The changes in the composition of the labor force and the changing personal needs of older people are creating powerful incentives for them to remain in or reenter the work force. For many, this will mean job training or retraining. Training for older workers is provided through both private companies and publicly funded programs such as the Job…

This monograph contains four papers based on a series of lectures delivered to graduate students and faculty at Northern Illinois University between 1976 and 1979. Robert Carlson examines European adult education, especially such issues as emphasis on job training over liberal education, the danger that adult education will become a method of…

New ways to learn at work draw upon workers' previous experiences, link concepts and practices, and encourage reflection and the transfer of knowledge from one situation to another. Action, situated, and incidental learning are three current approaches. Action learning is a systematic process through which individuals learn by doing. It has been…

The dynamics of a diverse work force characterized by organizational change, competition, and complex communication are increasing attention toward finding new ways of avoiding the costly and destructive outcomes of relationship dysfunctions. Litigation and legal negotiation are two of the most expensive ways of conflict resolution; and…

The four chapters in this compilation highlight the issues and strategies used to prepare limited English proficient (LEP) adults for employment. In the first chapter, Joan Friedenberg discusses the development of English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching, including general ESL, English for special purposes, and prevocational and vocational ESL…

Collaborative efforts between vocational education, the military services, and defense-related industries have been reviewed to meet the defense preparedness needs of the Nation. The U.S. Department of Education has responded to these needs by establishing the Defense Preparedness Task Force, convening a Defense Preparedness Review Group, and…

According to surveys of companies employing more than 100 workers, the number of companies with diversity training (DT) programs increased from 40% in 1992 to 50-56% in 1996. Motivations behind DT include compliance with legal mandates, fear of lawsuits, social justice, desire to expand into diverse markets, and overall organizational…

A number of factors drive the current trend toward career development in the workplace. They include the need to predict personnel needs, social and demographic trends, changing nature of work, changing types of jobs, equity, productivity, technological change, and organizational philosophies. Career development is important at every step in the…

Tacit knowledge, the knowledge that workers possess but do not articulate, is associated with terms such as "skill,""know-how,""working knowledge," and "expertise" that are used to describe knowledge about and ability to perform work. Learning that takes place through apprenticeships draws heavily on tacit…

Changes in the economy and declining profit margins are prompting many businesses to question the value of their training investments. Companies that had been operating under the assumption that they were reaping positive benefits from their training efforts are asking their human resource managers to provide proof that their training programs are…

Homeless parents, like all parents, want their children to have a good education, and most are eager to help in any way they can. Some suggestions are offered for helping homeless parents become partners in their children's education. Parent concerns should be addressed directly. They should be assured that their children can learn, that schools…

This monograph describes the job-related basic skills requirements of the work force and explores ways of developing and improving the reading, writing, and computational abilities of workers. The paper first examines trends that are influencing the demand for basic skills, such as the decline in youth population and the increase in service and…

One result of the ambiguity surrounding future jobs is a number of myths not only about what jobs will be available and what they will be like but also about how to prepare for them. The first myth is "40 years and out," the notion that people will work continuously with one organization until retirement. The reality is that individuals need to be…

The need for partnerships among deliverers of training in the public and private sectors has reached a critical point if U.S. businesses are to remain competitive. The work force and workplace are being transformed by demographic trends, economic and employment trends, a growing skills mismatch, and concerns over educational effectiveness. Two…

Although workplaces are searching for ways to increase productivity, older workers asking for increased career development opportunities are neglected by most workplaces. Age alone may not be a defining characteristic of an older worker. Perhaps becoming an older worker is more situational than chronological. Retirement for future older workers is…