To remain competitive in world markets, the United States must boost the skills of its work force. Two attractive school-to-work approaches are apprenticeships (based on European examples) and high school academies promoting specialization in financial services and other fields. A sidebar discusses the growing momentum for building state workplace…

Over the past 5 years, 6 states and an estimated 100 local communities have established youth apprenticeship systems; 8 other states have passed legislation that could include apprenticeship programs; proposed federal legislation would fund state and local programs. Critics cite costs, the fear of diverting resources from existing school programs,…

Considers gender equity in libraries and library education, particularly the identification of men with information science experience involving computers. Discusses the history of gender imbalance in library education; computers and gender; changes in library education; demographic implications of curriculum changes; the use of adjuncts; library…

A high school teacher recalls his own alienation from school as a high school student and relates it to the current overriding emphasis on school discipline. School discipline problems are a natural result of coercive educational practices, which have resisted repeated reform efforts. In an alternative educational model, (self-)discipline would…

This article examines the scope for state intervention in the training and learning environment of young people in initial employment. It reports on the findings of a qualitative study of 11 teenagers entering full-time employment in New South Wales, Australia relating to the breadth and depth of the young people's learning in their jobs, and the…

Since 1998, the "Learnership" model of workplace training has been promoted in South Africa as a creative vehicle for addressing high unemployment rates and a serious skills shortage. This is achieved through fast-tracking the acquisition of skills and increasing a learner's chances of employment. However, because learnerships are a…

Across the globe, it is no secret to people involved with career and technical education (CTE) that the German apprenticeship system is looked upon as the "gold standard" of workforce development training. In this article, the author compares the responses of subject matter experts (SMEs) in Germany and the United States, two of the…

Social constructivist theory has advanced the notion that distance education is inferior, because effective learning is thought to require immersion in a cognitive apprenticeship under the guidance of a mentor. Effective learning is said to be situated in activity, context, and culture as a collaboration in a community of practice. Administrators…

This paper discusses some of the issues raised for cognitive psychologists by the computer revolution together with the role that psychologists with computer training ought to play, especially in the study of how people acquire complex skills. The issues addressed include: (1) the competition between humans and intelligent machines; (2) the…

Factors examined that influence field experience curricula include: the profession itself, institution, region, and students; the teaching/learning process; and three approaches to field instruction in social work education (apprenticeship, academic, and articulated methods). Costs, the field placement agency, and educational outcomes are…

As nursing education moves from the traditional diploma school to the university, nursing programs have suffered from loss of the direct clinical practice and instruction that the hospital apprenticeships afforded. The author calls for better collaboration between service (clinical) and educational (theoretical) programs to improve the profession…

This paper describes a research-based apprenticeship model preparing minority group students to enter doctoral programs with the goal of becoming faculty members in university special education departments. Seventeen recommendations for recruitment and training strategies are offered, such as providing enhanced financial aid and providing faculty…

A discussion of vocational education in the Netherlands covers the options available to students, enrollment and distribution trends, testing, and the link between vocational education and employment. (MSE)

Comparative analysis of Canadian and U.K. national survey data examined educational attainment by gender, age group, and occupational category; extent of apprenticeship certification; and enrollment patterns for continuing adult education. Canada's higher educational attainment, flexible school-work transition, and higher continuing-education…

Examined variation in and relationships among delinquency, attachment to adults, optimism about occupational future, and disposition toward aggressiveness in German adolescent apprentices. Found considerable variation across the four variables. Attachment to adults predicted attitudes toward delinquency and optimism regarding occupational future.…