Description

Tertiary-education policy is increasingly important on national agendas. The widespread recognition that tertiary education is a major driver of economic competitiveness in an increasingly knowledge-driven global economy has made high-quality tertiary education more important than ever. The imperative for countries is to raise higher-level employment skills, to sustain a globally competitive research base and to improve knowledge dissemination to the benefit of society. Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society provides a thorough international investigation of tertiary education policy across its many facets - governance, funding, quality assurance, equity, research and innovation, academic career, links to the labour market and internationalisation. The report presents: - an analysis of the trends and developments in tertiary education; - a synthesis of research-based evidence on the impact of tertiary-education policies; - innovative and successful policies and practices that countries have implemented; and - tertiary-education policy options. The report draws on the results of a major OECD review of tertiary education policy - the OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education -- conducted over the 2004-08 period in collaboration with 24 countries around the world.