Research Catalog

From school to productive work : Britain and Switzerland compared

Title: From school to productive work : Britain and Switzerland compared / S.J. Prais.
Author: Prais, S. J.
Publication: Cambridge, U.K. ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 1997.

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Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Request in advance	H11 .N213 no.37	Off-site

Description

xiii, 137 pages; 23 cm.

Summary

Switzerland is universally respected for its highly successful economy - not simply its banks and cuckoo clocks, but its precision engineering, pharmaceuticals, and manufactured food industries. it has long enjoyed low unemployment, and an exceptionally successful transition process for youngsters from school to work.
This book provides a 'nuts-and-bolts' comparison with Britain of how that more successful transition is brought about.
It explains the different emphases of Swiss secondary schooling: more time on mathematics and, within mathematics, more on arithmetic; in science lessons, less time on pupils' individual experimentation and more on documentation by the teacher of central scientific laws; in lessons on technology and practical subjects, less time on pupils' individual creations and more on class-wide specified tasks - whether in woodwork or domestic science - aimed at high standards of finish. Career guidance at school including periods of work experience with potential employers who provide apprenticeships (in contrast to current British policy, where spells of work experience are deliberately not with potential employers).
Apprenticeships are undertaken in Switzerland by three quarters of all school leavers, and are completed with external practical and written tests. A final chapter discusses current developments and lessons for Britain.

Series Statement

Economic and social studies ; 37

Uniform Title

Economic and social studies ; 37.

Subjects

Contents

1. Two Very Different Educational Ideals. Switzerland's achievements. Qualifications of the workforce. Recent trends in more detail. Summary -- 2. Schooling as Preparation for Life and Work. Pupils' attainments and school organisation. Mathematics. Science. Practical subjects. Resume and implications -- 3. Vocational Guidance. Work experience. Age at which guidance begins. Teaching style and differentiation. Course content and teaching materials. The form teacher. Parental Involvement -- 4. Vocational Training and Qualifications. Main training occupations. College courses. Tests and comparative standards. Costs of training -- 5. Problems and Developments. Technology, trade and unemployment. Higher education. Vocational pathways 16-19. Employment orientation during compulsory schooling. Balance of the school curriculum. App. A. Statistics of detailed and craft-level awards in Britain, Switzerland and Germany, c. 1990 --
App. B. Vocational qualifications awarded in Britain after the establishment of NCVQ -- App. C. Socialisation of pupils in Swiss schooling -- App. D. A Swiss experiment in comprehensive schooling.

ISBN

LCCN

96045551

OCLC

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries