Towards Age-Friendly Work in Europe: A Life-Course Perspective on Work and Ageing from EU Agencies

[Excerpt] The European population is ageing owing to decreasing birth rates and increasing longevity. Population ageing is associated with a decrease in the size and ageing of the workforce. The majority of the EU Member States have reacted to this development by, among other measures, increasing retirement ages and limiting early access to pensions. Nevertheless, a large percentage of workers in the EU do not stay in employment until the official retirement age. The reasons for this are diverse, and will be examined in more detail in this report. Policy-makers are faced with the challenge of addressing this demographic change and its implications for employment, working conditions, living standards and the sustainability of welfare states. The working conditions of older workers and their participation in the labour market are affected by various policy areas (see also Table 1). This report aims to outline various aspects of the working conditions of the ageing workforce and related policies

Sustainable Work Over the Life Course: Concept Paper

Ageing of the population is likely to threaten the ability of states to finance welfare states and social protection systems in the future. A viable solution is to increase employment rates and to lengthen working life. To achieve this dual goal requires devising new solutions for working conditions and career paths that help workers to retain their physical and mental health, motivation and productivity over an extended working life. In other words, work must be made sustainable over the life course. Identifying and analysing the factors and actions underpinning sustainable work throughout working life is a research priority for Eurofound in the 2013–2016 programming period. This paper sets out to clarify and illuminate Eurofound’s framework for understanding the rather expansive concept of sustainable work. It can be used as reference point for a range of Eurofound research projects that exami ne different aspects of sustainable work

The measurement of training opportunities course outcomes: an effective policy tool?

Training Opportunities is an active labour market policy initiative, and part of a response to the entrenched problems of unemployment in Aotearoa New Zealand. The funding and implementation of Training Opportunities are determined in part by a particular system for measuring course outcomes. This paper argues that this measuring system should not be used for policy development, due to measurement errors and problems assigning causality to the intervention. Consequently, various disincentives arise that contradict the objectives of Training Opportunities. While accountability is important, the over-reliance on the narrowly defined Training Opportunities outcomes undermines the ability of providers to assist the unemployed, and thereby contribute to the policy goals of reducing unemployment and labour market disadvantage in New Zealand

Caste, Kinship, and Life Course: Rethinking Women's Work and Agency in Rural South India

This paper reexamines the linkages between women's work, agency, and well-being based on a household survey and in-depth interviews conducted in rural Tamil Nadu in 2009 and questions the prioritization of workforce participation as a path to gender equality. It emphasizes the need to unpack the nature of work performed by and available to women and its social valuation, as well as women's agency, particularly its implications for decision making around financial and nonfinancial household resources in contexts of socioeconomic change. The effects of work participation on agency are mediated by factors like age and stage in the life cycle, reproductive success, and social location – especially of caste – from which women enter the workforce

Integration of Multimedia Interactive Web Tools with In-Class Active Learning

In this paper, we present our experience with an introduction to engineering course in which we used a combination of active and collaborative teaching methods, multimedia web-based material, and web-based interactive tools. The students were engaged in active learning in class with methods such as demonstrations, hands-on work, and group work. After class, the students used the web-based material that we developed, such as multiple choice quizzes, interactive applets, and animations. We have also developed a number of web-based course management tools that were used by the course instructors. We conclude that both the students and instructors had a very positive experience from using this combination of methods

DEVELOPING INTERACTIVE LEARNING MULTIMEDIA OF BENCH WORK TOOLS COURSE IN SMK MUHAMMADIYAH PRAMBANAN

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengembangkan media pembelajaran interaktif sebagai pendukung pembelajaran alat kerja bangku dan mengetahui kualitas media pembelajaran interaktif alat kerja bangku Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan penelitian pengembangan (Research and Development). Tempat penelitian di Jurusan Teknik Pemesinan, SMK Muhammadiyah Pambanan. Waktu pelaksanaan penelitian pada tanggal 5 Januari 2011. Obyek penelitian ini berupa produk awal (prototype) media pembelajaran alat kerja bangku. Subyek penelitian adalah siswa berjumlah delapan anak. Metode yang digunakan dalam pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui angket. Metode yang digunakan untuk menganalisis data adalah dengan teknik analisis deskriptif kuantitatif. Hasil penelitian uji kualitas media oleh ahli media pembelajaran menunjukan bahwa prototype media pembelajaran ini dinilai baik digunakan sebagai media pembelajaran dengan memperoleh skor rata – rata(X) pada aspek kemudahan program sebesar 3,3 dan aspek kominikasi visual sebesar 3,43. Menurut ahli materi media pembelajaran ini memperoleh skor rata – rata(X) pada aspek kulitas materi sebesar 3,6 dan aspek kemanfaatan sebesar 4. Hasil pengujian pada siswa menujukan media ini baik digunakan sebagi media pembelajaran dengan skor rata – rata(X) nilai kualitas pada aspek kemudahan program sebesar 3,94 dan aspek kemenarikan program 3,88. Berdasarkan persentase kualitas yang didapat dari uji ahli materi, ahli media dan siswa tersebut membuktikan bahwa prototype media pembelajaran yang dikembangkan baik untuk digunakan sebagai pendukung pembelajaran alat kerja bangku

E-portfolio in education. Practices and reflections

The main activities of the digiFolio Project include: Building a common knowledge base supported by research work on the theory of portfolio usage; Paper and online publication of the results of the research work; Establishment of the pedagogical model for the training course; Analysis of the existing technological infrastructures for digital portfolio usage; Adjustment of the best tools and training course setup; Piloting and evidencing of the training course; Monitoring of the trainees' work by using a specific online teachers' support structure; International seminar. Website: http://digifolioseminar.org/?The present publication addresses the use of digital portfolios in educational context and it is one of the latest dissemination activities of the Digifolio project – Digital Portfolio as a strategy for teachers’ professional development, a COMENIUS 2.1 project which was carried out between 2005 and 2008. It involved several universities and teacher training institutions from five different European countries. The project, which main focus was the reflection on the potentialities of portfolios and digital technologies in the perspective of teachers’ professional development, came to its end with an international seminar which aimed at disseminating the work produced in the frame of a previous teachers training course, as well as allowing and welcoming the contribution of other education professionals with their practices and reflections on the above-mentioned thematic.Europeen Comissio

Game-Based Teaching Methodology and Empathy in Ethics Education

This article describes the experience of a group of educators participating in a graduate course in ethics. Playing role playing games and the work accompanying that play were the predominate methodology employed in the course. An accompanying research study investigated the lived experiences of the course participants. Themes that emerged from interview data included student engagement, participants’ applications, empathy development, and reactions to professor modeling