Developing vocational competences during secondary school?

Using the example of an amalgamated secondary school qualification (IBCP) in which both vocational education and training (VET) and academic subjects are taught, the paper discusses the use of skills and knowledge gained during the IBCP for post-secondary school activities. Vocational training can indicate ambivalent signals to potential employers or higher education admission officers. From a Human Capital perspective, young people could indicate that they gained additional skills and thus are more productive compared to others without vocational training. With regards to their social mobility, young people who obtained vocational training as a part of their secondary school can signal lower academic capability. The paper uses mixed method data based on a survey of 57 IBCP graduates and qualitative interviews with twenty IBCP graduates. Findings relate to the role of the IBCP in the careers-decision making process, the skills and competences students gained during their IBCP and its transferability to their current activity. After their IBCP, more than half of all observed students had entered higher education. Whilst a few students did not engage actively in the careers decision making process, some were pro-active and used different sources to gain information. However, a large group of students used their time during the IBCP to test various occupational ideas and thus used their VET to further the careers-decision making process. Most students reported that they could transfer the skills and competencies they had gained during their secondary school to their current activity. Finally, the paper calls for a renunciation of the ambivalent signals an amalgamated secondary school degree can provide. IBCP students signal both an increased productivity due to an increased level of vocational skills and a lower level of academic achievement. These signals, however, allow students to enter a highly diverse higher education system, especially in vocational courses

The Intra-European transferability of graduates’ skills gained in the UK

Mobility has been seen as the hallmark of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) with student and graduate mobility being promoted and facilitated through the Bologna process. This paper follows the experiences of twelve UK educated mobile graduates of British and other European Union (EU) nationality and analyses both their skills gained by studying at a UK higher education institution and the obstacles they experienced to transfer their UK qualification to a different country. We demonstrate that graduates not only developed – as part of their course and within the opportunities that the UK higher education environment offers – but also used various skills ranging from subject specific to language and generic skills in their current activities. While a UK degree is reputable and well known in other European countries, there seem to be limitations in relation to its transferability and recognition for studying and working beyond the UK which contribute to unequal treatment in the local labour market between domestic and foreign educated graduates. More than a decade after the inception of the Bologna process and the introduction of tools to facilitate mobility, structural barriers still exist which prevent the smooth recognition of skills and qualifications of mobile students and graduates within the EU. This has implications for further study and employment outcomes for mobile graduates but also for mobility decisions before and after higher education

The early career paths of UK educated Intra-European mobile graduates

Students and graduates alike are encouraged to enhance their skills and knowledge by moving to a different European country as both national governments and European institutions anticipate individual skill gains, closer European networks and a boost on national economies as a result. Using data from a longitudinal survey, this paper follows UK-educated Intra-European mobile graduates from undergraduate courses into employment, further study or other activities, and compares their early pathway with graduates who remained in the UK. Mobile graduates are divided into three groups: Returning European students, UK mobile graduates, and other mobile graduates. Empirical findings show that for returning students, mobility after graduation fulfils mainly educational functions. However, even though mobile graduates are less likely to enter employment directly after graduation, they are more likely to work in skill-appropriate occupations. The transition to either employment or further study of most mobile graduates does not take longer compared to stayers

Die Stärkung der seelischen Gesundheit arbeitsloser Jugendlicher : eine Analyse zum Sofortprogramm zum Abbau der Jugendarbeitslosigkeit (JUMP) (Strengthening the mental health of young unemployed people : an analysis of the immediate action programme to reduce youth unemployment (JUMP))

"One of the latent aims of the measures carried out in the context of the immediate action programme for young people is to promote the mental health of the participants, thus strengthening their ability to cope with external and internal demands. The paper examines whether and if so, how, the mental health had changed following participation in the programme. The participants were interviewed during and after the measure and the results of the of the repetition interviews were compared. The analysis shows - differentiated according to gender - the influence of various factors on the mental health of the young people. Some of the participants' mental health seemed to have strengthened after completing the measure compared with their first interviews, in some of the other participants a deterioration of their condition could be ascertained instead. The financial situation, the degree of work involvement, the type of measure attended and the labour market status achieved are factors that can be considered to have some influence. In both male and female participants, a high level of work involvement was associated with positive effects on the mental health, whereas financial restrictions corresponded with a deterioration in health values." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))arbeitslose Jugendliche, Jugendsofortprogramm - Auswirkungen, psychische Faktoren, Gesundheitszustand, Geschlechterverteilung

Literature Review on Employability, Inclusion and ICT, Report 2: ICT and Employability

IPTS has launched a research project on how ICT can support employability, in the context of its policy support activities for the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy, and the Digital Agenda for Europe. As a first step, JRC-IPTS contracted the Institute of Employment Research, University of Warwick, UK to prepare: a) a review of the literature on employability, its dimensions and the factors which affect it in general and for groups at risk of exclusion, namely migrants, youth and older workers; and b) a report on how ICT contribute to employability, support the reduction of barriers and create pathways to employment for all and also for the three specific groups at risk of exclusion. This report presents the findings of the second part of the research.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Correlative Microscopy of Morphology and Luminescence of Cu porphyrin aggregates

Transfer of energy and information through molecule aggregates requires as one important building block anisotropic, cable-like structures. Knowledge on the spatial correlation of luminescence and morphology represents a prerequisite in the understanding of internal processes and will be important for architecting suitable landscapes. In this context we study the morphology, fluorescence and phosphorescence of molecule aggregate structures on surfaces in a spatially correlative way. We consider as two morphologies, lengthy strands and isotropic islands. It turns out that phosphorescence is quite strong compared to fluorescence and the spatial variation of the observed intensities is largely in line with the amount of dye. However in proportion, the strands exhibit more fluorescence than the isotropic islands suggesting weaker non-radiative channels. The ratio fluorescence to phosphorescence appears to be correlated with the degree of aggregation or internal order. The heights at which luminescence saturates is explained in the context of attenuation and emission multireflection, inside the dye. This is supported by correlative photoemission electron microscopy which is more sensitive to the surface region. The lengthy structures exhibit a pronounced polarization dependence of the luminescence with a relative dichroism up to about 60%, revealing substantial perpendicular orientation preference of the molecules with respect to the substrate and parallel with respect to the strands

Literature Review on Employability, Inclusion and ICT, Report 1: The Concept of employability, with a specific focus on Young people, older workers and migrants

IPTS has launched a research project on how ICT can support employability, in the context of its policy support activities for the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy, and the Digital Agenda for Europe. As a first step, JRC-IPTS contracted the Institute of Employment Research, University of Warwick, UK to prepare: a) a review of the literature on employability, its dimensions and the factors which affect it in general and for groups at risk of exclusion, namely migrants, youth and older workers; and b) a report on how ICT contribute to employability, support the reduction of barriers and create pathways to employment for all and also for the three specific groups at risk of exclusion. This report presents the findings of the first part of the research.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Spatially resolved measurement of hydroxyl (OH) radical concentration in a microwave plasma jet by planar laser-induced fluorescence

The spatially resolved concentration of OH radicals in the effluent of a microwave (MW) surfatron plasma jet was measured by planar laser-induced fluorescence. Two cases were compared – constant MW power and MW power modulated by 80 Hz. In both cases the maximal concentration was at the tip of the visible discharge, but for constant MW power the OH was spread over a larger volume. The maximum concentration in both cases was on the order of 10^{22} m^{-3}