Labour Market Relevance of European University Education. From Enrolment to Professional Employment in 12 Countries

In accordance with the education policy which puts human capital at its heart, higher education is expected to produce marketable competent professionals in response to the needs of an expansive knowledge-based economy. In one reading, to support competitive knowledge-based economy, higher education students should graduate as young and fast as possible. The article asks whether it is credible that the young & fast principle as an objective for university education would provide a feasible way of enhancing professional labour force to serve knowledge economies. The analysis of study careers of 17,000 European second cycle university graduates shows that transitions from school to higher education to professional employment vary considerably in the 12 countries. The key finding is that countries with rather slow progression in the initial part of the transition tend to do better in the end, and vice versa. Belgium (Flanders) is the most obvious example of young and fast-graduating students that need a relatively long period after graduation to start their professional careers. In Finland, Austria, and Norway, relatively old and experienced graduates are employed rapidly. The time before professional employment after graduation is short for students who have acquired relevant work experience and acquainted themselves with professional fields. The youngest professionals are found in France where they tend to have access to opportunities for professionally relevant training. However, professional employment cannot be fostered by simply trying to recruit student populations as young as possible, but rather by enriching the labour market relevance of their student careers.     

Trans-nationalization of educational policy making: from European innovation projects in adult education to an emerging European space for lifelong learning: what model for the European vocational education and training policy?

This article is drawn from broader qualitative research on innovation in the field of professional adult training within the framework of European pilot projects such as the LEONARDO projects. This research aims at contributing to a general understanding of the phenomenon of innovation, in the context of European calls for projects, as an instrument of the European Vocational Education and Training (VET) Policy, which is supposed to transform the national training systems of EU member states according to the Lisbon Strategy. For this article, the author has chosen to present some of the results of the analysis of the European VET Policy and its transition to a lifelong learning policy. The first part of this article describes the conceptual framework and more especially three of the main concepts examined: public policy, social innovation and European space. The second part distinguishes three periods in the European VET policy’s history, identified through a genealogical examination from its first step within the European Coal and Steel Community to the present lifelong learning policy. The third part highlights the specificity of this supranational public policy model and the links between the European VET policy, the LEONARDO programme and the pilot projects. In conclusion, this article supports the idea of antagonistic logics in the evolution of this policy, on at least three levels: decision-making powers, conception of VET systems and conception of learning.     

European Union and Greek lifelong learning policy within an intercultural context: preliminary insights from research in the Sociology of Law

This paper presents preliminary findings of an extensive socio-legal research project, currently in progress, concerning the implementation of the European Union and the Greek institutional framework on lifelong learning (LLL) and exploring the social effectiveness of LLL policy. The main outcomes, based on testing two research hypotheses through quantitative and qualitative content analysis, are presented. Firstly, there are significant differences in the ranking of four LLL objectives (employability/adaptability takes priority over social inclusion, personal fulfilment and active citizenship) as between legal documents of different origin (EU or national) and binding force (hard or soft law). Secondly, the key role of the global recession of 2008 in reinforcing the economic dimension of EU policy in the field is revealed. These data, considered from a socio-legal perspective, provide a basis for further discussion regarding national alignment to the EU’s LLL policy and argue for new ‘policy syntheses’ informed by the views of social actors concerned with policy implementation, in line with a broad humanistic notion of LLL.     

Lifelong learning policy in two national contexts

This article describes and discusses the development of lifelong learning policy in two EU member states, Denmark and Portugal. The purpose is to show how different societal and historical contexts shape the development and implementation of lifelong learning policies, even though these policies have significant common elements. As a basis for the discussion an inventory of policy elements is presented. Denmark and Portugal have been chosen as examples of smaller EU member states with different historical, social and cultural characteristics. Developments and policies in the two countries, including the links with EU education policy, are described. The discussion includes comparison drawing on the inventory of policy elements. A main conclusion is that the different historical trajectories of the two countries remain very important for present-day education and for the advancement of lifelong learning policy. Early development of public primary education and popular adult education has provided a strong foundation for lifelong learning policy in Denmark while in Portugal not only institutional provision but also popular demand for lifelong learning has had to be built up relatively recently. EU education policy has had much more impact on lifelong learning policy in Portugal than in Denmark, because Portugal has had to depend much more on economic support from the EU social fund.     

New capitalism,educational modernisation and the new role of the professional student

Current times are witnessing multiple challenges in the economic, political and social domain, which modern citizens and professionals are required to address with an enterprising mindset. Young people have not been left intact by the spirit of new capitalism. In the face of ongoing educational changes on a European level, being a student transcends the boundaries of the school community. Young people thus oscillate between different identities: on the one hand, that of the child who lives in the here and now, and on the other hand, that of the pseudo-adult and in-the-make professional. In this light, the paper explores the new role of the professional student and discusses the implications of a neoliberal student model. It concludes by proposing a more humanistic understanding of the student role, which positions young people in a dynamic learning process and relationship with the world around them.     

From Shelf to Spotlight: Rediscovering Modernist Books From Eastern Europe at The New York Public Library

This essay contextualizes the overall development of eastern European resources at the Library, highlighting some of the personalities who have contributed to building this internationally significant research resource. The development of the Baltic, east‐central European, and southern Slavic collections of The New York Public Library has been a neglected area of the Library's history. Reciprocity with institutions in the Slavic and Eastern European homelands played a vital part in the growth of the Library's holdings of materials in their languages until the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Library materials were acquired through local dealers, as gifts, and on international exchanges, as well as through personal visits to the region by library staff. Modernist books were an important part of these acquisition efforts.     

Recent Developments at the Central and Eastern European Online Library (http://www.ceeol.com/)

The author presents recent facts and figures for the Central and Eastern European Online Library (CEEOL), as well as some statistics on institutional usage displaying Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.     

Astana 2014 ASEEES-CESS Joint Regional Conference Report

The report summarizes the joint regional conference of the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and the Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) in Astana, Kazakhstan in May 2014. This conference is the fourth biennial regional conference of CESS together with the first regional conference organized by ASEEES, and had more than 300 participants from many different countries of the world. Topics discussed included areas such anthropology, economics, education, history, international relations, library science, language and literature, political science, and sociology.     

Bibliographies of East European Newspapers at the Library of Congress

This article traces the development of recent bibliographies of East European newspapers held by the Library of Congress. Since 2006 the European Division of the Library of Congress has placed ten newspaper bibliographies onto its website for the following countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Hungary 1956, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, and Serbia, as well as a mixed newspaper/journal bibliography of the Soviet independent press, 1985–1992. The author covers topics such as the need for such bibliographies, their collection development benefits, the difficulty in maintaining their currency, and their popularity based on website statistics.     

Here Today,Gone Tomorrow: The Vicissitudes of Vendor/Library Relations in the Slavic and East European Book Trade

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the transformations in the Slavic and East European book trade in the 1990s. Among the challenges these changes pose to Slavic librarians are a profusion of new vendors, very small print runs, and a general breakdown in bibliographic control throughout the region. It argues that vigilant and timely selection is critical in order to obtain materials before they go out of print. Cultivating direct relationships with vendors both in North America and in the region is also required in order to continue to build Slavic collections successfully. It also considers the performance of English language approval plan vendors, electronic vs. print, and the ominous implications that the trend toward mergers and economies of scale hold for library collections.