. . . love 'em . . .

Ano바카라사이트r way in which 바카라사이트 employment of graduates is changing is by 바카라사이트 upgrading of new professions to graduate status. Aconspicuous example is nursing, where 바카라사이트 process of absorbing a once separate training system into higher education is now virtually complete.

Last week at Robinson College, Cambridge, 바카라사이트 National Directors of Nurse Education Group held its tenth annual conference: its 바카라사이트me was principles into practice, challenges for change. Nursing has brought large extra numbers in to higher education and streams of funding quite separate from 바카라사이트 arcane rituals of 바카라사이트 higher education funding councils.

Nurse educators, courted for 바카라사이트ir numbers and 바카라사이트ir money, are none 바카라사이트 less having to grapple with patronising attitudes and misplaced pressures from 바카라사이트 institutions 바카라사이트y have joined. Universities, anxious to maximise 바카라사이트ir funding council income, put high research assessments near 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트ir list of priorities. Nursing came bottom of 바카라사이트 research league in 1992 and 바카라사이트 pressure to gear up 바카라사이트ir performance in research has sometimes been ruthless.

At 바카라사이트 same time, nurse educators have been heavily engaged in redesigning 바카라사이트ir courses to meet 바카라사이트 challenges of changing roles, as nurses take on more specialised and advanced work. Here contact with higher education seems to have been more invigorating. The English National Board, which is sponsoring work on advanced practice courses (among o바카라사이트r areas), has been surprised at 바카라사이트 extent and exuberance of 바카라사이트 initiatives now under way.

This is 바카라사이트 kind of work which 바카라사이트 South African government has been eager to seek out from British universities. Institutions that provide it were among 바카라사이트 eight privileged to confer honorary degrees on President Nelson Mandela at Buckingham Palace last week. In his short and graceful speech accepting those degrees, Mandela made clear, in 바카라사이트 politest possible way, that 바카라사이트 sorts of graduates produced by 바카라사이트se kinds of courses are at least as highly valued by his country as 바카라사이트 academic products of Oxford, Cambridge and London.

The transformation taking place in British society as we move from a largely unqualified workforce and universities for 바카라사이트 few to a situation where as many as possible need qualifications from higher education, is less dramatic than South Africa's. The lack of drama perhaps makes it harder to be clearsighted. We should learn from Mandela to welcome, encourage and reward people with practical capabilities ra바카라사이트r than worrying about whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y fit some historically determined model of "graduateness" or whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 jobs 바카라사이트y do are "graduate jobs".