Gender and skills in a changing economy

"The paper focuses on gender equality in relation to skills. It begins with background information on the current position of women in the labour market and on future prospects, together with contextual and trend information on skills. Skills are understood in terms of formal qualifications, but also uncertificated competences acquired on or off the job. The paper gives particular attention to two dimensions of the skills issue: the acquisition of skills, and their utilisation. Special emphasis is put on the utilisation issue, with original analysis of skills survey data included. This is needed to redress the over-emphasis on the supply side in much of the policy debate. A third dimension, reward for skills, is dealt with only in passing" -- page v

Union Representatives and their Members: Learning and Communication

The article reports on research conducted in 7 Scottish workplaces on the way shop stewards learn to carry out their representative duties, in particular how they communicate with the members they represent. Formal training is seen as only one element in the learning process, to be analysed in the context of the steward's overall environment: the national union, the branch and the workplace. The pattern of communication between stewards and their members, management and other union office-holders is traced out by the use of diaries and the key role (positive and negative) of the convenor or senior steward described. Finally, a provisional framework is put forward for the evaluation of formal training, and results reported from its application

Learning, Continuity and Change in Adult Life [Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report No. 3]

This report presents results from extensive fieldwork carried out by the Wider Benefits of Learning research team. It presents an original analytical framework developed specifically for this study, combined with empirical results from 140 in-depth biographical interviews in three different areas of England. The interviews explore the way learning affects people’s health and well-being; their family lives; and their engagement in civic activity. The report addresses these effects at both an individual and collective level. It concludes with a set of significant policy implications

A National Learning Entitlement: Moving Beyond University Tuition Fees

The paper sets out a proposal for a National Learning Entitlement as a means of supporting all post-secondary students. The proposal takes the debate beyond the current narrow focus on university education and student debt, to a broader and more inclusive system which would encourage learning at all ages by a diverse range of students, at a lower cost than the abolition of university fees. The proposal is for a national learning entitlement which would enable free access to publicly provided, or publicly recognised, education and training for the equivalent of two years for all those aged 18 and above. It would be valid for further and adult education colleges as well as higher education. The entitlement would be pitched at around £5K per year, but could be used flexibly for part-time study, and spread over a lifetime. By going beyond university students the NLE spreads public subsidy far more equitably and efficiently. It brings into play the other 50% of the youth cohort, as well as adults who have missed out first time round. It strongly encourages diversity of provision and so matches supply better to demand. It wins on fairness, efficiency and future orientation

"Die positiven Effekte lebenslangen Lernens sind evident": mit Tom Schuller im Gespräch über die "benefits of lifelong learning"

Prof. Dr. Tom Schuller ist Direktor von "Longview" (www.longviewuk.com), einer britischen Einrichtung, welche auf der Grundlage von "longitudinal research" eine verbesserte Datenlage für Politik und Wissenschaft anstrebt. Davor war er "Head of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation" der OECD und Kodirektor des "Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning". Das Gespräch über den Stand der "Benefits"-Forschung führte Dr. Thomas Vollmer

Rethinking Lifelong Learning within Current Contexts of Time and Space. EcCoWell2 Briefing Paper 7

No abstract available

Experimental models to study intestinal microbes-mucus interactions in health and disease

A close symbiotic relationship exists between the intestinal microbiota and its host. A critical component of gut homeostasis is the presence of a mucus layer covering the gastrointestinal tract. Mucus is a viscoelastic gel at the interface between the luminal content and the host tissue that provides a habitat to the gut microbiota and protects the intestinal epithelium. The review starts by setting up the biological context underpinning the need for experimental models to study gut bacteria-mucus interactions in the digestive environment. We provide an overview of the structure and function of intestinal mucus and mucins, their interactions with intestinal bacteria (including commensal, probiotics and pathogenic microorganisms) and their role in modulating health and disease states. We then describe the characteristics and potentials of experimental models currently available to study the mechanisms underpinning the interaction of mucus with gut microbes, including in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models. We then discuss the limitations and challenges facing this field of research