Knowledge Exchange, Innovation and Enterprise in Post-Compulsory Education - Call for Papers
The Editorial Board is pleased to announce a forthcoming Special Issue of 'Research in Post-Compulsory Education' featuring work under way globally on Knowledge Exchange, Innovation and Enterprise in Post-Compulsory Education
Contributions from overseas countries will be particularly welcome, as will articles that demonstrate a variety of perspectives and from a range of Post-Compulsory Education sectors. The Special Issue will be guest edited by Richard Beresford, Director, Centre for Creativity and Enterprise Development, Oxford Brookes University.
In the first instance, papers should be sent to the Journal Editor, Professor Geoffrey Elliott. Contributions should follow the guidance to contributors available on-line at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/authors/edstylea.dot.
The deadline for contributions to the Special Issue is 28th February 2010, and the publication date will be Autumn 2010. Potential contributors are welcome to contact Richard Beresford (rberesford@brookes.ac.uk) or Professor Elliott (g.elliott@worc.ac.uk) for an informal discussion prior to submission of articles.
In March 2008 the UK Government launched a new enterprise strategy ‘Enterprise: unlocking the UK’s talent’. Its central ambition is to make the UK the most enterprising economy in the world. The important role that education plays in this ambition, through the promotion of more enterprising attitudes and behaviours, is now well recognised. Since 2005, all KS4 students have been entitled to at least 5 days of enterprise education per year. The government has committed some £210million over 3 years to create a ‘seamless’ enterprise education journey for young people of all ages, from primary through to higher education.
However the reality appears to be anything but seamless and the whole area of enterprise education remains fraught with ambiguity. This is certainly the case in the post compulsory education sector. In Higher Education, whilst an issue of considerable and growing interest and discussion, the subject remains effectively ghettoised within Business Schools (and their related paradigms). In Further Education, the subject appears to be similarly isolated and remains a typically misunderstood concept, and evident only in isolated pockets. One recent regional FE study for example, described the sector as ‘high in aspiration but low in provision’, with less than 2% engaged on enterprise modules, and displaying a lack of strategic engagement with enterprise education at an institutional level.
The challenge is however not solely related to opportunities for students to access enterprising learning. The recent government white paper ‘Innovation Nation’ outlined a clear challenge for the FE sector to be more enterprising in their vision of the future. For FE institutions, it is argued, building a reputation for enterprise will therefore be vital to drive college improvement, improve student retention and employability, enhance employer engagement and secure diverse funding streams. The same arguments could equally be applied to higher education.
This special edition will focus on knowledge transfer, innovation and enterprise within the post compulsory sector and welcomes contributions within the following areas:
- Conceptual papers related to understanding and meaning
- Papers reporting on evidence of good practice
- Papers which assess institutional blockers and boosters to embedding innovation and enterprise across the sector
- Papers which offer insight into how good practice could be shared across the education sectors
- Articles addressing matters of policy development and implementation.
