Modelling change in a national HE system using the concept of unification

Education systems can be characterized on the basis of whether the academic and occupacional/vocationaI education and training they provide is compart mentalized (tracked systems), systematically connected (linked systems) or fully integrated (unified systems). This paper describes how such a typolog y might be used to model strategic change at the higher levels of the UK sy stem for education and training. Successive governments have pursued a numb er of separate agendas (e.g. massification of HE, public accountability, st andards in HE, key/employability skills, lifelong learning...) the net resu lt of which is leading to a more unified system.