Jersey

Partners situated in Jersey

None.

Country in a nutshell

The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency set in the English Channel near to the Normandy coast in France. The United Kingdom is responsible for the Bailiwick's defence and ultimately for good governance, and for representing the Bailiwick in international fora, while the Bailiwick's own parliament and government have competence over all domestic matters.

Jersey has a population of just over 90,000 according to the CIA Factbook. Thus it is comparable in population to many smaller towns in Europe, for example in England to Bath, Basingstoke, Southport and Worcester.

However, as an autonomous region it has to deliver the full panoply of domestic government and policy - no small task, even if it can adopt or adapt a certain amount of policy from the UK, which it resembles in various ways.

Jersey has indigenous broadcasting, from BBC Radio and Television and the ITV company Channel Television.

Jersey Telecom offers an ADSL service at the 2 Mbps level.

For more details on Jersey see the wikipedia article on Jersey.

Country education policy

It is similar to the UK model

Country education system

It is similar to the UK model.

Higher education

Universities in Jersey

There is no self-sufficient autonomous institution of higher education in Jersey. However, it is possible to take some Higher Education qualifications locally, on a full-time or part-time basis and also to study by distance learning.

The UK Open University supports students in Jersey (but they pay higher fees than UK students) and is has a study centre on the Island. The Jersey Department for Education, Sport & Culture does provide some funding for distance learning courses, but at first degree level only.

Polytechnics in Country

Jersey has an FE college, Highlands College. As well as offering part-time and evening courses Highlands is the largest sixth form provider in the Island, and works collaboratively with a range of organisations including the UK Open University, University of Plymouth and London South Bank University. In particular students can study at Highlands for the two year Foundation Degree in Financial Services and for BSc Social Sciences, both validated by the University of Plymouth.

The college incorporates the Jersey Business School but this is at an early stage of development in terms of degree programmes.

Higher education reform

The Bologna Process

Jersey is not part of the European Union thus is not bound by Bologna. Having said that, it is normal for Jersey to copy the main aspects of UK policy in such areas. The UK believes that to the first order of approximation its institutions already conform to Bologna.

Other activity

The Government commissioned a Review of Higher Education in 2005 from a former UK Vice-Chancellor which among other things proposed not a full-fledged University but a multi-function "Jersey Higher Education Academy". Progress since then seems to be slow but there is a follow-up note in 2007.

Administration and finance

It is ad hoc and the subject of some current debate.

Quality assurance

There is no institution to which HE quality assurance directly applies. In general terms the UK QAA would oversee the quality of all UK HE provision which is delivered on the Island.

Country's HEIs in the information society

Information society strategy

There is little visible sign of major supply or consumption of e-learning capability on the Island including at the schools level - although a "Jersey Grid for Learning" gets passing mention.

References

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See also Guernsey and Isle of Man.

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