Education, meritocracy and the global war for talent

Higher education, social class and the mobilisation of capitals: recognising and playing the game

“…The work of Brown and colleagues (Brown, 2003;Brown and Hesketh, 2004;Brown and Tannock, 2009;Brown, Lauder and Ashton, 2011), in contrast, proposes that an explosion of HE across the world is driving changes in graduate labour markets. Brown et al (2011: 132) argue that the competition for 'good, middle-class jobs' is increasingly a global struggle, with middle-class families in particular adopting increasingly desperate measures to 'stay ahead' of the competition for future employment.…”

“…Social mobility, higher education and graduate employability are concerns in all developed nations, and increasingly so as the impact of globalisation intensifies and much of the world confronts a period of severe austerity. Brown and colleagues (Brown and Tannock, 2009;Brown, Lauder and Ashton, 2011) talk of a 'global war' for the most talented graduates, acknowledging the increasingly international character of the career market for today's highest achieving young people.…”

Higher Education in the Nordic Countries

“…There is expectation that higher education forms an important part of the so-called "Knowledge triangle" (Maassen & Stensaker, 2011) in contributing to innovation processes. In terms of mobility patterns, this has also led to intensification of the socalled "global race for talents" (Brown & Tannock, 2009), increasingly also in higher education where countries are actively working to attract the "best and brightest".…”

Adult learning, education, and the labour market in the employability regime

“…On a societal level, the current governing discourse in the OECD countries is characterised by a relatively narrow perspective on the relationship among education, employability, and the labour market (Brown & Tannock, 2009;Moreau & Leathwood, 2006). Labour market policies and educational strategies, as well as organisational recruitment, training, and competence development policies, are generally based on a market-driven technical-rational approach to matching supply and demand for labour at the societal, organisational, and individual levels.…”

“…Education is central to the allocation of individuals to various positions in the labour market and in society. Thus, education may lead to the reproduction of inequalities (Collins, 1979;Brown & Tannock, 2009;Gaskell & Rubenson, 2004). Overall, from these instrumental perspectives, educational design is expected to consider primarily the labour market that awaits participants or students upon graduation.…”