Major changes in the workplace have profound implications for education systems. School-to-work reform, in response to the changing educational and training needs of the work force, emphasizes the importance of an "all aspects of an industry" approach to learning. This approach integrates vocational and academic education for the purpose…

This congressional report contains testimony dealing with on-the-job and apprenticeship training programs. More specifically, the testimony focused on the employment problems, educational and training needs, and programs available to assist unemployed as well as underemployed Vietnam era veterans. Included among those agencies and organizations…

A general increase in the demand for workplace basic skills mirrors the general increase in societal basic skills demands. As a result, many adults are participating in second-chance basic skills education. Second-chance basic skills programs are offered by a wide variety of providers, but populations actually served by programs rarely amount to…

Profound changes in the economy and the labor market have an effect on the role of employer-sponsored training in preparing and educating the country's work force. On the demand side of the labor market, these changes include the increase in international trade, the changing economic status of the United States relative to its trading partners,…

This bulletin highlights strategies to enhance professional development for employers and enable employers to develop structured work-based learning opportunities for employees. The first section highlights these strategies: ensuring top-level support; providing assistance in developing structured work-based learning opportunities; training…

A human resource strategy to enable the effective integration of new technologies in the workplace must be comprehensive, flexible, and sensitive to the dynamics of technological and organizational change. However, information from macro-level studies provides little guidance for anticipating and planning for the adoption of new technologies,…

Private sector training is a primary force in education in the United States for a number of reasons: (1) the sheer amount of such training makes it a major factor; (2) this training has a significant impact on the nation's productivity and competitiveness; (3) it plays a major role in creating innovative and cost-effective solutions to training…

This document provides background information on and recommendations for the development of a comprehensive strategy for improving job-related learning in the United States. An introduction discusses the relationship among human resource development, the earnings of individuals, and the productivity of institutions. A summary of the major…

Increasing numbers of American adults are engaged in many types of learning activities; a significant part of these learning activities are organized and structured. Record-keeping about institutionalized adult learning is often scanty, however, or even non-existent. As the social goal of a "learning society" has been articulated, it has…

Examining the transition from school to work in Europe, this speech focuses on a comparison of initial occupational preparation for young people in France, Germany, and Great Britain. The desired competencies in new entrants to the labor market are listed in four categories: basic cognitive skills; personal qualities and work attitudes;…

As schools attempt to foster smoother transitions for youth into the workplace, differing realities must be considered. A school-to-work opportunities system cannot be restricted to those occupations meeting an elusive definition of "high wage." Three possible workplace learning opportunities are as follows: the high-skill, high-wage workplace;…

A survey of over 3,800 employers found that school-provided vocational training was required for 9.5 percent of the jobs studied and "important but not required" for another 37.9 percent. In this study, new employees with relevant vocational education exhibited these characteristics: (1) were 6.5 percent more productive 6 to 36 months after being…

The literature on diversity in the work force was reviewed to determine the complexity and breadth of workplace diversity issue and identify trends in diversity management and training. The literature review focused on the following: definition of diversity; changing society and work force; reasons organizations are managing and valuing diversity;…

Changing employer-based training represents one strategy that U.S. firms are adopting to confront recent transformations in the global economy. The new competitive conditions place new and different demands on workers, more of whom are being called upon to use technical, conceptual, and communications skills. Approaches to training in particular…

Community-based organizations (CBOs) can help students gain a broad understanding of the relationship between education, work, and community. CBOs are frequently able to expand the scope of school-to-work by providing opportunities for young people to address community issues and by incorporating a unique youth perspective into the development of…