Competencies, Higher Education and Career in Japan and the Netherlands (Higher Education Dynamics Book 21)

This book investigates how social and cultural factors affect the education, training and career development of graduates of higher education in Japan and the Netherlands. Despite their different historical paths, both countries are now subject to the common pressure of globalization. As a result, the higher education sector in both countries is becoming more universal and available to a larger population, and the economy and society are becoming increasingly knowledge-intensive. The aim of this book is to explore how Dutch and Japanese graduates choose and develop their careers in reference to the above-mentioned challenges. It is based on a unique data set consisting of surveys held among graduates 3 and 8 years after leaving higher education. Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Jim Allen*, Yuki Inenaga**, Rolf van der Velden* and Keiichi Yoshimoto*** * University of Maastricht ** University of Tsukuba *** Kyushu University 1. 1 Objectives and Background 1. 1. 1 The Focus of This Book It is well known that Japan and the Netherlands have enjoyed friendly relations for more than 400 years. Despite this fact, neither country has had much influence on the other in terms of society, culture, or institutional arrangements in the educational system and the labour market. These aspects remain essentially unique to each country. As a result, Japan and the Netherlands, the two countries at the focus of this book, form an intriguing contrast of culture, education system and labour market organisation. For decades Japan has attracted the attention of countless scholars attempting to come to grips, first of all with the enormous success of the post-war Japanese economy, and subsequently with its faltering progress since the early 1990s. In contrast to most western capitalist countries, the Japanese economy is characterised by a strong degree of centralised planning and cooperation between economic and political elites, in which favoured corporations and industries have been deliberately fostered. The higher education system has been largely academic in its focus, and strong links between higher education institutions and companies have helped ensure a smooth and rapid transition by graduates from higher education to employment. Front Matter....Pages I-VI Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-23 policies on the transition from higher education to employment since the 1990s....Pages 25-48 Front Matter....Pages 49-49 Competencies acquired at university and required in the workplace....Pages 51-76 University and college differences in the returns to education in japan and the netherlands....Pages 77-95 University education and its relevance to working life....Pages 97-127 Front Matter....Pages 129-129 On the use and generation of knowledge economy competencies....Pages 131-147 Influence of diversified employment on the initial career of higher education graduates....Pages 149-164 Career and mobility in japan and the netherlands....Pages 165-188 Front Matter....Pages 189-189 Japanese and dutch graduates’ work orientations and job satisfaction....Pages 191-210 Individualism and collectivism....Pages 211-224 Does Higher Education Provide Opportunities For Career Development Of Men And Women?....Pages 225-247 Front Matter....Pages 249-249 The relationships between higher education and employment in japan and the netherlands....Pages 251-264 Back Matter....Pages 265-270 Annotation This book investigates how social and cultural factors affect the education, training and career development of graduates of higher education in Japan and the Netherlands. The aim of this book is to explore how Dutch and Japanese graduates choose and develop their careers in reference to the above-mentioned challenges. It is based on a unique data set consisting of surveys held among graduates three and eight years after leaving higher education