Competencies, Higher Education and Career in Japan and the Netherlands

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.

Broad multidisciplinary perspective Describes different features of the educational and occupational careers of graduates: experiences in higher education, the transition to professional life, values and work orientations Based on unique comparative survey Series of research questions are analysed from different perspectives by Japanese and Dutch contributors Focuses on professional domains as well as private domains such as work-life balance of growing wide social interests

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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.

Contenu
Background.- policies on the transition from higher education to employment since the 1990s.- Higher Education Experiences.- Competencies acquired at university and required in the workplace.- University and college differences in the returns to education in japan and the netherlands.- University education and its relevance to working life.- Transition and Professional Careers.- On the use and generation of knowledge economy competencies.- Influence of diversified employment on the initial career of higher education graduates.- Career and mobility in japan and the netherlands.- Values and Work Orientations.- Japanese and dutch graduates' work orientations and job satisfaction.- Individualism and collectivism.- Does Higher Education Provide Opportunities For Career Development Of Men And Women?.- Final Reflections.- The relationships between higher education and employment in japan and the netherlands.