Work-Life balance: towards an agenda for policy learning between Britain and Germany

This survey analyses the political context, the legislative frameworks and the policy developments in an area that is now widely termed 'work-life balance' in both the United Kingdom and Germany. It also looks at the theoretical notions of time in relation to work and family life and gives examples of research in the public, private and voluntary sector

The REFLEX study: exploring graduates' views on the relationship between higher education and employment

Some of the main findings from a survey of nationally representative samples of graduates 5 years after graduation, in 13 European countries, are presented. Differences between UK and other European graduates' views on the relationship between higher education and employment are presented and reasons underlying such differences are explored

Higher Education and Society: A research report

This report draws on a substantial body of research undertaken by the Open University's Centre for Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI) on the changing relationships between higher education and society. Higher education currently faces many changes, some externally driven by government policies and changing patterns of social and economic demand and some internally driven by changes in the way knowledge is produced and organised within universities and other 'knowledge organisations'. CHERI examines these changes through empirical research which is policy relevant though not policy dictated, frequently international, and broadly focused on the social impacts of higher education. Does higher education make a difference and to whom? In their different ways, the articles in this report seek to provide answers to this important but difficult question

Employer and higher education perspectives on graduates in the knowledge society

The research on which this report is based was part of a larger international project on ‘The Flexible Professional in the Knowledge Society’ (the ‘REFLEX’ project) funded by the European Commission Framework VI Programme. There were three elements to this project: a survey of higher education graduates five years after they had completed their first degree courses; a series of country reports providing contextual information on national higher education systems and labour markets; a qualitative study of the perspectives of employers of graduates and university leaders. This report sets out the findings of this third element of the REFLEX project. The aim of the qualitative element of the project was to investigate the expectations and experiences of employers and university leaders regarding the kinds of knowledge, skills and competences that are required of graduates in the ‘knowledge society’, the extent to which these requirements are being met and the kinds of changes that are needed in order to achieve a better match between the requirements of employment and the outputs of higher education. The focus was on the kind of changes that are felt necessary in higher education institutions and in employment organisations in order to achieve a better match between higher education’s output and the demands of working life. Key questions were: • What competences do employers expect of their graduate workers? • What role is ascribed to higher education providers in producing them? • How do higher education institutions see their responsibility for the employability of their graduates? • What initiatives do they take to discharge these responsibilities? The study involved five countries: Norway, the UK, Germany, The Netherlands and France. Most field work was undertaken in the period April –July, 2005

The context of higher education and employment: comparisons between different European countries. REFLEX Report to HEFCE No 2 (uses data gathered for a major international study of graduate employment five years after graduation)

This second report in the series provides contextual information on the participating countries in the REFLEX project. Topics covered include the different histories and traditions of higher education, the characteristics of the higher education systems, as well as information on the national labour markets and the differences in the role of higher education in recruitment and preparation for the labour market. The information is intended to be used in relation to the other reports in the series, helping in the interpretation of country differences in the employment experiences of graduate

Less time to study, less well prepared for work, yet satisfied with higher education: A UK perspective on links between higher education and the labour market

This paper explores graduates’ views on the relationship between higher education and employment. It draws on a major European study involving graduates five years after graduation and highlights similarities and differences between UK graduates’ experiences and their European counterparts. Specifically we address questions raised in the study about subjects studied and their relevance to entry into the labour market, if the academic level obtained was appropriate, whether graduates, with hindsight of five years, would choose the same subjects or the same institution again, and if they were satisfied with their current job. Such specific questions relate to broader perspectives such as the perceived value of higher education study in relation to initial employment and future life histories. These have to be seen in the context of cultural differences in higher education systems at the time of the research and, perhaps increasing convergences in light of the Bologna agreement

A large scale hearing loss screen reveals an extensive unexplored genetic landscape for auditory dysfunction

The developmental and physiological complexity of the auditory system is likely reflected in the underlying set of genes involved in auditory function. In humans, over 150 non-syndromic loci have been identified, and there are more than 400 human genetic syndromes with a hearing loss component. Over 100 non-syndromic hearing loss genes have been identified in mouse and human, but we remain ignorant of the full extent of the genetic landscape involved in auditory dysfunction. As part of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, we undertook a hearing loss screen in a cohort of 3006 mouse knockout strains. In total, we identify 67 candidate hearing loss genes. We detect known hearing loss genes, but the vast majority, 52, of the candidate genes were novel. Our analysis reveals a large and unexplored genetic landscape involved with auditory function

Precarious relationships: perceptions of culture and citizenship among teachers of German

Teachers of another language, many of whom are bilingual and bicultural, have had to think about relationships with and attitudes towards the country (ies) or communities where the other language is spoken. By constantly interacting with that language and culture they often think and act 'comparatively' without, in most instances, articulating their views in a formal manner. Such notions are particularly complex in the Anglo-German context. The research project described here aimed to find out if native speakers of German have different attitudes towards their own and the other culture than native speakers of English who teach German as a second language. To what extent do personal biographies influence language teaching in the classroom? What does the concept of citizenship mean to them in their personal and professional lives? These are some of the issues the paper sets out to explore

Higher Education and the Knowledge Society: issues, challenges and responses in Norway and Germany

This paper investigates how employers and university leaders in two very different countries, Germany and Norway, are responding to the challenges imposed by the global knowledge economy and the 1999 Bologna Declaration. It asks: Does society need more or fewer graduates? What competencies do employers expect of their graduate workers? How do higher education institutions perceive their responsibility towards the employability of their graduates? Both countries offer the opportunity to illustrate responses to shared challenges. From a comparative perspective a number of issues have emerged. In Germany, the country’s federal structure with divided responsibilities remains a cause of frustration. Reforms are slow and laden with complexities. Norway’s centralised system of higher education, on the other hand, and the availability of resources, has eased higher education reforms but not anxieties about the country’s economic future ‘once the oil runs out’. However, the successes of two mass higher education systems built on Humboldtian traditions are also discussed