What is the significance of regulations of job contracts and wages when it comes to young people's access to labour market? This is an issue that has attracted and continues to attract a great deal of interest in both research and politics. Proposals for deregulated employment protection and reduced entry-level pay recur regularly in public…

The main focus of the paper is on youth unemployment and wider transitions into work, but it also has some thoughts on adult unemployment and re-training. This paper is founded upon a basic assumption -- namely that if the public money available across the United Kingdom to support measures around skills and unemployment is finite, then targeting…

Streamlining the vocational qualification development process in Australia is a current priority of the skills ministers of both the Australian Government and state and territory governments. This research summary explores the development processes associated with vocational qualifications in selected countries and compares them with the current…

This project is focused on the second element noted by the Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) to streamline the national vocational education and training (VET) system so that it can better respond to the needs of industry -- faster development of qualifications. It looks at the vocational qualification development processes in different…

By 2015, all young people must participate in some form of education and training until they are aged 18. This review discusses the challenges and opportunities involved if vocational education and training is to contribute to this raising of the participation age. We argue that as well as ensuring that young people who have made a full-time…

Government spending is declining, yet the need for jobs and training is higher than ever. The current supply of quality apprenticeships is clearly not sufficient to meet demand and that was highlighted this year when British Telecom received 24,000 applications for only 221 places on its apprenticeship programme. The main obstacle to increasing…

In this era of global competition, human resources will play a decisive role in the battle for efficiency and competitive advantage, where nations and organisations with superior and quality-oriented human capital will soon outperform those with inefficient and quantity-oriented labour force. Rate of human capital formation will be more important…

Examines whether Britain's Training and Enterprise Councils are the best way to forge consensus on Modern Apprenticeship. Concludes with the need for a greater role for industry-based organizations and dialog about what training policy should be. (SK)

Citizenship is an important part of the development of young people. By enabling them to learn about their rights and responsibilities, to understand how society works, and develop knowledge and understanding of social and political issues, citizenship prepares them for dealing with the challenges they face in life. Through citizenship, young…

"Modern Apprenticeships" for young British school leavers have a flexible timespan and funding from local Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). Study of six TECs found that funds for the program varied widely and were minimal compared to other government programs; employers do not have resources to accommodate apprentices; and the…

Work-based postcompulsory education has been hindered by association with discredited youth training programs. Interviews with 381 British apprentices (55.7% response) show how this form of work-based education overcomes disadvantages of full-time education, has liberating potential, and is an attractive means of acquiring further education and…

Three job training models for young people are (1) emphasis in full-time schooling to age 18, as in Japan; (2) Germany's dual system of apprenticeship and continuing education; and (3) a mixed model as in the United Kingdom, where a small percentage remain in school to age 18 and a proportion enroll in work-based training programs. (SK)

This article presents the results of a qualitative study that examined the views and experiences of 12 large city employers of modern apprenticeships (MAs). Given the governments target that by 2004 at least 28 per cent of young people should enter an apprenticeship before the age of 22, it is imperative that large employers are fully involved in…

This report compares the provision of vocational education and training (VET) in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. It finds that training policies are increasingly based on similar general principles which promote the improvement and reform of vocational education and training, although the implementation of these principles tends to…

The first part of this report examines the relationship of technological change to employment and work. After a brief introduction, chapter 1 discusses new technology and labor productivity versus employment, emphasizing the effects of labor-saving machinery and changes in specific sectors of employment, such as electrical machinery,…