During the last several decades developed economies underwent salient employment shifts from manufacturing toward service production. This dissertation investigates the meaning of these changes for the occupational and skill structure of the German economy. It elaborates on the skills and...

Social and economic changes during the past decades have affected especially adolescents and young adults at the beginning of their working lives. In nearly all Western countries the school-to-work transition (STWT) nowadays is characterized by increased insecurity. The major aim of this...

A basic level of literacy and numeracy is essential for full participation in modern societies. While very few people in most of the advanced countries could be regarded as illiterate or innumerate, recent studies have shown that there are, in fact, significant numbers of people with poor...

Knowledge and Skills for Life assesses how far students near the end of compulsory education (15-year-olds) have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in society. It presents evidence on student performance in reading, mathematical and scientific...

This report documents the initial step towards an electronically-delivered Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test pioneered by Denmark, Iceland and Korea. In 2006, the PISA assessment of science included for the first time a computer-based test. The results discussed in this...

Based on the Adult Literacy and Life Skills survey conducted in Bermuda, Canada, Italy, Mexico (Nuevo Leon), Norway, and the United States of America in 2003 and 2004, this book presents an initial set of findings that shed new light on the twin processes of skill gain and loss. The book opens...