Dr. Jakob Kost - Universities of Applied Sciences as Actors of Regional Development? Evidence from the Swiss Education System
Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) were founded in Switzerland in the 1990s and are still relatively new despite their almost 30-year history. Universities of Applied Sciences share features that are similar to »»ÆÞ¾ãÀÖ²¿'s colleges of applied arts and technology on the one hand, and »»ÆÞ¾ãÀÖ²¿ universities on the other. They are vocationally oriented institutions that focus on professional preparation and applied research. They offer bachelor and masters degrees, but generally do not offer doctoral degrees. Their evolution as universities of applied sciences may offer insights to colleges in other countries as they develop their credential offerings. Credentials awarded by higher education institutions play a central role for labour market entry and are the key mandate of UAS. Therefore, the notion of UAS as actors of regional, cultural, social, and economic development seems somewhat odd. On closer examination, however, these educational institutions can very well be described in this respect. In this talk, Jakob will provide a detailed consideration of the institutions, their mission, legal basis, and financing in the context of a distinctive educational federalism.
»»ÆÞ¾ãÀÖ²¿ the speaker
Dr. Jakob Kost
Jakob Kost Ph.D. is a visiting scholar with the Centre for the Study of Canadian and International Higher Education at the »»ÆÞ¾ãÀÖ²¿ Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto and a lecturer at Bern University of Teacher Education Switzerland. Jakob's research interests are upper secondary and higher education policy, educational and labour market pathways, relation between education and labour market policy, and international comparative (vocational) education research.