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Improvements in workforce skills are essential for European countries to attain higher economic growth and to compete effectively on product markets. Literature indicates a positive relationship between levels of education and productivity growth. This report builds on and expands this body of research in two ways: (1) It investigates the differential impact of various skill types--higher (academic), upper-intermediate vocational, lower-intermediate vocational, lower-intermediate general, and low--on labour productivity; and (2) It accounts for the stock of uncertified skills (i.e. those built through training). The analysis is carried out in six European Union Member States--Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom--representing different modes of vocational education and training (VET) and those for which data were available. The analysis suggests that general and vocational skills complement each other and that the effect of certified skills on productivity is stronger when certified skills are reinforced by training. This study underlines that learning in the workplace, both in initial and continuing VET, makes a fundamental contribution to productivity, and comes to support policy efforts to develop apprenticeship and adult learning. The following annex is included: (1) Overview of research methods used in the study. [This publication is the result of a team effort reflecting the work of a research consortium of Geoff Mason, Dawn Holland, Iana Liadze, Rebecca Riley, Ana Rincon-Aznar, and Mary O'Mahony, and their aids Tatiana Fic, Rachel Whitworth, Yasheng Maimaiti, and Fei Peng. This work was carried out under contract number 2009-0216/AO/RPA/GUTCHPDE/VET-Macroeconomic-benefits/010/0.]

This report focuses on children aged 8 to 11 and their enjoyment of reading, reading behaviour, and attitudes toward reading. It synthesises information from surveys that have been conducted since 2005, but most heavily exploits data from the fourth annual literacy survey conducted in November/December 2013 in which 10,946 8 to 11-year-olds participated. In addition, this report explores the link between reading, gender, and socio-economic background (assessed by free school meal uptake) for this age group and how certain subgroups of pupils are potentially doubly disadvantaged. Some general findings in this report include: (1) Nearly two-thirds (65.8%) of 8 to 11-year-olds enjoy reading either very much (34.4%) or quite a lot (31.4%); (2) Nearly three-quarters (72.8%) of 8 to 11-year-olds have a favourite book or story; (3) 84.6% of children aged 8 to 11 say that they have a book of their own at home; (4) Two-fifths (40.7%) read daily outside class, while over a third (34.7%) read a few times a week; (5) Nearly a quarter (22.8%) of 8 to 11-year-olds read for up to 10 minutes at a time, while another quarter (25.3%) read for up to 20 minutes; (6) When asked what types of materials they read outside class, most 8 to 11-year-olds say that they read text messages (56.4%), followed by magazines (51.6%) and fiction (50.5%); (7) A lot of 8 to 11-year-olds are avid readers of books; (8) Nearly 9 in 10 (87.0%) 8 to 11-year-olds have been given a book as a present, while 9 in 10 (92.7%) have also been to a library; and (9) Most 8 to 11-year-olds have positive attitudes toward reading. [The research for this report has informed the publication "How reading can help children escape poverty" produced by the Read On. Get On. coalition.]

Taking a gap year--a break between high school and university--is becoming increasingly popular with Australian students. In terms of length and purpose, the traditional notion of a gap year being a year off between school and university has expanded considerably over time. For the purposes of the analysis reported in this paper, a person who takes a gap year is defined as "an individual who commenced university one to two years after completing Year 12. This includes those who accept and defer their university placement for one to two years" (Curtis, Mlotkowski & Lumsden 2012). Highlights of this report include: (1) In Australia the incidence of taking a gap year has increased from 10% in the period 1999-2000 to 24% in 2009-10; (2) The top four primary activities undertaken by gap students in 2009-10 were work (51%), full-time study leading to a non-university qualification (10%), other study (6%), and travel (6%); (3) Characteristics of gap-takers include: (a) being academically less inclined than non-gap-takers; (b) living in regional locations when at school; (c) having English speaking backgrounds; (d) being employed when in Year 12 at school; and (e) being less likely to receive Youth Allowance payments while at school; (4) In their first year of university, gap-takers are more likely to study in the areas of education and creative arts; and (5) Those who don't take a gap year are substantially more likely at age 24 to be employed full-time and to work in professional occupations than gap-takers. Much of this difference can be attributed to the fact that, in terms of their careers, gap-takers are a year or two behind those who don't take a gap year. The data do not allow the authors to measure the longer-term outcomes of both groups because the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) stops at age 25. Appended are: (1) Gap year definitions; and (2) LSAY cohorts sample sizes and durations. (Contains 13 tables.) [For "Bridging the Gap: Who Takes a Gap Year and Why? Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. Research Report," see ED533077.]

This report reviews the use of loans for learning in 33 European countries and analyses the schemes in eight selected Member States: France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Finland, Sweden and the UK. The analysis shows that loan schemes vary considerably across Europe in terms of types and levels of learning covered, conditions of access, repayment and governance. Some loans aim to increase participation in learning in general, while others are designed to promote equity. The report attempts to assess the selected loans and discusses their strengths and weaknesses and determinants of performance, while considering if a given scheme operates on a large scale or targets niche groups. The evaluation results provide a basis for identifying good practice principles for designing and implementing loans. Policy recommendations are formulated based on these findings. Annexed are: (1) Methodology; (2) Key terms and definitions; (3) Information on countries/schemes selected for in-depth analysis; (4) Proposed typologies of VET loan schemes; (5) Tables and figures; (6) Tosmana truth tables; (7) Questionnaires; (8) Basic characteristics of non-European loan schemes. (Contains 37 tables, 5 figures, 20 boxes and 33 footnotes.)

This study analyzed why child poverty rates were so much higher in Great Britain than in Western Germany during the 1990s, focusing on why child poverty exit rates were lower and child poverty entry rates were higher in Great Britain. Researchers used a form of decomposition analysis comparing cross-nationally the prevalence of events that triggered poverty (changes in household composition, household labor market attachment, and labor earnings) and the chances of making a poverty transition conditional on experiencing a trigger event. Results found that the latter type of difference was the most important for both poverty exits and poverty entries. The findings reflected differences between the German and British welfare states, with the German one providing a greater cushion against adverse events and better reinforcement of positive events. Differences in the prevalence rates of trigger events also played a role. A notable example was the greater risk of job loss in Great Britain compared to Western Germany. (Contains 29 references.) (SM)

This paper outlines a framework for analyzing existing quality initiatives and for planning and implementing new ones particularly designed for colleges in Great Britain in their new status as independent, incorporated entities. It is designed to assist colleges in managing quality and in using quality management as a means of institutional development. The framework's starting premise is that each institution must find its own route to quality and that externally prescribed approaches are usually the least effective. Following a discussion of the purpose of a quality framework and of the difference between procedural and transformational notions of quality, the following framework components are listed: (1) leadership and strategy, (2) teamwork, (3) customer requirements, and (4) systems and procedures. Each of these is then discussed in detail with the use of a diagram that shows the relations between different elements and specific types of tasks. A section on evaluation looks at immediate, short-term and long-term evaluation. An exploration of the management of quality compares a quality college with a college managed along traditional lines and describes the quality college as having a flatter structure with strong, integrating horizontal links. A conclusion reviews linking the framework in this paper with the European Quality Award. (Contains 24 references.) (JB)

The question of whether inequality in skills explains inequality of earnings across advanced countries was examined through a review of data from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), which examined the prose, document, and quantitative literacy skills of adults in 12 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. In all countries, jobless individuals tended to have lower skill levels than workers. The distribution of earnings and the distribution of skills varied widely among advanced countries, with the major English-speaking countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, having much greater inequality in both earnings and skills than continental European Union countries. According to data from the IALS, skill inequality explains only approximately 7% of the cross-country difference in earnings inequality. The dispersion of earnings in the United States was found to be larger in narrowly defined skill groups than was the dispersion of earnings for European workers overall. In the United States, IALS test scores rose substantially with movement up the income scale, with the increase in scores averaging 17 points per income quintile. The bulk of cross-country differences in earnings inequality were found to occur within skill groups rather than between them. (The bibliography contains 20 references. Twelve tables/figures are included.) (MN)

This paper discusses activity analysis and the identification of options as the first two stages of a structured approach to achieving budget savings at postsecondary institutions, focusing on schools and practices in the United Kingdom. It presents five checklists of opportunities for reducing spending and controlling costs. The checklists cover: (1) management staff costs; (2) other staff costs (including staff changes, resignations and dismissals, new appointments, and contractual changes); (3) capital assets costs; (4) non-staff recurrent costs (including security, insurance, utilities, catering services, professional services, finance and contract management, purchasing, examinations and validation, publicity and marketing, staff development, expense accounts, and hospitality); and (5) costing and pricing. The paper concludes that postsecondary institutions can eliminate waste and better utilize their limited resources through an analysis of their activities that focuses on the identification of possible budget savings. (MDM)

This paper examines methods that postsecondary institutions can use to cope with faculty and staff incapability, focusing on schools and practices in the United Kingdom. It first discusses the nature and scale of faculty/staff incapability in the United Kingdom, reviewing relevant court decisions. It then examines administration responses to incapability that may result from incompetence, short-term sickness, and long-term illness. The paper suggests that administration responses to incapability need to address the purpose of action, coverage, stages, time limits, appeals, sanctions, and records. It also discusses the conduct of review panels, investigations, and hearings, as well as the relevance of communication, training, and collective bargaining agreements. Appendices offer guidelines and procedures for decision-making in determining incapability. (Contains 15 references.) (MDM)

The patterns, extent, and problems of working at home in the United Kingdom were examined through a multivariate analysis of data from the Labour Force Survey, which has questioned respondents about the location of their workplace since 1992. The numbers of people working "mainly" at home increased from 345,920 (1.5%) in 1981 to 680,612 (2.5%) in 1998. Those working from home at least 1 day per week accounted for 3.5% of the employed workforce, with those working from home "sometimes" accounting for a further 22%. Higher occupational groups were overrepresented among those working mainly or sometimes at home. Three of five of those who work at home at least 1 day per week relied on computers and telecommunications to keep in touch with clients and colleagues. Approximately three-fourths of manual workers who work at home received low pay versus one-fifth of their conventionally located counterparts. Women accounted for 69% of those working mainly at home. Except in certain categories (which did not include manual work), ethnic minorities were underrepresented among those working at home. Women who worked mainly at home were more likely to report having dependent children. (The bibliography lists 51 references. Eight tables are included. Information on data availability and descriptions of variables are appended.) (MN)

This handbook, which is intended for individuals involved in program evaluation and improvement at British further education (FE) colleges, contains strategies and materials to help colleges work with industry to make their programs better able to build the skills and knowledge of their local communities. The first two sections offer rationales for making FE more responsive to the training needs of local business and industry and conducting a program audit. Presented in section 3 are 17 case studies that illustrate innovative programs and practices designed to establish/improve links between FE and business/industry and making FE programming more accessible and responsive to local employers. Section 4 lists key points for FE colleges regarding the following: managing the school-business interface; partnerships; flexibility and responsiveness; staffing; curriculum development; and National Vocational Qualifications development. The process of conducting an industry links audit and potential benefits of such audits are examined in section 5. The last section of the handbook is a 14-page audit tool to help FE colleges working with industry assess the following aspects of program development/improvement: strategic planning/policy development; management and coordination; marketing; image/ethos; curriculum planning, design, and delivery; monitoring and evaluation; resources; and costing/pricing and finance. (MN)

This publication offers practical support to those in British higher education implementing the Observation of Teaching governmental directives. It provides discussion of key issues as well as a range of materials on how to carry out teaching observation including 23 checklists. The materials are grouped in four main areas: general issues, self assessment, peer assessment, and student observation. The chapters are as follows: (1) "Editorial" (Sally Brown and Gareth Jones); (2) "Observing Teaching" (Stewart Rawnsley); (3) "Ways of Observing: Comment" (Gareth Jones); (4) "Observing Teaching: Issues and Outcomes" (Sally Brown, Clive Colling); (5) "Observing Teaching in Other Contexts" (George Brown); (6) "What To Do Before the Session: Some Guidance on Observation of Teaching in Higher Education" (Gareth Jones); (7) "Self Assessment: Reflecting on Your Own Teaching: Observation Checklists 2-6" (Graham Gibbs); (8) "Watching Yourself Teach and Learning from It" (Tony Claydon and Liz McDowell); (9) "Observing Teaching in Higher Education" (Sally Brown); (10) "Peer Assessment: Checklists 7-20, Giving and Receiving Feedback, Developing an Observation Schedule"; (11) "Observation of Teaching: Guidelines for Observers and Observed, Observation Checklist 21" (Hazel Fullerton); and (12) "Student Observation: Checklists 22 and 23." The thirteenth chapter is an annotated bibliography containing nine references. (JB)

This combination report/guide summarizes practical "how-to" information on the development and operation of national training boards that was gathered in a series of case studies of the effectiveness of national training boards in Canada, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom and in studies of training boards in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, and South Africa. The introductory chapter describes the research on which the guide is based, discusses common themes affecting the quality of training in the countries studied, and examines the rationale for training programs. Chapter 2 summarizes the subsequent discussion of the effectiveness of national training boards in the form of a checklist and guidelines for use by countries considering establishing a national training board. Chapters 3-9 synthesize research findings into practical recommendations dealing with the following aspects of initiating and operating national training boards: enabling legislation, training board composition, training board structure, financial resources, delivery of training, institutional planning and operations, and testing and certification. Chapters 10 and 11, which are more analytical than the chapters preceding them, examine the perception and images of national training boards and lessons learned from the case studies. Contains 59 references. (MN)