Title: German and UK higher education and graduate employment: the interface between systemic tradition and graduate views
Abstract: Abstract This article presents a comparative analysis of the German and UK higher education systems and their relationship to graduate employment. It scrutinizes the complex interconnections between (1) higher education systems and traditions; (2) the role of higher education in the state, society and the economy; and (3) the views of graduates as expressed in interviews. We explore how far and in what ways opinions, expectations and experiences are shaped by (1) national traditions and culture and (2) current economic, social, political and educational developments. We find that today's student expectations and perceptions are shaped and transformed by economic, political and social factors, including potent higher education beliefs dating back to earlier centuries, as illustrated by the reflections of graduates five years after graduation. The analysis explores the commonalities within each country grouping which lead to striking differences between the countries that transcend the mostly country‐independent disciplinary differences. The analysis has possible implications for the Bologna protocol and issues of European comparability. Acknowledgments We would like to thank Claudius Gellert, Rosalind Pritchard, Götz Schindler and Harald Schomburg for their most helpful comments on various aspects of this article, Alan Cobban for his equally helpful answers to our many questions, and Comparative Education's Editor, Michael Crossley, for suggestions for improvements to the whole article. The research on which this article is based was carried out while Brenda Johnston was working at the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI), the Open University. Notes 1. Higher Education and Graduate Employment in Europe—TSER project 97 2023. The study was co‐ordinated by Ulrich Teichler at the Wissenschaftliches Zentrum für Berufs‐ und Hochschulforschung Universität Gesamthochschule Kassel in Germany.
Publication Year: 2005
Publication Date: 2005-08-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 15
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot