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Israel has developed a strong economy but the socioeconomic divide between population groups is growing. In the Galilee, about half of the population is Arab. A key challenge for the Galilee and Israel is the disparity between Arab and Jewish populations in terms of employment and education outcomes. How can the government ensure that investment in education is equitable for different population groups? How can universities and colleges fuel local growth by developing relevant skills and improving educational attainment levels across the multi-ethnic, multi-religious population? 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 the 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.

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In the wake of the Dawkins expansion of higher education, Australia acquired many very small campuses, typically satellites of regional universities. Rationalised primarily in terms of providing better access and equity, their present role and status are problematic. The advent of online education threatens to render them redundant, though an integration of online delivery with face-to-face tuition at distributed sites could be beneficial. Intensive university-community partnerships to develop regional economies promise a revitalised role but there is little debate about how far size matters. Lack of information about the present functions and effectiveness of small campuses suggests that poor strategic planning will continue to characterise these facilities.

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The self evaluation report for the State of Victoria (Australia) was prepared by the Victorian Government Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development, in collaboration with a number of higher educational institutions in the region, as an input to the OECD 'Reviews of higher education in regional and city development'. The report reflects the joint effort of higher education institutions (HEIs) and regional stakeholders in the State of Victoria to assess the impact that HEIs have had on regional development.

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This book is the sixth volume in a series resulting from the international networking of the research group VETYL (Vocational Education and Training/Yrkeskunnande och Larande) at the Department of Education, Stockholm University in Sweden. The book serves as an umbrella for the presentation of research that focuses on a variety of policy issues and dimensions of the partnership between education and the world of work. The selected and reviewed texts in this volume were intended for the 8th Stockholm International Conference of Research in Vocational Education and Training planned for May 2020, which did not take place due to the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 restrictions. The contributions deal with transitions in vocational education and training systems and depict the diversity of research in the field.

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The contents are as follows: Section one, 'VET policies: national and regional perspectives', contains the chapters: The VET system in Lombardy (Italy): a first pedagogical outlook between history and future / Francesco Magni; Shifting currents: the influence of Brexit on VET policy discourse in four countries (Denmark, England, Finland and Scotland) as portrayed through the European semester cycle / Jane Pither; The shift to technical elite formation and residuality: a European perspective / Bill Esmond; Integration of refugees through access to their previous vocation: a literature review / Eva Eliasson, Ali Osman and Marianne Teras; Regional collaboration for integration and competence: the case of Swedish for immigrants with previous professional training (Sfx) / Petros Gougoulakis and Katarina Lagercrantz All; The potential value of social representations for comparative [technical vocational education and training] TVET research: a Mexican case study / Ute Clement, Paola Garcia Fuentes and Claudia Hunink; A VET leadership model / Ramlee Mustapha and Irdayanti Mat Nashir.

Section two, 'Collaboration and partnership with the world of work', contains the chapters: Different structures, different results?: continental and Nordic education structures compared / Lorenz Lassnigg; Integration and appropriation of professional content: current challenges of Cuban vocational technical education / Juan Alberto Mena Lorenzo, Jorge Luis Mena Lorenzo, Vilma Maria Perez Vinas and Pedro Luis Yturria Montenegro; Difficulties, challenges and problems in the ongoing process of dual VET implementation in Spain: a systematic review of the scientific literature / Luis Martinez-Izquierdo, Monica Torres and Miguel A. Pereyra; The importance of industrial collaborations in developing future Malaysian vocational training institutions / Haryanti Mohd Affandi, Mohd Firdaus Mustaffa Kamal, Nurul Eizzaty Sohimi, Norazlinda Mohamad, Roshahliza Mohd Ramli, Razali Hassan and Lazaro Moreno Herrera; Vocational education and training, the contested partner in innovation projects / Magdolna Benke. Show less

This book describes the innovative transformation of higher education institutions (HEIs) across the world in response to the emerging realities of the twenty-first-century global, knowledge-based economy, as well as how HEIs are defining many of today's economic realities on a regional level. HEIs continue to drive economic development through their traditional roles of purchaser, employer, real estate developer, workforce developer, and community developer. But these roles now must be executed more strategically and collaboratively. Also, the twenty-first-century economy offers universities unique opportunities to generate the intellectual and financial capital that drives emerging knowledge-based industries. Case studies are drawn from urban and rural America, Europe, the Middle East, and emerging countries. Some of the topics covered include the role of university presidents as leaders of change; the relationship between higher education institutions and the political leadership of cities, states, and nations; successful models of partnerships between higher education and the private sector; and future challenges opportunities facing the modern university.

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The project comprised focus groups and in-depth interviews, and had a particular focus on the outcomes of regional and metropolitan locational choices. Those who chose to study in the country often wanted to maintain proximity to family and friends. Others faced constrained choices due to financial considerations or their tertiary entrance score not being high enough to get into a Melbourne-based university. This latter reason was also a factor for Melbourne residents who moved to regional universities. A desire for city life and its excitement was a driving factor for those moving to the city to study at university. Many also perceived Melbourne to have superior educational facilities and career opportunities. Moving to the city was viewed as a significant part of the growing up process and attainment of independence. Although many of those at regional universities felt that the quality of education may have been better in the city, they were compensated by smaller class sizes and greater interaction with lecturers. For those who moved to Melbourne, the degree to which their lives became established in their new place of residence often influenced their decision to stay, as did the desire to pursue career objectives. Nevertheless, many indicated they would move back to the country when they were ready to raise a family. Interestingly, a number of students who chose to study at a regional university were ready to make a move to the city as graduates. This was found to be particularly important for those studying nursing where the desire for further study and experience of specialist fields made Melbourne a more attractive option than regional Victoria.

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This project explored the university aspirations and experiences of new migrants in low socio-economic status (SES), regional communities, and the extent to which regional campuses support ethnic, socio-economic and religious diversity. The project focused on Shepparton and Mildura - two Victorian regional communities that host new migrants from diverse countries such as South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tonga. Each community is supported by a campus of La Trobe University, a member of the Innovative Research University (IRU) group within Australian higher education. In higher education, students from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) are defined as domestic students who have been in Australia for fewer than ten years, and who speak a language other than English at home. The NESB group includes students who have only recently moved to Australia, but who arrive into long established communities, e.g. Italian and Greek migrants. Other groups of NESB students include recent arrivals into much newer communities, e.g. Sudanese and Somalian migrants. Overall, Australians from non-English speaking backgrounds record relatively strong access to, and achievement in, higher education. However, strong overall performance masks significant differences within the group. In particular, students from refugee backgrounds, including from African and Middle Eastern countries of origin, and Muslim migrants, may experience lower levels of university access and subsequently lower employment outcomes as well as unconscious bias and racism on campus. Understanding the educational experiences of new migrants in regional Australia is central to disaggregating the 'regional', 'low SES' and 'NESB' categories, and also to understanding how those equity categories overlap and may serve to compound individual disadvantage.

Our report begins with a contextual review of national and international research related to higher education experiences of new migrants. We highlight that university access, success and graduate outcomes of some new migrant groups, particularly from non-English speaking and refugee backgrounds, are estimated to be relatively low. This section also reviews national and international research related to notions of belonging on campus and campus climate. Subsequently we examine the demographic patterns of the Shepparton and Mildura regions, including the intersectionality of low SES, regional, and new migrant identities. We then provide an analysis of the interviews and focus groups with different new migrant communities and related stakeholders, across various stages of the student lifecycle. Our interviews and focus groups particularly addressed: university aspirations and motivations; university awareness, choice and access; campus experiences, including academic and social; and graduate outcomes, particularly focused on employment. Finally, we discuss our major findings and the overall picture emerging from the research. Findings revealed both challenges and opportunities for universities across the student life cycle. Overall, our findings suggest a need for universities to work more expansively with schools and communities to support university awareness.

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This report examines student equity stratification by field of education and institution. A large focus of the report is on student equity across selective institutions and disciplines, which we take to mean those that require a high achievement threshold for entry. Unequal representation within selective institutions and disciplines carries consequences for individuals, universities, professions, and the broader society. For individuals, access to selective institutions and disciplines is typically correlated with higher incomes, and perceptions of a better fit between qualifications and employment. For universities, raising student diversity within selective courses is important for both equity and learning quality. At the broader professional and societal levels, research suggests diverse graduate cohorts are critical for maximising economic efficiency and social cohesion (Wakeling, 2010).

The report examines two key research questions: (1) To what extent are equity group students underrepresented within selective study areas and institutions? (2) What are the course choices of high [Australian Tertiary Admission Rank] ATAR students from equity groups, and how might these choices inform our understanding of equity within selective disciplines and institutions? We begin by providing a background section on equity and selectivity, including reference to the international literature. The analysis section of this report covers six equity groups, including: Indigenous students, students from no-English speaking backgrounds (NESB), students from low [socioeconomic status] SES backgrounds, students from regional and remote areas, students with disability, and female students. Our quantitative analysis first maps equity access rates across institutions and courses, using the aggregated 'study areas' framework developed by the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) survey reports. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for government, institutions, and the sector generally, with reference to policy recommendations. We close by outlining some limitations of our study and offer avenues of inquiry for future research.

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The second workshop in the series put a spotlight on the higher education participation and completion outcomes of regional and remote students. While Australian universities have engaged in strategic efforts to address the lower participation and completion rates of regional and remote students for many years, there is currently renewed interest by the Australian Government. For equity practitioners, researchers and policymakers, there remain questions about the nature of the problem and the best ways to support people in regional and remote locations to access and succeed in higher education.

This workshop brought together a group of subject matter experts who came at the topic from different perspectives. The following questions were considered: How can universities successfully mitigate the structural challenges faced by their (potential) student cohort, especially regional institutions which themselves suffer from systemic disadvantage? How do universities create both flexibility and consistency in the student experience for a cohort which increases in diversity with increased distance from (metropolitan) campuses? Do these strategies work for Indigenous students who make up a significantly larger share of regional and remote cohorts then metropolitan ones? How do institutions manage critical first encounters, clarify expectations, address the diverse and often complex needs of students and create a sense of belonging in a massified system looking for further efficiencies? Should policy approaches focus on creating scale and critical mass or on delivering local support to smaller and more remote communities? Is it possible to move beyond geographical limitations to create supportive, technology-enabled third spaces?

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The [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid and unprecedented shift of widening participation and outreach activities to online and remote delivery. The impact of this went beyond practitioners and the university sector; positive and negative implications are felt by stakeholders and the broader community. This shift online is discussed through the lens of a multi-university perspective, using four case studies from university outreach programs in one Australian state. The article provides a holistic view of the lessons learned and discoveries made, informing future program design and delivery. These programs include primary and secondary students, teachers, parents, guardians and carers, and work within a range of low socioeconomic and regional, rural and remote contexts. We argue that the fundamentally necessary shift online created a profound legacy and bears potential to increase accessibility (via diversity and scale), but, simultaneously, that care must be applied if substituting face-to-face engagement with that online. While this article primarily focuses on issues of value to practitioners, it also discusses important implications for academics, support staff, and university executive regarding the access and participation of underrepresented cohorts during times of mass change.

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