The first of a series of seminars/workshops examining the relationship between higher education and employment will be held on Wednesday 7th December 2011 with papers from Dr Hans Dietrich (IAB, Nuremberg) and Professor Robert Wright (University of Strathclyde).

Professor Rob Wilson is giving a public lecture on “Skills Anticipation in Europe” at Monash University, Melbourne, on Tuesday 2 August 2011. He is currently visiting the Centre of Policy Studies (Faculty of Business and Economics) as part of a collaborative research project on Anticipating Future Skill Needs, funded by the Monash-Warwick Strategic Funding Initiative. The public lecture is hosted by the Centre of Policy Studies, the Centre for the Economics of Education and Training (Faculty of Education) and Skills Victoria (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development)

IER researchers, Dr Heike Behle and Beate Baldauf, and a IER doctoral researcher, Charoula Tzanakou, all attended the 2010 Work, Employment and Society Conference at the University of Brighton last week.   Heike and Charoula’s paper entitled ‘German and Greek Students on undergraduate degree courses at UK universities. Their everyday experiences and expectations for the future’ brings together Heike’s work on Futuretrack and some of Charoula’s doctoral studies.  Their paper explored the everyday experiences and expectation of German and Greek students in the UK and their preparation for the transitions after graduation.  Beate’s paper, written with Dr Clare Lyonette, entitled ‘Quality part-time work: organisational responses to the recession’ drew on their recent research commissioned by the Government Equalities Office.  Their paper based on a qualitative study explored two key issues: (a) how organisations have responded to the recession and what role, if any, part-time work or, more generally, reduced hours measures have played and whether they have had a lasting impact on working patterns; and (b) how organisations have supported or increased ‘quality’ part-time work.

Bernard Casey comments on demographic ageing and the labour market

Rob Wilson has been involved in the Beyond Current Horizons project which explores the future for education, beyond 2025. The aim of the project is to help the UK education system prepare for and develop an ongoing and sustainable response to the challenges it faces as society and technology rapidly evolve. A final report is now available together with a range of scenarios.