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16 août 2012

In an Economic Storm, a College Degree Is Still the Best Umbrella

http://cew.georgetown.edu/images/collegeadvantage/college_adv_web_banner_with_authors_lowres_2.jpgA new study released today by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce finds that almost half of the jobs lost in the recession that began in December, 2007 have been recovered and virtually all of those jobs required some form of postsecondary education. Experts say this data demonstrates the ongoing importance of education beyond high school for individual workers and our national economy. Download the Full Report.
The wage advantage for workers with a bachelor’s degree or better over high school has remained high and has held mostly stable at 97 percent. The wage premium for bachelor’s degrees or better relative to high school degrees skyrocketed from 44 percent in 1981 to a 100 percent in 2005 and has only fallen to 97 percent since the beginning of the recession.
“It is a tough job market for college graduates but far worse for those without a college education,” said Anthony P. Carnevale, the Georgetown Center’s director and co-author of the report. “At a time when more and more people are debating the value of postsecondary education, this data shows that your chances of being unemployed increase dramatically without a college degree.”
The Georgetown study shows that in 2012, seven percent of graduates with a bachelor degree or better are still unemployed and another 14 percent are underemployed in jobs beneath their skill levels. By comparison, the unemployment rate for new high school graduates is 24 percent and 42 percent for those individuals are underemployed.
https://app.e2ma.net/userdata/1703297/images/small/e1332859421.jpgJobs that require bachelor’s degrees have been the big winner, increasing by 2.2 million jobs since the recession began. Those jobs that required some college or an associate’s degree declined by 1.8 million in the recession but have regained 1.6 million of those job losses since the recovery began in 2010. At the same time 5.8 million jobs for those with high school or less have been lost since the recession began.
“In the mid 1970s, less than 30 percent of jobs in America required any education beyond high school,” said Jamie P. Merisotis, president and chief executive officer of Lumina Foundation. “Today, the majority of U.S. jobs require a postsecondary degree or credential. This shift has happened quickly and it demonstrates how vital college attainment is to individual success and our nation as a whole.”
Industries that are postsecondary education intensive, held up best since the recession began. But, there were differences during recession and recovery.
• Professional and business services lost college jobs during the recession but that sector has already added over 730,000 college jobs during the recovery.
• Government jobs held up during the recession (adding nearly 80,000 college jobs), but collapsed during the recovery due to budget cuts (so far 14,000 college jobs have been lost since the recovery began in January 2010).
• Since the recession began, the healthcare industry has added over one million jobs for people with two-year and four-year college degrees.
• Even in low skill blue collar sectors, which took the brunt of the recession, college educated workers were favored. For example, in manufacturing, employment dropped 15 percent for people with high school diplomas and only one percent for those with bachelor’s degrees or better. In construction, employment dropped 25 percent for those with high school diplomas and only two percent for workers with a bachelor’s degree or better.
The recession and recovery have affected college men and women differently.
• Male college workers were hardest hit during the recession due to private sector job losses. But men led the recovery, including the recovery in the market for college graduates (adding 2.3 million college jobs).
• In both the recession and during the recovery, the female labor market shifted decisively toward jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree, having added 1.6 million jobs.
Findings also show that the rate of college enrollment jumped sharply, peaking in 2009 but has fallen off rapidly since then. The recession, however, was a college wake-up-call for men. After lagging behind for decades, since 2006 the rate of increase in male enrollment has caught up and slightly surpassed the rate of increase in female enrollment.
The College Advantage: Weathering the Economic Storm is comprised of a full report and an executive summary; both documents are available online at http://cew.georgetown.edu/collegeadvantage.
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The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is an independent, nonprofit research and policy institute that studies the link between individual goals, education and training curricula and career pathways. The Center is affiliated with the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. For more information, visit: http://cew.georgetown.edu. Follow us on Twitter @CntrEdWrkfrce and on Facebook.
Lumina Foundation, an Indianapolis-based private foundation, is committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college—especially 21st century students: low-income students, students of color, first-generation students and adult learners. Lumina’s goal is to increase the percentage of Americans who hold high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina pursues this goal in three ways: by identifying and supporting effective practice, through public policy advocacy, and by using our communications and convening power to build public will for change. For more information, log on to www.luminafoundation.org.
Download the Full Report.
12 août 2012

Can universities lead Europe out of crisis?

http://enews.ksu.edu.sa/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/UWN.jpgByJo Ritzen. Can universities save Europe from its current economic problems? I believe that university education and research can help to recreate hope and optimism for a bright future, although this will not be achieved by more Brussels bureaucracy. Cooperation could create a better Europe.
If member states would learn from each other in terms of what works and what does not work in university policy...If European education and research would compete on a European scale...
But even more important is the reclaiming of ground by European intellectuals inside and outside the university, who should organise themselves and overcome the crisis of trust between academia and society. Up to now, European countries have learned little from one another. They prefer to make their own mistakes, ignoring the experiences of other countries.

1 août 2012

Impact of the global economic crisis on higher education: What are the leadership and management challenges?

http://www.aca-secretariat.be/fileadmin/templates/2009/images/logosmall.jpgImpact of the global economic crisis on higher education: What are the leadership and management challenges? ACA Newsletter guest article by Dr. Ellen Hazelkorn and Martin Ryan, Higher Education Policy Research Unit, Dublin Institute of Technology.
Higher education is currently experiencing tremendous change. The ongoing global economic crisis is increasing pressure for higher education institutions (HEIs) to demonstrate greater relevance to, and better value for, individuals and society. The continuing shift to the knowledge-based economy and the rising demand for and costs of higher education are occurring at the same time that many governments face financial strain – with a knock-on effect on higher education budgets.
At the same time, HEIs jockey for an improved position at national or international level as global rankings boost competition, placing issues of quality and performance under intense scrutiny. Faculty are also under pressure; calls for greater productivity and accountability challenge traditional work-practices and values. Many of these challenges were manifest decades ago but the confluence of factors associated with the crisis and the subsequent adjustment to the new economic reality has intensified their impact. Some examples of the challenges currently being faced are shown below.
Current leadership and management challenges:

Are HEIs developing a more sustainable business model which is appropriate to the new environment? What kinds of structural and organisational changes are being made to enhance efficiency and improve productivity? To what extent has the crisis affected the role or responsibilities of higher education? How is the new economic reality affecting the quality of educational provision and how is this being monitored and measured? Have changes been made to academic work practices in order to better respond to the new competitive and fiscally restrictive environment? What effect are these changes having on educational quality and institutional reputation?
In 2010, the OECD/IMHE Conference, “Higher Education in a World Changed Utterly: Doing More with Less”, brought together researchers, leaders and policy-makers focused on how the higher education sector could navigate through the crisis. It has now become commonplace to say that HEIs need to “do more with less”, but is the current need to implement change a profound paradigm shift in our model for mass higher education, or simply a temporary necessity? It may be the case that recent developments will expose profound structural deficits in our broadly-accepted model for mass higher education.
There is, however, a lack of deep-level knowledge about what exactly is happening in higher education. To date, much attention has focused on the national policy level with relatively generalised statements describing how individual institutions are coping in different countries. Except for anecdotal accounts, we have a poor understanding about the extent of structural adjustment, the impact on HEI mission, the impact on students and educational quality, on research and engagement, and on the sustainability of individual institutions.
“Managerialism” is a controversial term for sections of the academic literature, variously linked with the loss of university autonomy and the adoption of neo-liberal principles. But, leading an institution in the current climate is very difficult. As a result, university presidents and rectors are adopting a more strategic and professional approach to governance and management. What are the leadership challenges - and what choices are being made - and what can institutions learn from each other? To what extent are the issues common across world-regions and institutional types?
To begin to answer these and many other questions, we are conducting an international study, “The Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Higher Education: Leadership and Management Challenges” in partnership with the International Association of Universities (IAU). This will be the first comprehensive, in-depth international comparative study on the impact of the global economic crisis on higher education. A number of key themes around sustainability, efficiency, productivity, quality and participation are pertinent to this investigation.
As the first intensive study in this domain, it will draw on the experience of individual institutions using a representative sample of case studies from around the world. Any college or university interested in participating should contact Martin Ryan before August 31st.
23 juin 2012

EUA’s first Funding Forum explores university responses to the economic crisis

http://www.eua.be/Libraries/Newsletters_2012/FF_Nazar%c3%a9_Burgstaller_web_1.sflb.ashxEUA held its first Forum dedicated to higher education funding at the University of Salzburg, Austria, from 11 to 12 June. The stakeholder platform, the first of its kind, brought together university leaders and managers, researchers, funders and policy makers from 33 countries to discuss a series of issues related to university funding.
EUA President Helena Nazaré opened the Forum with the Austrian Minister for Science and Research Karlheinz Töchterle, State President Gabi Burgstaller and Rector of the University of Salzburg Heinrich Schmidinger. Professor Nazaré reminded policy makers of the importance of sustainable public funding for higher education and research, underlining that funding (for HE and research) should be seen as an investment rather than expenditure. She also urged participants to use the economic downturn as an opportunity to address long-term challenges.
During the two-day event, university leaders and funders exchanged perspectives and focused on how to improve relationships in the difficult present economic context. These discussions emphasised the need for enhanced cooperation within the sector in order to improve universities’ strategic positioning in the knowledge economy. Forum contributors also shed light on the impact of funding reforms on university management and in particular highlighted that the effects of the increasing focus placed on performance-based funding are still to be seen.
The Forum also showed clearly that universities are having to adapt profoundly to what will doubtless be long-term changes, at a time characterised by uncertainty. While many universities have seen public funding go down (see EUA’s update report of the Public Funding Observatory), regulation by public authorities has also been tightened in a number of countries, putting pressure on institutional strategies. Meanwhile, the discussions also underlined that the debate around ‘cost-sharing’ in higher education and tuition fees is also growing throughout Europe. While a number of models exist, they essentially depend on the provision of well-designed student support systems.
The Forum also explored how universities are using income diversification as a risk-mitigation measure. It was underlined that this should be accompanied by the necessary support for and development of internal management capacities, both in terms of governance structures and human resources. Diversification also requires attention to organisational matters as well as control of activities and cost structures. Identifying opportunities for cooperation and pooling resources within the sector was identified as a crucial element of strategic planning. Finally, it was also stressed that an increased focus on communication and quality allows universities to preserve and further strengthen their attractiveness to staff, students and funders.
The Forum’s General Rapporteur, Liviu Matei (Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the Central European University, Budapest), called on participants, and more specifically public authorities at national and European level, to recognise the essential role of institutional leadership in the area of higher education funding. He recommended that public authorities promote and support initiatives aiming at training and reinforcing skills of university leaders, but also consider further investment in human resources at all levels of financial management as a priority.
EUA’s Funding Forum also clearly demonstrated the relevance of discussing higher education funding at European level, in the framework of the dynamics stimulated by the Bologna Process, the European Higher Education Area and the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Participants sent a strong message to policy makers that higher education funding policies should be designed, implemented, assessed and revised with the active participation of all key stakeholders.
EUA intends to take forward the rich outcomes of the Funding Forum in the near future, with the publication of a selection of contributions on the various topics addressed during the event. Presentations from the event are already available on EUA’s website.
The EUA Funding Forum is supported by the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme.
Photo LPB Franz Neumayr: left to right Karlheinz Töchterle, Austrian Minister for Science and Research, Gabi Burgstaller, State President of the Land of Salzburg, Helena Nazaré, EUA President, and Heinrich Schmidinger, Rector of the University of Salzburg.

22 mai 2012

An infographic Series on the current Crisis Facing Higher Education

http://www.educationnews.org/higher-education-bubble/assets/img/part1.pngInformation
In May 2011, Peter Thiel—PayPal co-founder, venture capitalist, and a member of Facebook's board of directors—predicted that higher education would be the next bubble to burst. According to Thiel, higher education in America bears the same markings as the technology and housing bubbles that preceded it: unbridled investment, wildly overvalued assets, and a lower rate of return than in years past. Like all economic bubbles, Thiel argues that higher education is destined for disaster. Thiel's remarks have generated a great deal of controversy: comparing universities and colleges to commercial markets seems simply preposterous to some. The idea, however, resonates with economists. Like real estate and technology, higher education is a major investment; the average education at a 4-year private college costs well over $100,000 in total.
Any major market requiring substantial investment can be analyzed in a similar framework: economic bubbles form when an investment becomes dramatically overvalued, and then burst when this unsustainable pattern reaches critical mass. At that point, investors realize they have paid too much for too little. According to Thiel, most
middle-class parents in America aspire to send their children to college. The media frenzy surrounding the jobs crisis for recent graduates implies that a college degree may not generate the same economic returns it once did. Investors, whether they are private banks or government-based lending groups, may be wondering how much they have overvalued higher education in America. When viewed through this lens, the higher education market has all the makings of an economic bubble on the verge of collapse.
This presentation by Education News gives you a more in-depth look at the economic state of America's higher education system. The data that economists have gathered—from skyrocketing tuition costs to the astonishing size of student loan debt—will tell you everything you need to know about this growing economic concern. Higher education may not be in a state of crisis yet, but it is an issue that deserves a closer look. Watch the video, read the infographics, and then decide for yourself: is higher education the next big bubble?
In part one of our infographic series, we break down exactly how an economic bubble forms, expands, and bursts. We compare the higher ed bubble to the housing bubble, and look at the first major contributor to college’s bubble behavior: the rising cost of tuition.
In part two, we analyze the second and third big factors in blowing up the higher ed bubble: the student loans crisis, and the unforgiving post-graduation job market. Finally, we give you advice on how to go to college and get a degree without getting burned.
20 mai 2012

Study on Impact of Global Economic Crisis on Higher Education

http://www.iau-aiu.net/sites/all/themes/iauaiu/images/iau-en-e-small.pngCall for participation: The Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Higher Education Policy Unit, in partnership with IAU, will conduct a study on how the current economic crisis is affecting higher education institutions and what leadership and management challenges it is bringing in various parts of the world. The researchers undertaking the study are calling for expressions of interest from institutional participant in all regions of the world. If your university is interested to take part, please read and respond positively to the Call for Institutional Participants.
First International Study on the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Higher Education: Leadership and Management Challenges

The on-going Global Economic Crisis (GEC) is having an enduring and profound impact on higher education. At the same time, the continuing shift to the knowledge-based economy, the rising demand for and costs of higher education, and the influence of global rankings are placing issues of quality and performance under intense scrutiny. Faculty are also under pressure; calls for greater productivity and accountability question traditional work-practices and values. Many of these challenges were manifest years ago; but the extent of change now being experienced suggests higher education is undergoing significant structural adjustment. We are all familiar with general commentary about increasing global competition and the need to demonstrate relevance. However, we lack deep-level knowledge of what is happening in higher education: the extent of change taking place, and the impact on individual institutions. In particular, we lack specific understanding of how the new global economic environment is affecting the role and responsibilities of HEIs, and what structural or organisational changes are being made. To what extent is the new global environment a driver of these changes or would they have happened anyway? How are these developments affecting students at your institution? Have changes been made to academic work practices? What effects are these changes having on educational quality, research, and institutional reputation? What are the higher education management and leadership challenges? The study is being conducted in partnership between the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the Higher Education Policy Research Unit (HEPRU), Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland. At this stage, we are seeking Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) that would like to participate in this first international study of how the ongoing global economic crisis is impacting on higher education and, especially, on individual institutions. We aim for approximately 50 participant institutions in order to provide a balanced representation in terms of geographic/regional location and institutional mission.
Participants will be asked to complete a comprehensive on-line self-study questionnaire, covering a series of issues under the following five (5) headings. HEI Mission HEI Strategy HEI Finance HEI Quality HEI Work Practices
In addition, we will ask for some basic information about your institution, in order to correlate experiences with specific types of institutions and world regions. All data collected will adhere to research ethics protocols; the anonymity of each institution will be protected in all resulting publications. We anticipate it should take approx. 1 hour to complete. It is intended to hold a Roundtable Meeting with participating institutions in early 2013, in order to provide an opportunity for higher education leaders to share their experiences of responding to the new situation. Results of the research will be presented at forthcoming IAU and other conferences; publication of the full results will follow in summer 2013. Each participating institutions will receive a copy of the report. We welcome the participation of your institution in this study:
1) Confirm your participation no later than 31 July 2012. Send the name of your institutional contact person, title and email to: Martin Ryan at martin.ryan@dit.ie. The questionnaire will be sent to you upon receipt of the confirmation.
2) Complete the on-line Self-Study questionnaire no later than 30 September 2012.
18 mars 2012

The impact of the economic crisis on higher education

http://www.universityworldnews.com/By Vangelis Tsiligiris. Higher education has been placed at the centre of public debate as a result of the 2008 financial collapse and the ongoing economic crisis. The main thrust of this debate centres around a rejustification of the role of higher education and a redefinition of its funding relationship with government.
Nevertheless, most of the discussion fails to mention the impact of the economic crisis on higher education. To me, this is important because the economic crisis has changed higher education at both the micro and macro levels. The immediate shorter-term impact of the economic crisis has been at the institutional micro level. Lower student numbers on certain programmes – the most expensive ones and those with lower job prospects – has led senior managers in universities to prepare for the worst by making plans to reduce staff at all levels and rationalise their portfolio of programmes.
To me, this is a cyclical problem and is not new in higher education.
What I think is more important is the longer-term impact of the economic crisis on higher education macro planning and policy. The economic crisis has legitimised the long-existing argument that higher education should be treated the same as any other service in the economy and, as such, should be subject to ever-more accountability and managerialist practices. It is important to note that all this has come about in a period when financial neo-liberalism has dominated policy-making globally.
As a result, higher education policy has entered a phase of extreme rationalisation with an emphasis on ‘cutting the excess fat’ and ‘balancing the budget’. One may argue that this is also not a new development. However, what is new is a consensus among governments, at least in the co-called developed countries, that prioritises fiscal rationality as a result of fear about public debt problems. It seems to me that the economic crisis has created a neo-liberal policy and management framework in higher education that has resulted in moves to shift the financial burden for higher education from governments to students and their families.
So increasingly we see governments attempting to turn direct funding and public debt into indirect funding via student loans and private debt. This transformation serves the macroeconomic objectives of governments and legitimises talk about students getting ‘value for money’ and a ‘return on their investment’ in a ‘service provider-customer’ model of higher education. As a result, higher education institutions now have to pursue plans to create alternative streams of income more aggressively, while imposing severe cuts on their provision by cutting academic programmes that are not competitive.
Transnational higher education
At the same time, globally, higher education institutions compete more fiercely than ever before to recruit international students and pursue more aggressive transnational education activities.
In my opinion, the economic crisis will cement the transformation of traditional destination countries for international students to exporters of transnational higher education services. This is already happening. In 2011 the number of students studying abroad on a UK higher education programme offered by transnational partnerships was greater than the number of international students studying in the UK. Increasingly, countries like the UK consider transnational higher education to be a more profitable and less risky – in terms of immigration issues – alternative to international student mobility. Also, students in source countries consider international mobility less and less attractive. The reason for this is twofold.
First, there are increasing costs – tuition fees and living expenses – along with stricter immigration rules in traditional destination countries. These are discouraging international students from going abroad.
Second, the growth of transnational higher education providers in the source countries of international students, coupled with a wider acceptance of transnational provision as a recognised form of higher education, has made it more attractive. For countries with longstanding structural problems in their higher education systems – for example, Greece – the impact of the economic crisis will be more severe. These countries have either completely abandoned alternative providers of higher education (that is, transnational higher education partnerships) or left them completely unregulated. Abandoning alternative providers has reduced the available choices for domestic students who want to study without going abroad – and, as we have seen above, going abroad is now problematic, for a number of reasons. Lack of regulation leads to problems of consumer protection and creates significant risks for foreign university partners engaged in these unregulated transnational higher education activities.
Finally, another issue both governments and higher education have failed to address is unemployment. The economic crisis has driven the unemployment rate of young graduates to its highest peak in years. The global economy is promoted as being a ‘knowledge economy’, which is used to justify ongoing attempts to increase participation rates in higher education. However, there is growing scepticism about the capacity of the global economy to create enough jobs for graduates. So what does the future hold for higher education? In a recent online discussion in which I took part, I wrote: “Allow me to argue, wearing my economist’s hat, that higher education will be shaped by the pursuit of monetary objectives (low inflation, balanced budgets, reduction in expenditure on ‘public goods’)…
“If governments continue to move away from the ‘higher education as public good’ approach, higher education will continue to become more marketised and less research focused.”
Thus, it seems to me that the future of higher education has been handed over to economists and is now less about higher education as such and more about the political economy.
* Vangelis Tsiligiris is college principal of the MBS College in Crete, Greece, and a PhD candidate at Birmingham City University.
28 février 2012

La crise est un levier pour le e-learning

http://www.le-grep-rh.com/imgs/le-grep-rh.pngPropos recueillis par Raphaëlle Pienne. Co-fondateur de CrossKnowledge, Steve Fiehl pilote l'innovation produit. A ce titre, il dirige les équipes de recherche et développement pédagogiques et techniques du groupe, qui se présente comme le leader européen du développement des compétences managériales à distance par les nouvelles technologies et qui a réalisé le premier baromètre européen du e-learning, en partenariat avec le cabinet d'études Féfaur.
Le baromètre montre que les grandes entreprises sont majoritaires à utiliser le e-learning. Les PME s'y mettent-elles également?

"Nous pensons que les PME seront le levier de croissance du e-learning. Les grandes entreprises s'y sont mises plus tôt. Cela répondait, pour elles, à une logique d'investissement et à la recherche de la réalisation d'économies d'échelles. Mais aujourd'hui, les PME ont des changements à mener afin de rester compétitives sur un marché international.
Le travail à distance se développe, les populations sont de plus en plus excentrées, tout cela concoure au besoin de former la juste personne de façon plus flexible. Alors que les grandes entreprises ont tendance à acheter des formations e-learning en "catalogue sur étagère", les PME nous contactent en revanche pour avoir la technologie, et développent leurs propres outils de formation."
En pleine période de crise, le baromètre prévoit une croissance du e-learning en 2012… n'est-ce pas paradoxal?

"Le baromètre indique que l'objectif que les entreprises assignent prioritairement au e-learning est l'optimisation des coûts de formation. La crise est donc un levier pour notre secteur. Jusqu'à présent nous étions en présence d'entreprises qui avaient saisi l'opportunité du e-learning, et d'autres qui hésitaient pour des raisons culturelles.
Aujourd'hui, celles qui y allaient à reculons voient qu'elles n'ont plus le choix. La situation a changé par rapport aux crises précédentes, où les entreprises coupaient le budget dédié à la formation en premier. Les entreprises savent aujourd'hui qu'elles n'ont pas intérêt à diminuer la formation, mais elles souhaitent la garder à moindre coût."
La France semble en retard dans l'utilisation du e-learning par rapport à d'autres pays comme la Grande-Bretagne ou les pays du Benelux. Comment l'expliquez-vous?

"En France, l'obligation de se former depuis la loi de 1971 a créé une forte habitude de la formation en présentiel. L'arrivée du e-learning induit un fort changement pour les entreprises, mais aussi pour les prestataires de la formation.
Ceux-ci se retrouvent face à une explosion des possibilités de formations. Alors qu'ils avaient une "recette unique", ils se retrouvent à gérer un restaurant avec un menu complet!
Les formateurs se voient également assigner de nouveaux rôles. Les changements sont énormes pour tout un secteur qui pèse des milliards en France, et cela peut faire un peu peur. Mais ce changement ne se fera qu'avec eux."
http://www.le-grep-rh.com/imgs/le-grep-rh.png~~V Interview med Raphaelle Pienne. Medstifter af CrossKnowledge, Steve Fiehl ledeprodukt innovation. Som sådan, fører han forskningsgrupper og udvikling af uddannelses-og teknisk gruppe, der præsenterer sig som Europas førende udviklingen af ledelsesmæssige færdigheder på en afstand af nye teknologier, og der gjorde den første barometer for europæisk e-learning i samarbejde med analysefirmaet Féfaur. Mere...
22 janvier 2012

Crise du crédit universitaire

http://img.scoop.it/VBqwRCDmedA6Zl8TzMuNVDl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVaiQDB_Rd1H6kmuBWtceBJPar Christophe Charle et Charles Soulié, membres de l'Association de réflexion sur les enseignement supérieurs et la recherche (Areser). L'année universitaire s'est ouverte sous une triple menace. La première est née de la crise financière et de ses conséquences économiques. Jusqu'ici, le gouvernement n'avait pas trop osé toucher aux budgets des universités et de la recherche, ni appliqué, comme dans les autres administrations, la politique de diminution des effectifs.
Depuis l'automne 2011, des universités sont en quasi-faillite, une dizaine sont placées sous tutelle rectorale. Le principe de l'autonomie implique des choix entre des charges croissantes et des ressources qui ne suivent pas l'inflation d'où des non-reconductions de poste ou le sacrifice de certaines formations. Comme dans tous les pays où ces politiques ont déjà été conduites, désengagement de l'Etat et creusement des écarts entre universités se manifestent au grand jour.
La seconde menace tient aux évolutions contrastées entre les filières et les disciplines. Le déclin des disciplines anciennes ou les plus académiques au profit des nouveaux domaines ou de filières à vocation professionnelle ou axées sur des emplois supposés d'avenir s'est déjà manifesté depuis quelques années. Là encore, les écarts se creusent entre établissements. Les universités dominées par les sciences humaines et sociales, certaines universités scientifiques les moins bien situées dans les hiérarchies académiques sont très affectées par ces baisses et les changements d'option des nouvelles générations étudiantes. Le sentiment d'un avenir bouché, l'expérience du chômage ou du déclassement de certains diplômés des filières les moins ouvertes sur les secteurs encore dynamiques renforceront encore ces tendances.
Les révoltes dans de nombreux pays de jeunes "indignés" par l'explosion du coût des études, l'impéritie des gouvernements qui les condamnent aux bas salaires, aux emplois précaires et au manque d'indépendance par rapport aux générations anciennes sont l'avant-goût de ce qui se passera en France. Les syndicats étudiants et les observatoires de la vie étudiante nous alertent déjà sur la dégradation des dépenses de santé des étudiants et leur difficulté croissante à concilier travaux alimentaires et études, sans parler du développement de la pauvreté dans ce milieu.
Jusqu'ici, le gouvernement a mis en place surtout un processus darwinien de sélection des plus forts à travers les diverses compétitions lancées ces deux dernières années autour des trophées du grand emprunt: plan Campus, EquipEx, LabEx, IdEx, etc. Dans un deuxième temps, il pourra utiliser les procédures d'évaluation mises en place pour répartir inégalement les sacrifices entre les établissements les plus fragiles au nom d'une rigueur qui ne doit pas pénaliser ceux qui réussissent, concurrence internationale oblige.
La troisième dimension de la crise du crédit universitaire concerne l'ensemble des stratégies d'orientation des politiques universitaires à l'oeuvre depuis plus de dix ans. Elles reposent sur les mêmes postulats édictés par les grands organismes internationaux. Les nouveaux organismes issus du pacte pour la recherche puis de loi relative aux libertés et responsabilités des universités (LRU) de 2007 et ses suites en ont été la déclinaison française conforme. Face à la concurrence accentuée des pays émergents, à la montée en puissance de nouveaux continents universitaires organisés en Etats associés (Alena, Mercosur) ou en Etats unifiés (Chine, Inde, Japon) qui misent sur la recherche-développement et l'enseignement universitaire de masse, l'Europe et la France se retrouvent prises en tenailles. Que pèsent ces vieux espaces universitaires désunis face à ces anciens ou nouveaux géants? L'Union européenne n'a mis en place que de modestes politiques de recherche.
Le processus de Bologne reste un vernis cosmétique qui n'efface pas la profonde divergence des logiques universitaires entre les pays qui suivent les modèles néolibéraux et ceux où la tradition étatiste reste dominante. Cela ne donne ni la force de frappe de la politique fédérale des Etats-Unis, ni le volontarisme scientiste et technophile de la Chine, du Japon, de l'Inde ou de la Corée. Selon la "stratégie de Lisbonne" énoncée il y a dix ans, l'Europe aurait dû devenir "l'économie de la connaissance la plus compétitive et la plus dynamique du monde d'ici à 2010". On est loin du compte. Plus encore que l'ensemble de l'Union européenne, la France se trouve déclassée dans ce nouveau contexte.
Seconde ambition de la France dans les années récentes: ne plus seulement attirer les étudiants des pays pauvres ou issus de familles étrangères n'ayant pas les moyens d'offrir à leurs rejetons les "meilleures universités mondiales", dûment recensées par le classement de Shanghaï. Pour y parvenir, on créa l'agence Edufrance (rebaptisée Campusfrance), on incita les universités à s'ouvrir à l'international, on tenta même de manipuler les classements à l'avantage de certaines universités scientifiques françaises ou de certaines filières, on regroupa les établissements pour peser dans les nouvelles balances de l'excellence académique, on lança le plan Campus gagé sur le grand emprunt.
Tout repose ici sur la même logique d'économie de la connaissance à crédit. Mais on ne change pas un système universitaire en cinq ans, et les réputations scientifiques ne s'établissent pas seulement avec des campagnes de presse ou de communication. Un prix Nobel ou une médaille Fields ne fait pas l'excellence d'un système, même s'il permet de grimper de quelques rangs dans l'échelle des grenouilles qui veulent devenir aussi grosses qu'Harvard.
La force des universités anglo-américaines réside au moins autant dans des causes extra-universitaires que dans leurs vertus académiques intrinsèques. Pourtant, on fait comme si des annonces de crédits non encore investis, des changements de nomenclature et de titulature ronflantes, l'agitation continue autour de projets qui s'empilent sans être jamais ni évalués ni critiqués, la dilapidation de l'argent public au profit d'opérateurs privés allaient opérer ce miracle dont plus de trente années de fausses réformes n'ont toujours pas accouché: faire de la France une "grande nation universitaire".
Un sociologue de l'éducation a récemment démontré les profondes logiques régressives à l'oeuvre dans les politiques scolaires des majorités au pouvoir depuis dix ans. Le gouvernement en place, à la recherche d'éléments positifs dans son bilan, quand tous les indicateurs qui concernent la masse de la population sont au rouge, brandit la "mesure phare" que serait sa "grande politique universitaire et de recherche".
Cette politique repose sur trois paris ou faux-semblants que les trois menaces décrites vont faire perdre: remplacement de l'autonomie annoncée par la directivité de la rigueur et du sacrifice des faibles, crédits de recherche et d'équipement promis qui ne sont que des traites sur de l'argent emprunté qui enfonce encore le "crédit" international de la France, prétention à jouer dans la cour des grands de l'internationalisation universitaire alors qu'on n'est même pas capable de loger convenablement ses propres étudiants, d'assurer leur emploi, leur santé et leur orientation et qu'on voit dans tout étudiant étranger depuis la circulaire Guéant, non la future Marie Curie du XXIe siècle, mais un immigrant clandestin ou un terroriste potentiel.
Christophe Charle est professeur d'histoire à l'université Paris-I-Panthéon-Sorbonne; Charles Soulié est professeur de sociologie à l'université Paris-VIII-Vincennes-Saint-Denis.
http://img.scoop.it/VBqwRCDmedA6Zl8TzMuNVDl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVaiQDB_Rd1H6kmuBWtceBJ Af Christopher Charles og Charles Soulie, medlemmer af Sammenslutningen af overvejelserne om videregående uddannelse og forskning (ARES). Det akademiske år åbnede i en tredobbelt trussel. Den første opstod fra den finansielle krise og dens økonomiske konsekvenser. Hidtil havde regeringen ikke vovede at røre for meget til budgetterne for universiteter og forskning, eller anvendes som i andre jurisdiktioner, politikken for nedslidning.
Siden efteråret 2011, er universiteter tæt på konkurs, er et dusin placeret under værgemål rectorial.
Princippet om autonomi indebærer et valg mellem stigende belastninger og ressourcer, som ikke følger inflationen medføre en ikke-fornyelse eller forlængelse af det offer af bestemte formationer. Mere...
6 décembre 2011

Les budgets formation résistent encore à la crise

Les EchosPar Derek Perrotte. La crise ne remet pas en cause les projets de formation des entreprises. Du moins pour l'instant. Selon une enquête que dévoile « Les Echos », menée en octobre par Opcalia et le cabinet Majors Consultants auprès de 3200 entreprises de toutes tailles, la légère hausse des budgets de formation constatée en 2010 et en 2011 devrait même se poursuivre en 2012: les trois quarts des entreprises sondées misent sur des budgets stables et 18% prévoient une hausse; seules 8% annoncent une réduction de voilure. La formation, estime l'étude, bénéficierait d'une « image toujours positive » et constituerait ainsi une « priorité de plus en plus affirmée » pour des entreprises qui se disent encore très largement « confiantes » pour leur avenir (82 %), mais prévoient de moins recruter l'an prochain.
Préparer l'avenir

Dans ce contexte, elles vont concentrer leurs efforts de formation, indiquent-elles, sur les premiers niveaux de formation et les métiers techniques. Objectif : préparer l'avenir en parant à leurs difficultés récurrentes de recrutement, encore ressenties par une entreprise sur trois cette année (stable), en particulier dans les domaines de l'ingénierie, de la prévention-sécurité et de la métallurgie. Selon les employeurs, la pénurie de profils adaptés reste la principale source de difficultés à embaucher (78%), très loin devant la rémunération et les conditions de travail. Ce n'est pas un hasard si les secteurs qui prévoient la plus forte hausse des budgets formation sont aussi ceux qui peinent à attirer: la métallurgie, le BTP, l'hôtellerie-restauration et les services à la personne.
L'étude témoigne en outre que les efforts de l'exécutif pour promouvoir l'alternance paient. Les contrats de professionnalisation sont désormais connus par l'essentiel des entreprises, appréciés de celles qui les ont essayés, et une sur cinq prévoit d'y recourir en 2012, une proportion en légère hausse. La connaissance et le recours au contrat de sécurisation des parcours (ex-CRP et CTP) progressent aussi légèrement. A l'opposé, le droit individuel à la formation (DIF et DIF portable) connaît « une pénétration encore faible dans les entreprises ». Quant à la préparation opérationnelle à l'emploi (POE), elle est connue de seulement un tiers des entreprises et utilisée par à peine 4%.

Les EchosBy Derek Perrotte. Kriis ei mõjuta firma koolitusprojekte. Vähemalt praegu. Uuringust selgub, et "Les Echos", mis viidi läbi oktoobris ning firma Opcalia Majors Consultants alates 3200 igas suuruses ettevõtted, väikest kasvu koolitus koostatud eelarvetest aastatel 2010 ja 2011 tuleb jätkata isegi aastal 2012: kolm neljandikku küsitletud ettevõtetest tugineda stabiilne eelarvetest ja 18% oodata kasvu, vaid 8% teatas vähendamine tiib. Koolitus, ütles uuringu kasu "image alati positiivne" ja seega kujutavad endast "prioriteetsed enam maksma" ettevõtetele, mis ütlevad, et nad ikka veel suuresti "kindel" oma tuleviku (82%), kuid plaan värvata vähemalt järgmisel aastal. Velle...

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