A General Accounting Office study examined strategies used to prepare youth for employment in the United States and four competitor nations and found that other countries have higher expectations of students, invest heavily in education and training, have national training standards, and have higher literacy rates among young adults. (JOW)

The United States has no systematic procedure to help secondary students transition from school to employment. That lack most adversely affects poor and minority students. The article examines successful school to work transitioning in Japan and Germany and notes that businesses and governments must recognize their responsibilities in preparing…

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a report on secondary education by the Japanese Central Advisory Council on Education. In the light of global educational trends, the Council was unanimous in its opinion that Japanese secondary education needed reform. The fundamental problems in Japan are these: (1)…

A study was conducted by the General Accounting Office (GAO) to review U.S. education and training strategies; identify likely weaknesses; and examine the strategies of England, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, and Sweden for preparing noncollege youth for employment. GAO reviewed the literature, consulted with experts, and visited the…

Reports on a study of the impact of formalized school-based job-referral procedures among 94 students in vocationally oriented Japanese high schools. Finds that the process achieves a meritocratic allocation of jobs and a smooth entry into the workforce for most students. (CFR)

This conference report contains the following papers: "Keynote Address" (Fukuyama); "Predictions Regarding the Nature and Significance of Vocational Guidance during the 21st Century in the United States" (Hoyt); "The Changing Workforce and Vocational Guidance" (Inaba); "The 6th International Conference on…

In many countries throughout the world, efforts to articulate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of workers have translated into the development of organizations with the specific charter to establish industry-based skill standards with attendant new and/or expanded forms of certification of competencies. The new emphasis on skill…

This document contains the following seven papers, all in both English and Korean, from a conference on human resources development and school-to-work transitions in the knowledge-based society: "The U.S. Experience as a Knowledge-based Economy in Transition and Its Impact on Industrial and Employment Structures" (Eric Im); "Changes…

This document contains 95 papers and summaries of 5 poster sessions from an Australian conference on putting vocational education and training (VET) research to work. The following are among the areas covered in the papers: factors affecting VET graduates' employability over time; technical and further education (TAFE) institutes as models of…