A study explored the ways that front-line community development workers across Canada gained information needed to work with women participants in community economic development initiatives. Data were gathered through focus groups, a preliminary study with 15 key informants employed in community development organizations, and structured telephone…

A study assessed how to improve individual informed decision making by various actors in the arena of skills formation in Great Britain on the basis of existing research knowledge. Since individual decisions are situated in a complex institutional arena, two of the most important contextual relationships--schools and employers--were analyzed prior…

A review of European research on the relationship between higher education and employment addresses a variety of issues, including changing employment opportunities and patterns for graduates, "appropriate" employment and educational relevance, and employer expectations and recruitment criteria. (MSE)

The seven major papers in this collection discuss the implications of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) (Public Law 97-300) of 1982 from the points of view of its various constituencies. Two of the papers discuss the effects of the JTPA on national employment and training programs, and on state-level programs, while a third discusses…

Leading-edge firms (LEFs)--at the forefront of their industry in terms of growth or market share--may influence skill development through diffusion of technology, products, or practices and use of market power to set standards or change customer businesses. Study of LEFs can identify the type and mix of skills needed in the industry. LEFs are…

This paper provides a critical review of economic models of employers' decisions to train workers: what training is undertaken, where it is undertaken, and who finances it. The focus of the review is on the provision of job training to workers with no unusual training problems. The first two sections consider the nature of on-the-job training more…

A study investigated the influence of information technology (IT) industry-sponsored credentials commonly called IT certifications (ITCs) from both organizational and individual perspectives. Findings indicated that there was increasing acceptance, prevalence, and benefits of ITCs in business and industry. Both executives and employees reported…

This paper reviews issues in fostering closer connections between higher education and the workplace and summarizes results of a 1995 survey of 404 New Jersey employers concerning the knowledge, skills, and abilities that New Jersey employers expect from higher education graduates and their suggestions for improving college-based workforce…

Technological advances necessitate the continuous retraining of the work force. Three technologies are having greatest impact on the labor force: (1) the scope and depth of computer skills required by most jobs continue to expand; (2) robotics in manufacturing means that certain new jobs are more technical and require postsecondary education; and…

This report presents summaries of existing state-of-the-art reviews of educational research dealing with education, work, and employment. Part 1 contains seven summary reviews. Each is identified by title, bibliographic information, and author information. The reviews are (1) Education and the Employment Problem in Developing Countries, an…

In an effort to reevaluate employment preparation in community college curricula, a review of recent research was conducted to identify the most valued skills in today's workforce. Among the abilities desired by today's employers are: (1) knowing how to learn; (2) competence in reading, writing, and computation; (3) effective listening and oral…

Components of a project to assess the reasons for the imbalance of women in administrative positions in vocational education were research, synthesization, and evaluation. Phase 1 of the five-phase research study, a literature review, identified internal and external barriers. Mail surveys in phases 2 and 3 identified attitudes, perceptions, and…

Traditional sex role stereotypes, as reflected in the attitudes and values of rural southern females, educators, employers, male partners, parents, and communities, have a negative influence on the southern rural female's desire for and access to non-traditional training and employment; black females face both racial and sexual bias. Mothers exert…

The Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers Union of Canada assessed literacy learning needs. In focus group discussions, members were asked their perception of such needs in the face of changes in the workplace and society; local union officers (LUOs) were asked how they saw the role of unions in supporting members' literacy learning; employers…

Following an introduction ("Return on Investment in Training" by Andrew Smith) that provides an overview and a synopsis of research findings, the following five chapters of this book present the results of five research projects funded by the National Research and Evaluation Committee in Australia in 1999-2000. The first four of these…