A Market in Career? Evidence and Issues

This paper, originally prepared for the Department for education and Skills (DfES) Engaging Adults in Learning Unit, examines the potential application of market principles to the delivery of career guidance in the UK. In particular, it explores the extent to which this could be an effective means of meeting the public interest in expanding provision without making excessive demands on the public purse. The paper includes a review of the international context, a historical review of relevant policy in the UK, and the results of an initial mapping of the current UK market in career guidance provision. The paper was discussed at an invitational consultation event held in March 2005: a summary of the main points from the discussions at this event are included in an annex

Conservation of structure and mechanism in primary and secondary transporters exemplified by SiaP, a sialic acid binding virulence factor from Haemophilus influenzae

Extracytoplasmic solute receptors (ESRs) are important components of solute uptake systems in bacteria, having been studied extensively as parts of ATP binding cassette transporters. Herein we report the first crystal structure of an ESR protein from a functionally characterized electrochemical ion gradient-dependent secondary transporter. This protein, SiaP, forms part of a tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic transporter specific for sialic acid in Haemophilus influenzae. Surprisingly, the structure reveals an overall topology similar to ATP binding cassette ESR proteins, which is not apparent from the sequence, demonstrating that primary and secondary transporters can share a common structural component. The structure of SiaP in the presence of the sialic acid analogue 2,3-didehydro-2-deoxyN-acetylneuraminic acid reveals the ligand bound in a deep cavity with its carboxylate group forming a salt bridge with a highly conserved Arg residue. Sialic acid binding, which obeys simple bimolecular association kinetics as determined by stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy, is accompanied by domain closure about a hinge region and the kinking of an alpha-helix hinge component. The structure provides insight into the evolution, mechanism, and substrate specificity of ESR-dependent secondary transporters that are widespread in prokaryotes

The ‘Blueprint’ framework for career management skills: a critical exploration

This article examines the Blueprint framework for career management skills as it has been revealed across sequential implementations in the USA, Canada and Australia. It is argued that despite its lack of an empirical basis, the framework forms a useful and innovative means through which career theory, practice and policy can be connected. The framework comprises both core elements (learning areas, learning model and levels) and contextual elements (resources, community of practice, service delivery approach and policy connection). Each of these elements is explored

Plasma Magnetosphere Formation Around Oscillating Magnetized Neutron Stars

The notion of death line of rotating pulsars is applied to model of oscillating neutron stars. It is shown that the magnetosphere of typical non-rotating oscillating stars may not contain secondary plasma to support the generation of radio emission in the region of open field lines of plasma magnetosphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Guidance and Individual Learning Accounts

This report presents the results of a CeGS/NICEC project on the role of formal and informal guidance in support of Individual Learning Accounts. It draws on five casestudies of good/interesting practice in implementing this role, including learner profiles, and supported by a literature review. It concludes that guidance can play a significant role in engaging non-traditional learners; that it needs to be marketed more effectively; that a strategy is needed for funding for in-depth guidance; and that the use of ILAs themselves as a route for such funding should be encouraged

Careers Service Work with Adults: A Survey

This report summarises the findings from a postal survey of all Careers Service Companies in England about their adult guidance services and services to employers. The survey was conducted by the Centre for Guidance Studies (University of Derby) and the National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling (NICEC) for the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE)

Guidance and Individual Learning Accounts

This report presents the results of a CeGS/NICEC project on the role of formal and informal guidance in support of Individual Learning Accounts. It draws on five casestudies of good/interesting practice in implementing this role, including learner profiles, and supported by a literature review. It concludes that guidance can play a significant role in engaging non-traditional learners; that it needs to be marketed more effectively; that a strategy is needed for funding for in-depth guidance; and that the use of ILAs themselves as a route for such funding should be encouraged

Experimental investigation of active feedback control of turbulent transport in a magnetized laboratory plasma

Summary form only given. Many toroidal fusion devices now routinely generate edge and/or core transport barriers, where heat and particle transport are reduced far below Bohm diffusion levels. However, minimal particle transport is not necessarily desirable, since it can lead to core impurity accumulation, or alpha particle buildup. Ideally, active, stable control over the transport, rather than simple minimization, could be obtained. To this effect, research is now underway to investigate active control of particle transport. Turbulence and transport dynamics are, of course, strongly nonlinear, and apparently not deterministic. However, modern nonlinear control methods now exist, such as chaotic control and fuzzy control, which do not rely on a model of the system dynamics to affect stable control. Experiments are being conducted in the new HELCAT (HELicon-CAThode) linear device at UNM. HELCAT is a 4 m long device, with B\u3c0.22 T, and cathode-produced densities, n~1-5times1012 cm-3. Sheared EtimesB flows, generated via biased concentric rings, will be utilized to modify the transport. Fluctuations and flux will be monitored with probe arrays. Additionally, a 1D transport code is being utilized to model the system in order to investigate possible control methods numerically. Initial experimental and modeling results will be presented

Where do graduates Develop their Enterprise Skills? The Value of the Contribution of Higher Education Institutions’ Context

This study investigates the value of the contribution of HEIs’ context in developing graduates enterprise skills. HEIs are under pressure to develop more enterprising graduates, particularly with the increasing numbers of graduates seeking employment and the growing dissatisfaction of employers. This study explores where graduates develop enterprise skills through investigating the impact of HE and employment contexts on their development. The paper draws on a qualitative study in the social constructionist paradigm within the pharmacy context, where interviews were conducted with pharmacy academics and employers. Results show that ability to demonstrate skills in one context does not necessarily mean ability to demonstrate them in another since the development and demonstration of enterprise skills is impacted by the contexts in which they are developed and demonstrated. The study adds value by highlighting the significant role of both HE and employment contexts in developing enterprise skills, while emphasising that these skills become more transferable through exposure to more contexts