Lifelong Learning: Bridging the Gap between Higher Education and Employers' Needs

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 347-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deirdre Burnet ◽  
Kevyn Smith
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
New Learning ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University

Promoting the lifelong learning agenda is a clear aspiration within many higher education establishments. But can this aspiration be achieved without rethinking the way in which learning is approached and delivered? The UK government's agenda is targeted at increasing skill levels within business and industry through the delivery of lifelong learning activities, thus enhancing the competitiveness of UK companies. However, to encourage people to participate when they have not engaged in formal learning for some time may be problematic if the benefits of participation are not evidently relevant to them. This paper outlines an approach to lifelong learning that has provided a bridge between the needs of small and medium-sized firms in the North East of England and the University of Northumbria. The learners were Armed Forces personnel who had either left the services with no job to go to, or who were in the process of resettlement, with little idea of employment opportunities open to them in the future. Part of the challenge was to ‘match’ the existing skills of participants to the needs of local employers and to encourage new learning to help make the transition from service to civilian life as smooth as possible.

‘A not unedifying field for some local antiquary of the future’: new evidence on library activity and mutual improvement. The experience of the north-east of Scotland

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-31
Author(s):  
John C. Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Liberal Party ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Early Form ◽  
Working Classes ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
The University

Mutual improvement, an early form of lifelong learning, was widespread among the nineteenth-century working classes and has been portrayed as a variable and relatively unstructured phenomenon. This essay challenges this view by examining the movement in north-east Scotland in the nineteenth century and its symbiotic relationship with library activity as libraries provided information to facilitate debate. The movement originated in the 1830s and flourished until the end of the century. Mutual improvement activity was fuelled by religious division and a relationship with the Liberal Party. The principal ideologue of the movement, which peaked in the 1850s, was Robert Harvie Smith, who articulated a sophisticated lifelong learning ideology supported by specific learning objectives, prioritised in order. A notable feature was the involvement of women in the movement. Most of the participants were tradesmen or small tenant farmers, and the subjects of their debates reflected their preoccupations: modern farming, religious controversy, and the ‘farm servant problem’. The movement anticipated the university extension movement by about thirty years. Because the north-east had its own university and was a self-contained learning culture, mutual improvers might proceed to university, thus anticipating modern ideas about received prior learning (RPL) and articulation. Mutual improvement activity demonstrates the continuing intellectual vitality in rural Scotland in the late nineteenth century.

Modernization of Universities through Greater Interaction with Small Firms

1999 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Tilley ◽  
David Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This paper explores the ‘best practice’ interactions between universities and small firms in the UK. The purpose is to identify ways in which a university can build stronger and more effective links with small firms. The relationship between universities and small firms is of growing importance. There are political, economic and educational pressures which influence the behaviour and relationship of higher education toward the business sector, and small firms in particular. The wider context of the changes taking place within higher education are discussed. This is followed by the initial findings from a recently completed research project for the Council for Industry and Higher Education which investigated the foremost components in ‘best practice’ interactions and linkages between small firms and universities in the North East of England. Some preliminary ideas are suggested on how best practice can be further facilitated. These proposals are then interpreted in terms of the operational implications for universities and other strategic organizations involved in building linkages with small firms.

Understanding Notions of Enterprise in the Higher Education Sector

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Hartshorn
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
University Curriculum ◽  
Form Part ◽  
The University

Findings from research undertaken in universities in the North East of England as part of the Science Enterprise Challenge initiative demonstrate the wide-ranging conceptualizations of ‘enterprise’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ held by academics from a broad spread of disciplines. These include conceptions of enterprise as certain skills, behaviours and attitudes, and as the establishment of a business venture. Subsequent ‘enterprise offerings’ within the university curriculum are informed and influenced by the subjective and different definitions of enterprise given by the research respondents. This paper suggests how these diverse definitions and conceptualizations may be accommodated by higher education institutions, and thus form part of the national policy agenda of creating an enterprising society.

The Development of Industry—Higher Education Relationships in Kuwait and the UK

1994 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
Salahaldeen Al-Ali
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Kuwait University ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Newcastle Upon Tyne ◽  
Made In

The author compares existing links between industry and higher education in Kuwait and the UK as exemplified by activities and attitudes at the Universities of Newcastle upon Tyne and Durham in the north-east of England and Kuwait University. Although in both countries there are positive attitudes towards establishing and developing close links, considerably more progress has been made in the UK than in Kuwait, where there is a lack both of the necessary management structures and of agencies to promote interaction.

Value Addition Through Higher Education: With Special Reference To Skill Development In North East India

GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 341-348
Author(s):  
Dr. Mini Jain ◽  
Dr. Mini Jain
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Value Addition ◽  
Quality Initiatives ◽  
North East India ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Skilled Manpower ◽  
The Status

In India, higher education is a need of hour. The excellence of Higher Edification decides the production of skilled manpower to the nation. Indian education system significantly teaching has not been tested too economical to form youths of our country employable in line with the requirement of job market. Despite the rise in range of establishments at primary, secondary and tertiary level our young educated folks don't seem to be capable of being used and recovering job opportunities. Reason being they need not non-heritable such skills essential for demand of the duty market. The present study is aimed at analyzing the status of higher education institutions in terms of Infrastructure, various courses of the institute, quality Initiatives and skill development program offered by the Institutes, in the North-East India region, so as to see whether the Higher Educational Institutes of this region are in the process of gradually developing the skills of the students in attaining excellence. The paper also laid emphasis on the measures adopted by these institutes for quality improvement, and to find out their role in combating the adversity acclaimed in the region, since this region’s development is impeded by certain inherent difficulties However, this paper focuses attention on high quality education with special emphasis on higher education for forward linkages through value addition.

scholarly journals Military Veterans and Welfare Reform: Bridging Two Policy Worlds through Qualitative Longitudinal Research

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Lisa Scullion ◽  
Katy Jones ◽  
Peter Dwyer ◽  
Celia Hynes ◽  
Philip Martin
Keyword(s):  
Welfare Reform ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk

There has been an increasing focus in the UK on the support provided to the Armed Forces community, with the publication of the Armed Forces Covenant (2011), the Strategy for our Veterans (2018) and the first ever Office for Veterans’ Affairs (2019). There is also an important body of research – including longitudinal research – focusing on transitions from military to civilian life, much of which is quantitative. At the same time, the UK has witnessed a period of unprecedented welfare reform. However, research focused on veterans’ interactions with the social security system has been largely absent. This article draws on the authors’ experiences of undertaking qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) to address this knowledge gap. We reflect on how QLR was essential in engaging policy makers enabling the research to bridge the two parallel policy worlds of veterans’ support and welfare reform, leading to significant policy and practice impact.

scholarly journals Talking the Talk and Fitting In: Troubling the Practices of Speaking? ‘What you are Worth’ in Higher Education in the UK

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Addison ◽  
Victoria ◽  
G. Mountford
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
University Staff ◽  
Cultural Meanings ◽  
The North ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Fitting In ◽  
Uk Higher Education

In this article we raise questions about fitting in pertaining to various classed identities within two UK Higher Education Institutions (HEI). We discuss the pains and privileges attached to accent and ways of speaking worth: Who is able to mobilize and capitalize on inscribed values, as they come to be attached to ways of talking? Accents and ways of talking are part of embodied class identities and whilst some carry connotations of intelligence, other ways of talking are positioned as lacking value, as well as other cultural meanings ( Sayer 2002 ; Spencer, Clegg and Stackhouse 2013 ; Lawler 1999 ; Skeggs 1997 ; Southerton 2002 ; Taylor 2007 ; Macfarlane and Stuart-Smith 2012 ). In this article we discuss our empirical research carried out in two separate qualitative ESRC-funded research projects in the north of England with undergraduate students (Victoria Mountford) and university staff (Michelle Addison). Focusing primarily on white British ways of talking, we examine how embodying particular accents or ways of talking affect classed notions of ‘fitting in’ or ‘standing out’ (Reay et al 2009: 1; Abraham and Ingram 2013 ) in HE. In a climate of uncertainty in Higher Education we are concerned that the importance of demonstrating one's impact, value and worth comes down to more than just productivity, it is becoming demonstrably about being able to ‘talk the talk’. Here we trouble the practices of speaking ‘what you are worth’.

Web Accessibility of the Top Research-Intensive Universities in the UK

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824402110566
Author(s):  
Sophia Alim
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
The Body ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Text Content ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Future Technologies ◽  
The University

Although the web accessibility of universities around the world is well documented, much remains unknown about this aspect of higher education institutions in the UK. Using three automated web accessibility tools (TAW, WAVE and EIII Page Checker), this study explores the accessibility of the homepages of 66 research-intensive universities with respect to the WCAG 2.0 checkpoints. The results show that the most common checkpoint violations involve the provision of text alternatives for non-text content, contrast errors and the need to increase the computability of webpages with future technologies and tools. The results show that there are variations between UK universities, and there is some evidence of consistent compliance amongst the university homepages. However, when evaluated against results from similar studies of web accessibility in other countries, these web pages perform well. Overall, this study adds to the body of knowledge on web accessibility in higher education in the UK.

Enabling New Market Exploitation by SMEs

1996 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceris Burns
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Collaboration ◽  
Market Research ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Medical Electronics ◽  
Small Companies ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
The Way

This article provides a practical case example of the way in which international collaboration between government, higher education and business can lead to new commercial opportunities for small companies which would otherwise lack the necessary resources for the extensive market research required, and also to enhanced knowledge and understanding for all participants. The author summarizes the results of her market research in France, undertaken as part of a TCS programme of the University of Stirling and Albyn Medical, a small Scottish-based company in the medical electronics business. The six-week visit to France was the result of a TCS scholarship supported by institutions in both France and the UK.

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