The ways in which vocational education can be strengthened to contribute most effectively to national education and economic goals are the subject of this book. It discusses changes in the economy and in the nature of jobs that affect the skills needed in the workplace; unemployment conditions, particularly among the young; and the educational implications of these changes and conditions. The book takes a critical look at vocational education, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the system, and makes specific recommendations for its improvement.

In this revolutionary book, a renowned computer scientist explains the importance of teaching children the basics of computing and how it can prepare them to succeed in the ever-evolving tech world. Computers have completely changed the way we teach children. We have Mindstorms to thank for that. In this book, pioneering computer scientist Seymour Papert uses the invention of LOGO, the first child-friendly programming language, to make the case for the value of teaching children with computers. Papert argues that children are more than capable of mastering computers, and that teaching computational processes like de-bugging in the classroom can change the way we learn everything else. He also shows that schools saturated with technology can actually improve socialization and interaction among students and between students and teachers. Technology changes every day, but the basic ways that computers can help us learn remain. For thousands of teachers and parents who have sought creative ways to help children learn with computers, Mindstorms is their bible.

This report surveys teaching and learning conditions in 18 mainly developing countries - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Uruguay, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia and Zimbabwe - and OECD countries.

There are more than 225 million rural-to-urban migrant workers, and some 20 million migrant children in Chinese cities. Because of policies related to the household registration (hukou) system, migrant students are not allowed a public high school education in the cities, so their urban education stops abruptly at the end of middle school. This book investigates the post-middle school education and labor market decisions of migrant students in Beijing and Shanghai, and provides a glimpse into the future of a crucial link in China’s development. The stories of how these migrant students seek upward mobility and urban citizenship also reveal one of the most intricate structural inequalities in China today. Based on quantitative data collected from middle schools in Beijing and Shanghai, and ethnographic data drawing on in-depth interviews with migrant children, their parents, and teachers, this book offers a portrait of the migration and educational experiences and prospects of second generation migrant youth in China today. It explores the urban experience of migrant students, contrasting it with that of local city youngsters, examining the migrant students’ family backgrounds, family dynamics, neighborhood and school experience, and interaction with locals. It goes on to look at the migrant students’ education and career aspirations, the structural obstacles preventing their fulfilment, and how migrant families respond to institutional constraints on educational opportunity. Finally, the book concludes with a discussion of policy implications and offers proposals for resolving the dilemmas of migrant youth. This book will of great interest to students and scholars of Chinese studies, Asian education, migration and social development.

An adequate, well-trained, and diverse health care workforce is essential for providing access to quality health care services. However, despite more than a decade of concerted global action to address the health workforce crisis, collective efforts are falling short in scaling up the supply of health workers. The resulting health workforce shortage affects people's access to quality health care around the globe. In October 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to explore resources for financing health professional education in high-, middle-, and low-income countries and innovative methods for financially supporting investments in health professional education within and across professions. Participants examined opportunities for matching population health needs with the right number, mix, distribution, and skill set of health workers while considering how supply and demand drive decisions within education and health. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

This volume focuses on the recent changes in education and training policy, mainly in the UK. The considerable developments of past years and the ways in which they have affected both education and training are examined. The contributors analyse the methods by which we educate our workforce, and look closely at the kind of training now offered to those in work. The chapters in this reader cover: * the role of the state * how economic factors influence education * national education and training policy * the political factor. Other countries including Germany are looked at, and there is reflection on the ways in which the 'new' industry led qualifications such as NVQs have fared. There is careful analysis as to how much the political climate of the time influenced developments. There is thorough research to back up claims made throughout the book, and many practical examples are referred to. What emerges is an incisive examination of current trends in education and the workplace.

A central claim of this volume is that public policy in education and training can only be properly understood if it is seen in relation to prevailing economic and employment conditions. It has become increaslingly apparent that the neo-liberal economic policies pursued by Western governments during the 1980s and 1990s have led to a growing world-wide 'work crisis'. Unemployment levels, particularly in Europe, remain persistently high, and for those in employment, job insecurity and long working hours have become the norm. The response of UK governments has been to promote 'flexibility' in employment practices while proclaiming the importance of improving skill levels through education and training. This volume challenges the adequacy of such an approach, and asks whether reliance on education and training reforms without additional political intervention in economic processes is capable of reversing current trends. Issues covered in this reader include: * the impact of globalization on employment trends * neo-liberal and neo-Keynesian approaches to employment policy * political reforms in education and training institutions * the impact of flexibilization on private life and the family. The two volumes in this series are readers for the Open University course Education, Training and the Future of Work, E837, a module of the MA in Education. The companion volume is Education, Training and the Future of Work II: Developments in Vocational Education and Training. John Ahier is Lecturer in Education at the Open University. Geoff Esland is Director of the Centre for Sociology and Social Research at the Open University and Course team Chair of E837.