One promising practice for improving workplace preparation, apprenticeship, has been effective in preparing skilled workers for the changing needs of the workplace. Apprenticeship is a training strategy with eight components: it combines hands-on training on the job with related instruction; employer needs dictate programs; it is regulated by law;…

Economic, social, and technological changes highlight the value of human resources and employee training. Acquiring the knowledge and skills demanded of today's workers represents a lifelong learning experience that must be nurtured through work-related learning activities and workplace training. For the employer, training supports organizational…

This monograph, written for vocational counselors and teachers, addresses employability for youth from both career counseling and guidance and transitional education perspectives. The section on employability counseling focuses on the ingredients of employability, youth employment conditions, classes of employment and unemployment, and…

Community colleges have been at the forefront in providing contract training programs for clients such as businesses, health care organizations, and government agencies. Many state governments are beginning to provide resources for these programs as an incentive to attract or retain business and industry. One of the consequences of the demand for…

The purpose of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) is to establish job training and employment assistance programs for economically disadvantaged youth and hard-to-hire, unskilled adults. Like the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), JTPA works through a locally based program delivery system. Unlike CETA, JTPA calls for equal…

This paper is a survey of school-to-work transition issues as they have developed in Europe. It contains discussion about the activities, research, and programs of each of four important international organizations, with particular stress on the period after 1975. These organizations are the European Community, the Organisation for Economic…

This digest discusses the rationale for integrating academic and occupational education. It describes models for, and barriers to, integration, and offers suggestions for advancing integration efforts. Integration of academic and occupational education reinforces the shifting paradigm from teaching to learning and requires that students become…

Reauthorization of welfare reform legislation has focused attention on the effectiveness of short-term training as a means for welfare recipients to attain self-sufficiency. Its effects on employment and earnings have been one focus of recent evaluations of federal programs. Although some Job Opportunities and Basic Skills programs produced…

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…

Although large companies are more apt to provide training than smaller companies are, size is becoming less of a predictor of training than complexity of the environment, degree of market competition, and internal makeup of the company. The increasingly technological nature of the workplace has prompted many small businesses to increase their…

There is evidence that those who seek employment during difficult times, but are not successful, will continue to experience ongoing hardships throughout their working lives, often developing an ongoing dependency on the social safety net. This digest describes two federal programs on the youth employment front: (1) Youth Service Canada (YSC),…

The community college's role in economic development has expanded beyond providing traditional vocational education and job training to include activities as diverse as management and technical assistance for new and small businesses, tech prep programs with high schools, cooperative education programs, partnerships with state agencies, and…

During the 1980s, most of the new job growth has occurred in small businesses. Not only is the small business enterprise growing, but also its nature is changing. For example, there is an increase in the number of small businesses in the service industry, and a greater number of women than men are starting businesses. Training youth and adults for…

This collection of essays discusses ways in which community colleges and proprietary schools have been able to cope with changes in employer and student markets. The collection includes: (1) "Marching to the Market: A New Tune for Training Organizations," by Wellford W. Wilms; (2) "California's Employment Training Panel: Creating Incentives for…

Reviews ERIC materials on external influences on the community college curriculum, including state-level control, accrediting agencies and the accreditation process, transfer institutions, foundations and other sources of private financial support, and customized job training. (DMM)