Vino Con Vista | Traveler

Archaeology: Greece, ancient wreckage found in Ionian Sea

Thu, 31 May 2012 07:00:40 MDT

On seabed where Poseidon gas pipeline is to be laid

Turkey's competitiveness higher than some EU countries, IMD

Thu, 31 May 2012 06:52:00 MDT

Word of the Day: Pettegolezzi

Thu, 31 May 2012 06:12:16 MDT

Pettegolezzi means items of gossip. Juicy details. The lowdown. The chatter, the chit-chat. And other nouns of the sort. It comes from the Italian noun, pettegolo, or gossiper. In other words, the one who gossips. It can also be used … Continue reading →

Soccer: Cassano says no to Balotelli room share

Thu, 31 May 2012 06:00:39 MDT

AC Milan forward says it would be 'too much'

Greece: Parents spend over 5 bln euros on extra education

Thu, 31 May 2012 06:00:39 MDT

Alliance of Civilizations: Forum for UN opens in Istanbul

Thu, 31 May 2012 06:00:39 MDT

Cyprus: Nicosia hands over air flag carrier restructuring

Thu, 31 May 2012 06:00:39 MDT

Analyzing Timmy Duggan’s national championship power

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:58:18 MDT

U.S. road champ Timmy Duggan set a PR of 6.4 W/kg for 10 minutes on the final climb of Paris Mountain during his title ride on Monday

AUTOGP: Sistos joins Zele Racing's line-up

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:33:42 MDT

Juan Carlos Sistos has joined Zele Racing for this weekend's Auto GP round at the Algarve circuit as the team expands back to a two-car line-up.

DTM: Phoenix boss says A5 ready to win

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:18:36 MDT

Audi's A5 DTM machine is now fast enough to win this weekend's Spielberg round, according to Phoenix Racing team boss Ernst Moser, the man who guided Martin Tomczyk to last year's drivers' title.

Italian engineer kidnapped in Nigeria

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:03:00 MDT

Local media say kidnappers have not contacted authorities

Where should Italian students study to guarantee themselves a job?

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:00:03 MDT

On a programme run alongside master's courses in which the brightest and best follow a 'made in USA' style of educationThere is just one university in Italy where the study of architecture, engineering and design is not considered sufficient in itself. Because, the thinking goes, architects, engineers and designers must then work within a company, and be familiar with every aspect of it. It's for this reason that a "made in USA" idea of education has been adopted by the Alta Scuola Politecnica (ASP), co-founded in 2004 by the polytechnics in Milan and Turin – the largest and oldest scientific universities in Italy.Every year, only 150 students with the required qualifications are admitted to the university, whose programme runs in parallel with the polytechnics' courses.. For two years, in addition to their normal work for a master's degree, they must attend a series of courses in English. These do not follow the classic timetable of one- or two-hour lessons: instead, groups of five or six students are fully immersed for seven days at a time. These courses last three weeks – the equivalent of 70 hours of seminars, lectures and independent study. They take place in the second semester – normally in March, May and July – leaving students the time to attend courses abroad under the Erasmus scheme. The courses are designed by the professors in collaboration with firms, public bodies and research authorities. The key is innovation. So, every year, the courses are different – and so are the students who are asked to attend.This year, the programme opened with a talk on "design thinking" by the guest of honour, Banny Banerjee from Stanford Design School, who addressed strategic aspects of problems ranging from behavioural science to economic sociology. These appear to have little to do with design, Banerjee said, but are integral if you want to work at the top of your field.The selection criteria for participants to the ASP are very rigorous, based not just on qualifications, but also on motivation: students need to have a very strong CV and cover letter, and a certificate that proves their knowledge of English.After starting the course, a third do not manage to keep up and end up dropping out. Those who do make it to the end gain two qualifications: one from their university and one from the ASP.This joint degree appears to carry a guarantee of employment. According to a survey based on an association of ex-students, carried out three years ago, all of them had jobs, one quarter of them abroad. Twenty per cent had found work even before they had finished their postgraduate degree; the rest were all employed within about two months of graduating.ItalyEuropeUniversity teachingHigher educationguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Is a university education still worth the time and money?

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:00:02 MDT

Across Europe, young people are doing the same calculations: pay their way through three or four years of higher education for uncertain returns – or take their chances without a degreeGiulia is 20 years old. She is in her second year at Sapienza University in Rome, studying communication science, but has decided to drop out.Is this because she chose the wrong subject? No – like many other students in Italy, she simply no longer believes that her degree will help her to find a job. Not only has the financial crisis left many facing an uncertain future, but the education system itself is believed to be useless by families who point out that it does not reward merit.In the current academic year, according to the latest report from the national committee for university grading, less than 60% of pupils with high-school diplomas enrolled at an Italian university, the lowest percentage for 30 years."It's far better to get a job without doing a degree," says Giulia. In a few weeks she will be at the seaside in Ostia, working in a bar run by her aunt and uncle.All across Europe, young people are performing the same calculations: pay their way through three or four years of higher education for uncertain returns, or take their chances without a degree. In countries such as Italy and Britain, there is a real financial cost: tuition fees of up to £9,000 in the UK from September, and as much as €3,000 (£2,400) in Italy.Entry-level salaries for graduates are shrinking – and yet a degree is still a big advantage in the fight against unemployment. Among 25- to 29-year-old graduates in the European Union, unemployment rose from 7% to 9.2% between 2008 and 2011, while among people with only basic education it went from 16.1% to 24.3%.Nevertheless, in countries such as Italy, a university degree may be a risky investment: Italy's universities are ranked among the lowest in Europe by Eurostat, as only 76.6% of graduates find work, compared with an EU average of 82.3%.Many students will be well into their studies before they realise that they have little competitive advantage to show for their efforts. In France, the BA from public universities is now considered so inferior that it is almost mandatory to continue on to a master's. Not surprisingly, in countries such as France and Italy, where the standard university bachelor degrees are somewhat tarnished, high numbers of students do not complete their courses. In French public universities, 48% of first-year entrants do not go on to the second year and just 38% finish the three-year course. Italy has a drop-out rate of 45%.With student numbers multiplying in Europe and across the world (from 50 million in 1980 to 170 million in 2009), students "look for other ways to differentiate themselves apart from their degree certificate", according to Rolf van der Velden, a professor at Maastricht University. These include master's degrees and postgraduate courses. In Britain, experts believe the university is more important than the course; a situation that is similar in France, with regard to the highly thought-of grandes écoles.So a university education is worth it? The student verdict in Britain appears to be yes, just about. Despite the tripling of many tuition fees this autumn, university application numbers have not fallen that much – by about 9% year-on-year. The number of 18-year-old UK applicants – the largest single group of candidates – has decreased by 2.6%. Unexpectedly, the application figures also reveal a sharper drop among more affluent candidates than among those from disadvantaged backgrounds.The latest application figures show a drop in applicants from the rest of the EU – down from around 45,000 last year to around 39,000 for this September. But UK universities remain popular with candidates from the rest of the world. There are big rises in applications from Hong Kong, Malaysia and other east Asian countries.Higher educationEuropeYoung peopleItalyFranceSpainJeevan Vasagarguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Nuclear energy: Turkey opens first particle accelerator

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:59:00 MDT

Immigration: Turkey signs deal with EU's border agency

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:58:00 MDT

Energy: Infinia won a contract to supply project in Cyprus

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:55:00 MDT

UE-Cyprus: EP President Schulz today in Nicosia

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:52:00 MDT

F1: Boullier: No tests contributing to show

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:51:43 MDT

Lotus team boss Eric Boullier believes that the lack of testing in Formula 1 is a part of what is making the races so unpredictable this year

Greece: 2012 Global Summit of Women opens today in Athens

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:51:00 MDT

Health: Algeria, alarm over counterfeit sunscreen

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:51:00 MDT

No protection from UV rays, harmful to skin

F1: Canada preview quotes: Caterham

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:33:14 MDT

Canada preview quotes: Caterham

F3: Jaafar joins Spielberg F3 round

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:19:42 MDT

Jazeman Jaafar has added this weekend's Spielberg round to his limited F3 Euro Series campaign.

Tunisia: Protests against latest Salafi attacks

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:00:43 MDT

Journalist beaten because of ''bare arms''

Serbia: Inaugural session of new parliament

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:00:43 MDT

President Nikolic to be sworn in

Health: Greeks smoke the most, Turks come in 5th among OECD

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:00:43 MDT

Trade: Greek exports set for slowdown this year, expert

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:00:43 MDT

Culture: Rome, Cerealia Cereals Festival back, focus on Med

Thu, 31 May 2012 04:00:43 MDT

6-11/6.Events,food/wine tastings,shows.Twinning with Turkey

Spain: Tarifa, southern Andalusia gem risks cementification

Thu, 31 May 2012 03:50:00 MDT

Plan for thousands of lodgings

Emilia continues to shake

Thu, 31 May 2012 03:38:00 MDT

Aftershocks keep tension high after two deadly quakes

Syria: Rebels give Assad ultimatum; Bombing in Houla, SNC

Thu, 31 May 2012 03:24:00 MDT

History to prove Damascus's supporters wrong, US