scholarly journals An overview of Portugal's educational challenges and responses to the global pandemic of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 98-101
Author(s):  
Filipa Alves da Costa ◽  
Maria Deolinda Auxtero ◽  
Ana Paula Martins ◽  
Maria Margarida Caramona

The current pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 came un-expectantly and required unprecedented ability to adapt and quickly put in place the most appropriate response measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 disease, while minimising disruption to society’s essential activities. Some sectors were more capable of adapting and reacting than others. Higher education was one of the sectors where the academic capacity (FIP Development Goal 1) demonstrated was phenomenal, partially attributable to the ability to create partnerships between academia and practice. This editorial provides a description of the major changes put in place in Portugal to ensure the education and training of future graduates in Pharmaceutical Sciences was maintained with the same quality. It also discusses some of the potentially less beneficial long-term impacts of these adaptions to the teaching and assessment methods for the competencies of the workforce of tomorrow.

Author(s):  
Prakash C Bhattarai

Employment sector has been invariably affected in the current crisis resulted from the global pandemic of COVID-19. This demands a paradigm shift in the present way of intervention in the TVET sector of Nepal through short- and long-term strategies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Liudmyla I. Berezovska ◽  
Galyna D. Kondratska ◽  
Anna A. Zarytska ◽  
Kateryna S. Volkova ◽  
Taras M. Matsevko

This article sets sights on highlighting the effectiveness and efficiency of higher and vocational education and training, as well as exploring ways to address and implement the current reform agenda in the field. The research was conducted on the basis of a generalizing and comparative method, to identify the problems and development of vocational and higher education. Within the framework of the conducted research the current state of vocational and higher education has been characterized; the features of online learning at leading universities and its advantages has been clarified; the prospects of introduction of continuity of education have been studied, for the development of personality abilities, taking into account changes in society in the context of improvement of the system of vocational and higher education caused by the European integration process of education; directions for the development of vocational and higher education as part of the national education system and society in general have been outlined. It is determined, that at the present stage the domestic education system should be improved and transferred to an innovative way of development in accordance with developed countries. In the near future, such modern forms of education as: distance education, dual education, continuing vocational education and others, should be improved and implemented into the educational process.


2021 ◽  
pp. 136078042110095
Author(s):  
Jessica Gerrard ◽  
Juliet Watson

This article demonstrates how unemployment is made productive through workfare activities for older disadvantaged job seekers. We suggest that the requirement to look for work, engage in education and training, and participate in voluntary work blurs the boundaries between employment and unemployment. Drawing on in-depth qualitative research with older disadvantaged job seekers, we demonstrate how this obligatory productivity is lived and felt, characterised by shame and frustration and framed by the temporality of waiting and searching for work. We suggest that this experience of ‘productive’ unemployment can be described as a dissonant state of ‘transitional stasis’, whereby job seekers are expected to transition out of unemployment and poverty while experiencing the long-term and ongoing effects of immobility.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Graf ◽  
Justin J. W. Powell ◽  
Johann Fortwengel ◽  
Nadine Bernhard

Dual study programs are hybrid forms of work-based higher education that have expanded very rapidly in Germany—a country traditionally considered a key model in both higher education (HE) and vocational education and training (VET). The continued expansion of these hybrid programs increasingly raises questions if, how, and why they may be internationalized. Although comparative research suggests that this could be challenging due to the uniqueness of the German education and training system, strong forces support internationalization. This study examines the current state and the future prospects of internationalization of such innovative dual study programs by focusing on student mobility, a key dimension of internationalization. We find growing interest in but still relatively little mobility related to dual study programs, whether among German (outgoing) or international (incoming) students. Based on expert interviews and document analysis, we extend existing typologies of student mobility regarding specific features of work-based HE programs. Furthermore, we discuss opportunities—at home and abroad—for increasing student mobility in this rapidly expanding sector.


Author(s):  
A. Alekseev

The article explores the interrelation between the main factors of national economy competitiveness on the basis of logical and correlation analysis of the data on 144 countries presented in The Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum. The analysis of the strength and nature of the relations between the factors gives grounds to assume that institutions, infrastructure, higher education and training are core problems; goods market efficiency, technological readiness are key problems; business sophistication and innovation are resulting problems. The analysis shows that the competitiveness indicators of other BRICS countries which are better than Russian ones, are achieved not due to any remarkable progress in economic policy, but owing to the lack of serious failures typical for Russian economy. For instance, the high level of Russian infrastructure, macroeconomic stability, sizes of home market and some other indicators come to nothing because of extremely low level of Russian institutions, market efficiency, financial market, and business sophistication. As a result, other BRICS countries' progress, which is not so remarkable itself, gives much better cumulative result in comparison with Russian breakthrough, which cannot be accomplished in the environment that is unfavorable for it. With the view of Russian economy competitiveness and innovation upgrade, firstly, it is essential to increase the quality of Russian institutions (the necessity of reforms is indubitable: Russia occupies the 133d place in the world in accordance with the quality of its institutions), to improve the infrastructure, higher education and training. The advancement in solving these problems will facilitate the situation or solve the large part of the problems of goods market efficiency and improve the existing technological readiness. The increasing of the goods market quality and the improvement of technological readiness will, in their turn, upgrade business sophistication and innovations. The proposed approach gives ground to claim that the reforms need to be made in the sequence described above. The upgrade of Russian companies’ business sophistication and their innovation will be to a great extent the result of the solution of the mentioned problems.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 228-238
Author(s):  
Vi Hoang Dang

Stakeholders’ perceptions towards a career in vocational education and training (VET) in Vietnam negate the country’s industrial development plan. During the last 15 years, the Vietnamese Governments investment in to the sector increased annually. However, parents and their children still pursue the goal of higher education via the mainstream rather than a career path way using the vocational education and training system. Although stereotypical views of vocational students are being challenged, Confucian ideology maintains some influence over stakeholders’ educational decisions leading to the sustained popularity of higher education. This study explores the perceptions of students on the image of and their loyalty towards vocational education and training. A sample of 300 lower secondary school, 300 upper secondary school, and 300 vocational students was drawn from across the Northern and Southern regions of Vietnam. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data and mean analysis conducted to explore the data. The findings indicate that agreement with statements about facilities and equipment, teacher’s ability, curriculum, and soft skills are the clearest indicators of enhanced perceptions about the image of vocational education and training. Encouragement from parents appears most influential to positively affecting lower secondary students’ loyalty. Unexpected was that vocational students had less interesting continuing in vocational education and training compared to lower and upper secondary school students inclination towards a career in VET. First-hand experience seemingly leads to diminished perceptions and loyalty towards vocational education.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-69
Author(s):  
Amina Sani

The need to face emerging challenges squarely should not be disregarded in today’s world. Higher education is at the centre of preparing future business professionals and equipping them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they will need address the emerging challenges of this century. Making specific reference to the Secretarial Component of Business Education, this paper demonstrates that contemporary needs are changing rapidly. Therefore, the paper argues, education and training should change. Recommendations towards achieving these suggestions are made.Keywords: Business education; Secretarial studies; Educational reform


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. I. Blinov ◽  
L. N. Kurteeva

Long-term socio-economic development forecast of the Russian Federation for the period till 2030 specifies that the main barriers in the implementation of innovative and accelerated scenarios are caused by the shortage of world-competitive professional personnel both at the level of corporations and public administration, the inefficiency of coordination mechanisms. This study is aimed at studying the readiness and possibilities of the system of vocational education and training of the Russian Federation to respond to external challenges, taking into account scenarios of the long-term forecast of the social and economic development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2035. The study is also aimed at creating scientific, organizational and methodological conditions for the positive modernization of the professional education and training system of the Russian Federation on the basis of regional development strategies, which will allow implementing measures to develop infrastructure, personnel potential, create modern conditions for the implementation of professional educational programs. The study presents predictive scenarios of the development of secondary vocational education, gives their characteristics, and identifies risks and advantages. The presented scenarios allow us to determine the socio-economic potential of vocational education, to determine the goals and objectives in its development.


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