Argues for new opportunities for persons previously excluded from rewarding employment experiences, through partnerships between business and adult literacy programs. Joint ventures to benefit viable, functionally literate workers must create a new market through such initiatives as national, state, and business cooperation, language minority…

The proposals for work force training put forth by the Clinton Administration offer unprecedented opportunities as well as risks for community colleges, particularly for community colleges in Illinois. These proposals are grounded in a world view that recognizes the need for public investment in employment and training, although this agenda for…

To ensure economic growth and increased employment opportunities for youth, there must be greater emphasis on the following: (1) providing self-employment skills to young people; (2) preparing them for highly technical jobs; and (3) preparing them for service industry jobs. Recommends the incorporation of entrepreneurship education in the…

A study of business and labor was conducted to define the performance skills expected of those entering the workplace in the 1990s and beyond. Survey respondents were 1,120 business people and 26 labor representatives in Illinois of whom 90 participated in follow-up roundtable discussions. Respondents identified and rank ordered nine basic skills:…

Because of a perceived lack in the development and use of evaluation procedures for vocational education in Illinois, a new evaluation system was begun in 1984. It required that at least 20 percent of funded vocational programs be evaluated annually, in compliance with requirements of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act. The evaluation…

The Illinois Council on Vocational Education (ICOVE) has tried to influence educational policy in recent years. Members of the council met with the chief executive officers of the three educational boards in Illinois to discuss issues and pending policies paramount within the educational arena. ICOVE also met with members of the various education…

Minority participation in the workforce, and by extension in vocational education, is increasingly important to the economic welfare of the United States. Describes a conference focusing on minority issues and concerns in vocational education related to programs, students, staff, and research. Recommends development of role models, funding, and…

The Illinois Council on Vocational Education (ICOVE) has recommended six needed actions for private-sector involvement in vocational education, as well as in the total educational process. The recommendations are a result of several efforts during the past 4 years. The council has monitored private-sector involvement in education both formally and…

This report summarizes staff recommendations of the Illinois Board of Higher Education concerning budget recommendations for higher education operations and grants for fiscal year 1998. The report also includes recommendations for state appropriated revolving funds, locally held university income funds, and other appropriated funds. Specific…

A study was conducted in Illinois to determine how effectively the vocational education system was meeting its responsibilities to train, retrain, and upgrade employed and unemployed workers in new skills for which there is a demand in the state, under the terms of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984. Responses were received from…

According to the most recent National Adult Literacy Survey, nearly half of Illinois adults lack sufficient reading proficiency to ensure job success and advancement in 21st century workplaces. The Test of Adult Basic Education is currently used as a pretest/posttest in Illinois' existing adult basic education, adult secondary education, and…