Ann Hodgson & Ken Spours 
Post-Compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning across the United Kingdom [PDF ebook] 
Policy, organisation and governance

This book brings together the perspectives of researchers, policy-makers and practitioners from across England, Wales and Scotland to produce a rich, up-to-date and highly textured source of evidence about this under-researched sector. The contributors analyse how each country’s approach to national policy, organisation, governance and practice operates and show that by understanding this in depth, one can move beyond simplistic comparisons, policy borrowing and idealisations towards a more effective mode of government in the future. The book looks at the commonalities and differences between the UK’s national systems and compares this internationally, before it maps out and summarises each nation’s key system features. It gives expert opinion on the organisational arrangements and priorities in England, Scotland and Wales and shows how each operates in practice and what implications there are for the learners, educational professionals and wider stakeholders. The book concludes by imagining three possible scenarios for the future of education and training policy across the UK. This book will be of direct interest and relevance to national and international researchers and policy-makers in the broadly defined field of post-compulsory education and lifelong learning. It will also appeal to teachers, lecturers and postgraduate students on courses related to education and political science, and those who work in national and regional agencies in England, Scotland and Wales.