This book explores new and distinctive forms of higher vocational education across the globe, and asks how the sector is changing in response to the demands of the 21st century. These new forms of education respond to two key policy concerns: an emphasis on high skills as a means to achieve economic competitiveness, and the promise of open access for adults hitherto excluded from higher education. Examining a range of geographic contexts, the editors and contributors aim to address these contexts and highlight various similarities and differences in developments. They locate their analyses within the various political and socio-economic contexts, which can make particular reforms possible and achievable in one context and almost unthinkable in another. Ultimately, the book promotes a critical understanding of evolving provisions of higher vocational education, refusing assumptions that policy borrowing from apparently 'successful' countries offers a straightforward model for others to adopt.

Paranormal, Suspense, Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction Novel. Three friends, recently deceased, battle for their lives once again in the afterlife.

He's Not Just a Jerk...He's a Narcissist is a breath of fresh air for anyone who has been unfortunate enough to be in a relationship with a narcissist. If you just think he's a jerk, you may find out it is so much more than that. It takes some time to realize that something is terribly wrong, and by then it may seem too late to do anything about it. The bottom line is the only way to fix a relationship with a narcissist is to GET OUT! The format of He's Not Just a Jerk...is designed for a quick read with numerous tips for surviving your narcissist experience. It will hopefully educate you in how to better cope with your current narcissist and how to avoid future ones! The reminders in this book are a reality check you can visit again and again until you finally pack your bags.

The names are familiar from the nightly news -- the Senate Centrist Coalition, the Coalition (Blue Dogs), the Black Caucus. But what exactly are these groups, and what role do they play in congressional decision making? In Congressional Caucuses in National Policy Making Susan Webb Hammond describes and explains the role, activities, and influence of the groups known on Capitol Hill as "caucuses." Defined as voluntary groups of members of Congress that share interests, but which stand outside the formal legislative and policy making structure, caucuses are prime players in influencing policy and setting the legislative agenda.

Over the past five Congresses, Hammond counts the formation of more than 250 caucuses, varying widely in size and membership. They can be organized into six categories: party affiliation, personal interest, national constituency, regional issues, state interests, and district industrial interests. Within the caucuses, members share information, coordinate legislative plans, seek ways to influence colleagues, and even strategize on agenda setting. While the caucuses can contribute to greater coordination, efficiency, and even effective policy planning, Hammond finds that they also tend to fragment the congressional system, because they serve as alternative sources of information, communication, and voting coalitions outside the formal structure of Congress. In fact, caucuses have survived recent attempts at elimination by doing away with legislative service organizations.

The names are familiar from the nightly news--the Senate Centrist Coalition, the Coalition (Blue Dogs), the Black Caucus. But what exactly are these groups, and what role do they play in congressional decision making? In "Congressional Caucuses in National Policy Making" Susan Webb Hammond describes and explains the role, activities, and influence of the groups known on Capitol Hill as "caucuses." Defined as voluntary groups of members of Congress that share interests, but which stand outside the formal legislative and policy making structure, caucuses are prime players in influencing policy and setting the legislative agenda.

Over the past five Congresses, Hammond counts the formation of more than 250 caucuses, varying widely in size and membership. They can be organized into six categories: party affiliation, personal interest, national constituency, regional issues, state interests, and district industrial interests. Within the caucuses, members share information, coordinate legislative plans, seek ways to influence colleagues, and even strategize on agenda setting. While the caucuses can contribute to greater coordination, efficiency, and even effective policy planning, Hammond finds that they also tend to fragment the congressional system, because they serve as alternative sources of information, communication, and voting coalitions outside the formal structure of Congress. In fact, caucuses have survived recent attempts at elimination by doing away with legislative service organizations.