Constructivism suggests a way to restructure the learning environment to make the transfer of learning from school to work settings more effective. The theory rests on the notion that learners actively construct knowledge by integrating new information and experiences into what they have previously come to understand. Using a constructivist…

In an effort to assess the educational needs of bilingual/bicultural Americans and the extent to which community colleges are meeting these needs, this essay cites numerous studies that have focused on various aspects of the issue of bilingual/bicultural education. First, the review refers to studies acknowledging the benefits of bilingual…

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 authorized a comprehensive workforce improvement program that will significantly impact rural areas. Local schools can help shape implementation of WIA because of its principles of local participation, increased skills for workers, and improved youth programs. This digest focuses on WIA's major elements,…

School-to-work transition helps at-risk youth secure and maintain employment and an adult life-style. Transition focuses on individual characteristics, training needs, and choices that result in the development of realistic long-range goals and selection of appropriate programs and services. Effective school-to-work transition necessitates a wide…

This paper traces the development of community colleges, analyzes their curricular functions, and discusses their contributions to the American educational system. First, several hypotheses accounting for the rise of the community college in America are summarized, including those pointing to a conspiracy of the elite, a populist alliance, and a…

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…

Over the next ten years, the United States will need to train an additional 1.9 million workers in the sciences. Increased participation of women and minorities is essential in meeting the projected need for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering (SME) workers. Women, who received 56% of B.A.'s overall, comprised 37% of the SME bachelor degrees…

Research on informal learning in the workplace suggests several definitions, including that informal learning is a process of learning that takes place in everyday experience, often at subconscious levels, and that it is unique to, and rests in the hands of, the learner. Research supports introducing informal learning not as a replacement for…

Many older workers in Canada today are perplexed and dismayed by the swift and dramatic changes occurring in the workplace. Plant closures, downsizings, restructuring, new technologies, international trade agreements, ecological concerns, and changing demographics have affected the Canadian workforce, particularly workers in their forties and…

Intended as a forum for the discussion of customized workforce training at community colleges, this book addresses the practical considerations, programs, and strategies that come into play when colleges engage in customized contract training for fully-employed learners. The 10 chapters are as follows: (1) "Training for Customized Training:…

This annotated bibliography reviews 12 publications on preparation of principals. Of these, three (entries 1, 7, and 11) concern internships: essential elements thereof, a proposed "critical incident" technique for internships, and a practicum program in South Carolina. Three of the articles (2, 5, and 9) focus on models or approaches to…

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…

This digest identifies three major enrollment trends presently affecting community colleges. The three types of students--dual credit, reverse transfer, and job retraining--are likely to continue to increase in number in the near future. Dual-credit, in which secondary school students enroll in courses that receive both high school and college…

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…

Many educators believe the role of vocational education is to prepare students for work in a given trade or vocational area with the focus on job skill training. Some contend vocational education should concentrate more broadly on all aspects of students' career development, including lifelong learning, employability, and cognitive skills. One way…