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This review responds to Welsh Government concerns about ongoing challenges for the Welsh postsecondary system. These challenges stem from the complexity of the postsecondary education landscape and governance arrangements across further education (FE) and higher education (HE), work-based learning and adult and community learning, ongoing changes to public funding, and requirements to broaden the range of the services to meet the needs of citizens and society in the 21st century. To inform future thinking about Welsh education governance, 11 international jurisdictions were examined. The report also draws on the academic literature and other relevant experiences to discuss different approaches to organizing and governing postcompulsory education systems in each. It then highlights the main lessons which might inform policy decisions about the regulation and oversight of postcompulsory education and training in Wales. Three main features were reviewed and discussed: (1) regulatory and governance arrangements; (2) the postsecondary landscape; and (3) mechanisms of coordination. The advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches, and lessons for Wales were also identified.

This report proposes an agenda with a set of objectives and initiatives for postcompulsory education, including sixth form, FE and HE, work-based learning, and adult and community education. Rather than seeing local, regional, national and international agendas as contradictory facets of educational endeavour, the report sees them as operating within a balanced, complementary and synergistic portfolio of activities. It sets out a framework for the future, and makes recommendations around the optimum postcompulsory governance arrangements to meet the needs of Wales in the 21st century. Drawing on the experience of and aspirations for Wales, and lessons learned from the international reference jurisdictions, the following key principles underpin the approach taken, the case for reform, and the recommendations: build a coherent education ecosystem to meet current and future needs; focus on learning for life; enable postcompulsory education to contribute to society through its graduates; encourage competition and diversity among providers of education; ensure the learner is the focus of the system; and respect and enable institutional autonomy.

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'Smart specialisation' is a policy concept that promotes knowledge-based development, especially at regional level, through the identification of a limited number of funding priorities. The smart specialisation approach has been part of EU regional innovation policy since 2010 and yet the role of skills and vocational education and training in implementing smart specialisation strategies has only recently attracted attention. Despite being raised in earlier policy documents, it was the 2017 Communication on Strengthening Innovation in Europe's Regions, drawing on experience of implementing smart specialisation in practice, which illustrated its significance for regional innovation policy. In the proposals for Cohesion Policy post 2020, education and skills for innovation are important priorities. Therefore, this technical report is timely since it explores trends in vocational education and training (VET), looks at where it has contributed to smart specialisation in specific cases, and highlights elements to consider in regional strategies.

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The growing impact of university rankings on public policy, and on students' choices, has stirred controversy worldwide. This volume brings together the architects of university rankings and their critics to debate the uses and misuses of existing rankings. With contributions from five continents, it provides an overview of current thinking on the subject and sets out alternative approaches and complementary tools for a new era of transparent and informed use of higher education ranking tables.

The contents are as follows: University rankings: the many sides of the debate / Mmantsetsa Marope and Peter Wells; Part one, 'Methodological considerations', contains: The Academic Ranking of World Universities and its future direction / Nian Cai Liu; An evolving methodology: the Times Higher Education World University Rankings / Phil Baty; Issues of transparency and applicability in global university rankings / Ben Sowter; Part two, 'Implications and applications', contains: World-class universities or world-class systems?: rankings and higher education policy choices / Ellen Hazelkorn; Rankings and online learning: a disruptive combination for higher education? / John Daniel; Ranking higher education institutions: a critical perspective / Peter Scott; Rankings, new accountability tools and quality assurance / Judith Eaton; Part three, 'International perspectives', contains: An African perspective on rankings in higher education / Peter A. Okebukola; Rankings and information on Japanese universities / Akiyoshi Yonezawa; The national and institutional impact of university rankings: the case of Malaysia / Sharifah Hapsah; What's the use of rankings? / Kevin Downing; A decade of international university rankings: a critical perspective from Latin America / Imanol Ordorika and Marion Lloyd; Part four, 'Alternative approaches', contains: If ranking is the disease, is benchmarking the cure? / Jamil Salmi; U-Multirank: a user-driven and multi-dimensional ranking tool in global higher education and research / Frans van Vught and Frank Ziegele; Towards an international assessment of higher education learning outcomes: the OECD-led AHELO initiative / Richard Yelland and Rodrigo Castaneda Valle. Show less

In less than a decade Wroclaw has transformed itself into a city that attracts students, mobile investment and tourism. How can Wroclaw move up in the value chain and unleash the potential of its universities for economic, social and cultural development? This publication explores a range of helpful policy measures and institutional reforms to mobilise higher education for regional development. It is part of the series of OECD reviews of 'Higher education in regional and city development'. These reviews help mobilise higher education institutions for economic, social and cultural development of cities and regions. They analyse how the higher education system impacts upon regional and local development and bring together universities, other higher education institutions and public and private agencies to identify strategic goals and to work towards them. The contents are: Wroclaw's higher education in context; Human capital and skills development; Research, development and innovation; Towards creative economy and social cohesion. Show less