ul

Education and Skills Newsletter - July/August 2017

What's new in education and skills at the OECD?




ul

Italy should continue reforms to improve people’s skills and boost growth

Full and effective implementation of recent reforms, including the Jobs Act and the Good Schools reform, would help boost growth in Italy by improving people’s skills and ensuring their more effective use across the country, according to a new OECD report.




ul

Register for the webinar - PISA 2015 Results (Volume V): Collaborative Problem Solving (Tuesday, 21 November,16:00 Paris time)

The assessment examines students’ ability to work with two or more people to try to solve a problem. The report highlights how students’ gender, socio-economic status and immigrant background are related to their performance in the assessment and to their attitudes towards collaboration in general.




ul

Boosting skills would drive UK growth and productivity

To boost growth, productivity and earnings, the UK should encourage lifelong learning among adults and promote better skills utilisation, according to a new OECD report.




ul

Archived webinar - "PISA 2015 Results (Volume V) - Collaborative Problem Solving"

with Andreas Schleicher - Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills (November 21, 2017)




ul

TopClass Podcast Episode 1: What is ‘neurodiversity’ in the classroom and how should we respond to it?

Not every student’s brain works and learns in the same way. Classrooms are increasingly becoming more aware of what is known as "neurodiversity" among their students, a term used to describe neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and ASD.




ul

Improving skills would boost growth and job creation in France

France’s economy is growing and the labour market is gradually improving. However, the share of people out of work for more than 12 months remains high and many young people are on temporary contracts, with weak long-term job prospects and little opportunity for training.




ul

Italy should strengthen reform implementation to boost skills

Recent reforms of Italy’s education system (“Buona Scuola”), labour market (“Jobs Act”) and industrial policy (“Industria 4.0”) have clear synergies and could reduce worrying imbalances between the supply and demand of skills on the Italian labour market, according to the new OECD report Getting Skills Right: Italy.




ul

Education Indicators in Focus No. 57: Is labour market demand keeping pace with the rising educational attainment of the population?

Across OECD countries, more and more individuals have attained tertiary education and the share of those with less education has declined. Although there are more tertiary-educated individuals than ever before, they still achieve good labour market outcomes.




ul

Padarayanapura teens assaulted by Bengaluru cop, local goon: Video goes viral

Video shows civil dressed police officer thrashing two Muslim teenagers in the Hebbal-Sahakar Nagar area of Bangalore. People are calling out the police officer for using excessive force against the teenagers and are demanding action against the cop.




ul

Throwback: Victoria's Secret Angel Izabel Goulart goes showers in public in sultry snap (Photo)

In this particular snap, Izabel can be seen showing off her incredible figure in a two-piece bikini while taking a shower in public.




ul

Gokul Anandayuvaraj is the Unique Entrepreneur with a Progressive Mindset and Mission

Gokul Anandayuvaraj, the founder and CEO of VINVELI, is one such entrepreneur and tech innovator. From his consistent hard work and contribution, he has been inspiring millions of engineers and budding entrepreneurs all over the world, especially in the field of aerospace.




ul

Governance: The Chicago Tri-State metro area is a powerful region – policy makers must work together to maintain a global pole position and fully realise the region’s potential

Chicago is at a tipping point: despite economic strengths, it faces considerable challenges to compete in the “Premier League” of world-class cities, warns the OECD’s review of the Chicago Tri-State Metropolitan Region.




ul

Korea: a strong national urban strategy could drive resilient economic growth

Korea has weathered the shocks triggered by the global recession and its economy is recovering more quickly and vigorously than most other OECD countries.




ul

Mexico must improve water governance, financing and regulation, says OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría

Mexico’s river basins are under severe water stress. The quality of rivers, lakes and aquifers is declining and floods, droughts, and hurricanes are more frequent. These are some of the alerts signaled in OECD’s Making Water Reform Happen in Mexico.




ul

Report: Tackling long-term unemployment amongst vulnerable groups

This working paper reports on the work undertaken as part of the Tackling Long-term Unemployment Amongst Vulnerable Groups project. It includes the findings of a survey undertaken jointly by the OECD LEED Programme and the World Association of Public Employment Services in 2012, and also case studies and learning models from around the world on innovative practices to support the long-term unemployed into work.




ul

Stimulating entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviours in east German higher education: State of play and inspiring practices

As part of the OECD LEED project on university support for entrepreneurship in eastern Germany, undertaken in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Regional Development, this handbook presents highlights of results of a series of case studies and a university survey.




ul

Improved multi-level governance key to tackling widening regional inequalities and ensuring inclusive recovery

The economic crisis has hit certain regions and cities harder than others in the OECD area, calling for better regional policies across levels of governments to foster an inclusive and sustainable recovery, according to two new OECD reports.




ul

Workshop: Potential of social enterprises for job creation and green economy - how to stimulate their start and development?

The last decade has seen considerable policy attention to the social economy and its contribution to employment, in particular as regards the inclusion and empowerment of vulnerable workers and the provision of appropriate working conditions.




ul

French capital should prepare now for risk of a costly Seine flood

A major flooding of the Seine River similar to the flood disaster of 1910 could affect up to 5 million residents in the greater Paris area and cause up to 30 billion euros worth of damage, according to a new OECD report.




ul

Australia: Local employment agencies should play a greater role in job creation, says OECD

Slower growth in key markets like China and India is reducing momentum across the Australian economy, cutting into employment opportunities and putting more pressure on the government to ensure that public policy delivers optimal results for growth and job creation.




ul

Urban Mobility System Upgrade: How shared self-driving cars could change city traffic?

This report explores this question on the basis of detailed mobility data including origin, destination and timing of all trips for a mid-sized European city. ITF developed a model to test various alternative transport system configurations that would provide the same level of mobility (locations and timing) as today.




ul

How shared self-driving cars could change city traffic

In 2011, TIME Magazine named collaborative consumption (or the sharing economy as it is often called) as one of the top 10 ideas that will change the world. Four years on, this prediction seems to be holding true. The number of companies operating in the sharing economy is rising rapidly in the transport sector alone.




ul

Multi-level governance and robust water allocation regimes needed to secure Brazil’s future water needs

The recent droughts in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states have exposed the need to shift from crisis management to effective risk governance of the country’s water resources, according to a new OECD report.




ul

WORKSHOP: Cultural heritage as catalyst of local development (Milan, Italy)

The OECD LEED Trento Centre organised a working group session on "Cultural heritage as catalyst of local development " on Thursday, 22 June, 2017 - 12.30 to 15.30 in the context of ArtLab 17 in Milan.




ul

Summer Academy on Cultural and Creative Industries and Local Development

The Summer Academy, a three-year project 2018-2020, provides training for policy makers and representatives of cultural and creative industries (CCIs). The first edition will take place 11-15 June 2018 in Trento and Bolzano, Italy. The final conference on Friday 15 June is open to local as well as to national and international stakeholders interested in the event themes, upon registration.




ul

Descriptions of existing models and tools used for exposure assessment: Results of OECD Survey

This document includes a table which summarises descriptions of existing models and tools used for exposure assessment, as well as responses to a 2010 survey – conducted by the OECD Task Force on Exposure Assessment - upon which the table was based. The summary table and the responses are also available in the OECD Environmental Risk Assessment Toolkit (http://envriskassessmenttoolkit.oecd.org/).




ul

Emission scenario document on formulation and application of thermal and carbonless copy paper

This document provides information on the sources, use patterns, and potential release pathways of chemicals used in the manufacture of thermal and carbonless copy paper. It presents approaches for estimating the environmental releases of and occupational exposures to additives and components used in thermal and carbonless copy paper coatings.




ul

New scoping document on in vitro and ex vivo assays for the identification of modulators of thyroid hormone signalling

This scoping document brings forward relevant in vitro and ex vivo thyroid assays to the attention of OECD member countries, and provide recommendations for their further development/use, and also, to identify aspects of the thyroid signalling pathway that are not covered and would require further attention




ul

Report of an OECD survey on risk management/mitigation approaches and options related to agricultural pesticide use near residential areas

This report of a survey collates member countries’ approaches to manage and mitigate the risk of pesticide use near residential areas.




ul

Genome Editing: Applications in Agriculture

The OECD Conference on Genome Editing: Applications in Agriculture – Implications for Health, Environment and Regulation will explore the regulatory considerations raised by genome edited products, with the aim to favour a coherent policy approach to facilitate innovation involving genome editing. More information on the programme and the speakers.




ul

Assessing the economic valuation of the benefits of regulating chemicals - Environment Working Paper

This paper reviews and compares five case studies on quantification and economic valuation of benefits in cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) of regulating phthalates, mercury, PFOA (perfluoro-octanic acid) and its salts, NMP (1 methyl-2-pyrroloidine) and formaldehyde. The case studies had all been carried out as part of the SACAME project, and the purpose of the present paper is to draw out cross-cutting findings from these studies.




ul

Considerations for Assessing the Risks of Combined Exposure to Multiple Chemicals

This document outlines various approaches and methodologies for the assessment of risks from combined exposures to multiple chemicals. The document draws from approaches and experience in the regulatory context, and presents elements to consider in the assessment.




ul

Global Forum on Environment - Plastics in a Circular Economy: Design of Sustainable Plastics from a Chemicals Perspective

Policy instruments can be applied to improve the sustainability of plastics, including regulations, market-based instruments, information and voluntary tools. The report reviews the use of these instruments, provides good practice examples, such as product taxes and charges, eco-design standards, extended producer responsibility and environmental product labels, as well as discussing opportunities for their future applications.




ul

Adverse Outcome Pathways, Molecular Screening and Toxicogenomics

Latest releases: AOPs are the central element of a toxicological knowledge framework, promoted by member countries through OECD, built to support chemical risk assessment based on mechanistic reasoning. Seven New AOPs have now been published.




ul

Webinar video recording on Finding Alternatives to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances of Concern: A Difficult and Continuing Challenge

On Thursday 26 September 2019, the OECD discussed "Finding Alternatives to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances of Concern: A Difficult and Continuing Challenge" with the participation of W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. Presenters shared efforts, successes and challenges in eliminating per and polyfluorinated chemicals of environmental concern from the life cycle of consumer products.




ul

Safety of novel foods and feeds and on the harmonisation of regulatory oversight in biotechnology

A major fruit crop of temperate regions, APPLE is consumed worldwide as fresh fruit, juice and other food products. This consensus document provides science-based key insights for the regulatory assessment of the environmental safety of genetically-engineered products: taxonomy, reproductive biology, genetics, hybridisation and introgression, and ecology.




ul

The Slow Lane: Culture brings its own riches

Participation in the arts has a hugely positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing




ul

‘Catullus’ Bedspread’, by Daisy Dunn

An imaginative journey into the life and work of an elusive Roman poet




ul

Donald Trump and America’s culture wars

From abortion to gay rights, he is unorthodox on Republican ‘values’, writes Christopher Caldwell




ul

Chubb CEO Greenberg on his winning M&A formula

The son of a towering industry figure is building his own empire




ul

Mitsui’s Tatsuo Yasunaga on Japan’s start-up culture

The Japanese trading house trusts its history of investment to create new lines of business




ul

The Fast Lane: who’s going to be the ‘global culture cop’?

‘What does it mean if you can’t comment on a sector of society unless you’re part of it?’




ul

The Fast Lane: house rules for Hotel Brûlé

Your company secrets don’t need to be revealed to the tanning masses. Your shareholders will thank you




ul

The Fast Lane: What it feels like to be hit by a bullet

The facts are very simple: automatic weapons have no place in civil society, even when licensed




ul

Seoul party district cluster of cases raises fears lockdown eased too soon

Social distancing reinstated as new cases are linked to one person who might have had contact with 1,500 others




ul

All-important caveat would be lost




ul

Tories and the cult of home ownership

Promoting house-buying is a form of stimulus that does not overtly add to the fiscal deficit




ul

This is no time for a UK stimulus

The current period is reminiscent of 1937, when Keynes said the time was wrong to boost spending




ul

State should come with a clear price tag

After the chancellor has delivered the Budget we never know whether we are richer or poorer