Opting for Science and Technology!

This study focuses on the shortage of graduates in science/technology in the Netherlands. First, the potential reserves of students in science/technology are mapped. Second, the effects of measures to mobilise the reserves are investigated in terms of size and cost effectiveness. Efforts aimed at solving the enormous shortage of higher education graduates in science and technology in the Netherlands should start by evaluating what is available in this area. Research shows that the country's vast resources include considerable reserves of science and technology talent. These reserves comprise students who, although having met the entry requirements, ultimately did not opt for a technical or science study programme. Several measures could mobilise these reserves; some are presented in this article along with the influence they are estimated to have. Although the effect of these measures seems to be substantial, they leave much to be desired in terms of cost effectiveness. Moreover, they are still simulations, and the measures have not (yet) been tested in practice. Therefore, additional (experimental) research on such policy measures continues to be desirable.     

Educators at Work in two Sectors of Adult and Vocational Education: an overview of two European Research projects

Adult learning staff play a key role in making lifelong learning a reality. It is they who facilitate learners to develop knowledge, skills and attributes. At the European level there is a lack of information about various aspects of the profession, such as who they are, how they are recruited, what their specific roles and tasks are, what competences and qualifications they are expected or required to possess, what their employment status is, how their professional development is organised, how they are assessed, and how attractive their profession is. This article is meant to bridge this gap and describes the variety of contexts in which adult learning staff are working. Furthermore, it seeks to reveal the factors that promote or affect the quality of the work provided by these practitioners and will address a number of issues that should be on the agenda of policy makers. This article is based on the outcomes of a study that have been carried out by an international research group in the period 2007 -2008, under guidance of Research voor Beleid and PLATO University Leiden under contract of the European Commission (DG Education and Culture).     

Integrated Training of Engineers for a Changing Society

The profound societal impacts of technological developments call for a drastic change in the education of engineers. The paper describes the development of training practice at the University of Twente, where a programme of more or less disciplinary philosophy and social science courses for engineers is evolving towards increasing integration with the technical curricula. This transformation is described by paying attention to the content of programmes and courses in philosophy and social sciences for engineering students, to their institutional context and management, and to trends in appraisal of these courses by students as well as by faculty. The latter topic is treated by using data derived from evaluations carried out on a regular basis. The development described reveals a trend from broad, general philosophy and social sciences courses for all engineering students towards specialized courses treating the societal trends and concerns which relate specifically to the technical domains of the separate engineering departments of the university.     

Lifelong Learning on Either Side of the Border: the effects of government policy on adult education in The Netherlands and Belgium

Although there is a tendency to develop policy plans on adult education at a European level, there are still large differences between the various EU countries. These national policy contexts depend on historical, cultural, economic and political factors and can have a profound impact on the way adult education is shaped and developed within a country. Two examples of such policies are presented to clarify this point. In the Netherlands, there is a strong emphasis on the vocational side of adult education. This is for a large part the result of the introduction of the Law on Adult and Vocational Education ( Wet Educatie en Beroepsonderwijs ) in 1996. The non vocational branch of the sector was rather marginalised by this new law. In Belgium, there has been a great effort to support, develop and streamline non vocational adult education. The special Flemish government decree ( Decreet betreffende het sociaal-cultureel volwassenenwerk ) of 2003 was very important in that regard. This decree regulates all aspects of non vocational education or socio-cultural work, including funding and quality assurance. Although the Flemish decree could be seen as a good practice of upgrading non-formal adult education through legislation, it could also be considered a typical Flemish case, rooted in the traditions of adult education in Flanders.