Higher education and adult learning

Opportunities for education in the years after compulsory schooling are expanding. In part this is linked to the emergence of the knowledge economy, which is making higher education more central to economic success and putting a fresh focus on how adult learning can help people adjust to the changing world of work. Find out more.

What's new

Action needed to improve quality and relevance of vocational education and training

22-Oct-2009

Good vocational training is an important part of a strong economy. Learning for Jobs, the initial report of the OECD policy review of vocational education and training, presents a set of policy recommendations to help countries make their vocational systems more responsive to labour market needs and boost economic growth.

Call for Contributions – OECD-IMHE General Conference 2010

15-Sep-2009

The OECD’s Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) has launched a call for contributions for its next General Conference, Higher Education in a World Changed Utterly: Doing More with Less, 13-15 September 2010. This represents a valuable opportunity to become part of a showcase to a high level audience in the prestigious setting of the OECD headquarters in Paris. Deadline: Monday, 4 January 2010. Contact: imhe@oecd.org.

Invest in education to beat recession, boost earnings

08-Sep-2009

Growing advantages for the better educated and likely continuing high levels of unemployment as economies move out of recession will provide more and more young people with strong incentives to stay on in education. Governments need to take account of this in planning education policies, according to the latest edition of the OECD’s annual Education at a Glance.

Join the OECD Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE)

09-Apr-2009

By joining IMHE you will immediately profit from being linked to an internationally recognised network and kept up to date with the latest innovations in education and in managing higher education institutions. Your priviledged connection to the OECD will engage you directly in helping in influencing this international organisation on how to tackle key policy issues to improve institutional leadership management and governance in higher education.

 

Spain must accelerate the pace of tertiary education reform, says OECD

10-Mar-2009

In some respects, Spain has joined the ranks of countries with a modern, responsive and creative system of tertiary education. But the tertiary system must accelerate the pace of reform to respond to the social and economic pressures facing Spain.

Japan must continue reforms in tertiary education, says OECD

05-Mar-2009

In recent years, Japan has made significant progress in modernising its tertiary education system but reforms of the system must continue to respond to current social and economic pressures in Japan.

New policy measures needed to continue tertiary reform without reducing quality, says OECD

05-Mar-2009

05/03/2009 – Like many other countries, China faces the dilemma of expanding its tertiary education system within a tight fiscal constraint. Special challenges in China include the unprecedented scale in student numbers and the rapidly rising aspirations of students and parents for upward social mobility through education.

OECD commends Portugal for progress in implementing reforms in tertiary education

28-Nov-2008

OECD countries have commended Portugal for progress made towards modernising its tertiary education system. Over the past three years, the Portuguese government has implemented reforms to encourage institutions to be more responsive to the needs of society and the economy. These give institutions more autonomy and room for manoeuvre but require them, in return, to be more clearly accountable to society.

Reviews of Higher Education in Cities and Regions

01-Dec-2008

Higher education institutions can make an important contribution to economic, social and cultural development in their cities and regions. In early 2008, OECD/IMHE issued a call for regions interested in the 2nd round of reviews of HEIs in regional and city development. By mid-November 2008, the following regions had fully committed to the review: City of Berlin (Germany), the state of Veracruz (Mexico), the Galilee (Israel), Bío Bío Region (Chile) and The Paso del Norte region (US-Mexico).

 

For more information, see the website , and contact: jaana.puukka@oecd.org

 

OECD Observer article on university league tables: Breaking Ranks

24-Nov-2008

University league tables are fashionable, but should not be taken as accurate measures of the quality of education. The OECD is investigating other tools to measure performance. This was what participants, including policymakers and educators, heard at the recent IMHE General Conference.  These issues and more are explored in a recent article from the OECD Observer magazine. Read more..

Be more purposeful in guiding tertiary education, OECD tells governments

16-Sep-2008

In today’s knowledge-driven global economy, countries need to build on tertiary education to generate innovation, sustain competitiveness and boost economic growth.  A new OECD report, Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society, offers policy recommendations to help meet these goals.

New OECD programme to test skills of adults in today's work environment

17-Mar-2008

Following its successful PISA programme for testing the educational attainments of 15-year old high-school students, OECD is launching a challenging new project to assess the knowledge and skills of adults.

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OECD Education Lighthouse

Register to join this collaborative space and help chart the way for the education sector to navigate through the current crisis and shape the post-crisis economy and society.

OECD Education Lighthouse

Focus

This book is the first volume in the Higher Education to 2030 series, which takes a forward-looking approach to analysing the impact of various contemporary trends on tertiary education systems.

Higher Education to 2030 (Vol. 1): Demography

Focus

This publication explores a range of helpful policy measures and institutional reforms.

Higher Education and Regions: Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged
Directorate for Education Publications