response to socio economic crisis and as a citizenship action». The research activities concerned the main phases of the students’ academic life: career guidance upon entry, personalized teaching, career calling, professional vocation, profession building activities such as internships and work related experiences, and lastly job placement.

Unemployment and underemployment are global development challenges. The situation in Ghana is no different. In 2016, it was projected that, given the country’s growing youth population, 300,000 new jobs would need to be created each year to absorb the increasing numbers of unemployed young people. Yet the employment structure of the Ghanaian economy has not changed much from several decades ago. Most jobs are low skill, requiring limited cognitive or technology know-how, reflected in low earnings and work of lower quality. An additional challenge for Ghana is the need to create access to an adequate number of high-quality, productive jobs. This report seeks to increase knowledge about Ghana’s job landscape and youth employment programs to assist policy makers and key stakeholders in identifying ways to improve the effectiveness of these programs and strengthen coordination among major stakeholders. Focused, strategic, short- to medium-term and long-term responses are required to address current unemployment and underemployment challenges. Effective coordination and synergies among youth employment programs are needed to avoid duplication of effort while the country’s economic structure transforms. Effective private sector participation in skills development and employment programs is recommended. The report posits interventions in five priority areas that are not new but could potentially make an impact through scaling up: (1) agriculture and agribusiness, (2) apprenticeship (skills training), (3) entrepreneurship, (4) high-yielding areas (renewable energy†“solar, construction, tourism, sports, and green jobs), and (5) preemployment support services. Finally, with the fast-changing nature of work due to technology and artificial intelligence, Ghana needs to develop an education and training system that is versatile and helps young people to adapt and thrive in the twenty-first century world of work.

The economic status of young people has declined significantly over the past two decades, despite a variety of programs designed to aid new workers in the transition from the classroom to the job market. This ongoing problem has proved difficult to explain. Drawing on comparative data from Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, these papers go beyond examining only employment and wages and explore the effects of family background, education and training, social expectations, and crime on youth employment. This volume brings together key studies, providing detailed analyses of the difficult economic situation plaguing young workers. Why have demographic changes and additional schooling failed to resolve youth unemployment? How effective have those economic policies been which aimed to improve the labor skills and marketability of young people? And how have youths themselves responded to the deteriorating job market confronting them? These questions form the empirical and organizational bases upon which these studies are founded.

"The series is sponsored by the Agence Francaise de Developpement and the World Bank."

The book represents several contributions that guide the readers in the comprehension of the paradigmatic shift from adult/lifelong education, to adult/lifelong learning. At the same time it presents the contexts where adults learn: the organized contexts, such as the institutions and services, and the informal contexts. The book is one of a series dedicated to adult learning and education developed under the auspices of ESRALE (European Studies and Research in Adult Learning and Education) an EU supported project. Its companion books are Maria Slowey (ed.) Comparative Adult Education and Learning. Authors and Texts and Vanna Boffo, Paolo Federighi, Ekkehard Nuissl, Empirical Research Methodology in Adult Learning and Education. Authors and Texts.

Young adulthood - ages approximately 18 to 26 - is a critical period of development with long-lasting implications for a person's economic security, health and well-being. Young adults are key contributors to the nation's workforce and military services and, since many are parents, to the healthy development of the next generation. Although 'millennials' have received attention in the popular media in recent years, young adults are too rarely treated as a distinct population in policy, programs, and research. Instead, they are often grouped with adolescents or, more often, with all adults. Currently, the nation is experiencing economic restructuring, widening inequality, a rapidly rising ratio of older adults, and an increasingly diverse population. The possible transformative effects of these features make focus on young adults especially important. A systematic approach to understanding and responding to the unique circumstances and needs of today's young adults can help to pave the way to a more productive and equitable tomorrow for young adults in particular and our society at large. Investing in The Health and Well-Being of Young Adults describes what is meant by the term young adulthood, who young adults are, what they are doing, and what they need. This study recommends actions that nonprofit programs and federal, state, and local agencies can take to help young adults make a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. According to this report, young adults should be considered as a separate group from adolescents and older adults. Investing in The Health and Well-Being of Young Adults makes the case that increased efforts to improve high school and college graduate rates and education and workforce development systems that are more closely tied to high-demand economic sectors will help this age group achieve greater opportunity and success. The report also discusses the health status of young adults and makes recommendations to develop evidence-based practices for young adults for medical and behavioral health, including preventions. What happens during the young adult years has profound implications for the rest of the life course, and the stability and progress of society at large depends on how any cohort of young adults fares as a whole. Investing in The Health and Well-Being of Young Adults will provide a roadmap to improving outcomes for this age group as they transition from adolescence to adulthood.

This book investigates the ways in which the social purposes of adult education are (re)interpreted over time, and between the global south and global north. It brings together thirty-seven authors from fourteen countries with extensive experience as academics and/or practitioners in the field. The book is inspired by the work and life of Lalage Bown, a leading proponent of post-colonial and inclusive visions of education for all. Over her long life she worked tirelessly to promote access to basic and higher education for people of all ages and backgrounds: with a deep commitment to striving for greater equality for women. Following an Introduction, the book is structured around four main themes: Adult Education and Social Justice; Decolonisation, Post-Colonialism and Indigenous Knowledge; From Literacy to Lifelong Learning; and, Fostering Excellence, Policy Development and Supporting Future Generation of Adult Educators. The book concludes with reflections on Lalage Bown’s Enduring Legacy.

Prison education should be a top priority issue in most societies. Prison conditions must not infringe human rights and dignity and must offer meaningful treatment programmes in order to support inmates in their rehabilitation and reintegration in society. The use of ICTs within a penitentiary context plays a crucial role in that. The present Volume looks at the learning potential in prisons and reports on innovative (e-)learning pathways for basic skills education as designed and tested in Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Romania. Research investigated on what counts as ‘educational’ in such a complex context and how to combine relevant pieces in a ‘learning mosaic’ (the broad range of any learning opportunity across it). This Volume argues that such an approach may be adopted in a wider European perspective within the frame of dynamic security.

Despite the advances that have been made in programming, there is still a lack of sufficient methods for quality control. While code standards try to force programmers to follow a specific set of rules, few tools exist that really deal with automatic refactoring of this code, and evaluation of the coverage of these tests is still a challenge. Code Generation, Analysis Tools, and Testing for Quality is an essential reference source that discusses the generation and writing of computer programming and methods of quality control such as analysis and testing. Featuring research on topics such as programming languages, quality assessment, and automated development, this book is ideally designed for academicians, practitioners, computer science teachers, enterprise developers, and researchers seeking coverage on code auditing strategies and methods.