Interviews with a panel of six business and industry officials regarding what employers want encompassed the following topics: necessary skills of employees, the importance of "employability" skills, school-to-work transition, the national skill standards, and the need for a four-year college degree. (JOW)

Today's employers desire a number of qualities in their workers: self-confidence, technical knowledge, positive attitude, communication skills, teamwork, and the ability to learn. Also important are the various aspects of reliability: punctuality, attendance, commitment to excellence, and listening skills. (SK)

Supervisory skills for dealing with rehabilitated mentally ill employees are suggested, including (1) criticize the performance, not the person; (2) couch corrective criticism in nonjudgmental terms; (3) discuss grievances immediately; (4) be consistent; (5) be relaxed; and (6) be an example for staff. (CT)

A career portfolio is organized evidence of work readiness and specific job skills and can be focused to show the skills that employers want. It can make a case that one is prepared for the next stage of a career. (JOW)

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Kmart Employment for Youth job preparation program showed that the 43 African American students ages 16-19 gained confidence in such employable skills as the ability to plan and develop a career, to make decisions, and to find a job. (JOW)

Outlines the author's attempt to investigate the notion that the Youth Training Scheme curriculum is best understood as an expression of ideology. It is a report of an ongoing piece of research and the focus is on the Supporting Studies element of the YTS as the place in the curriculum where ideology is most obviously manifest. (Author/CT)

Nursing education must change its focus from generalization to specialization. The employers of baccalaureate graduates will require specialists--in acute and tertiary areas, in the community, and in patients' homes. Job expectations will be defined further through functional role preparation. Basic core content must provide a strong foundation in…

Work experience for youth with disabilities is one of the most critical factors that sets the stage for their postsecondary employment success. Research and practice show that youth benefit from frequent and continuous exposure to real work environments throughout the secondary school years and beyond. These experiences, however, occur only when…

A major problem faced in program evaluation of vocational education is the lack of a national manpower policy. This concern involves workers' acquiring and developing occupational skills which are needed by society and demanded by employers. Federal legislation specifications spell out program requirements which educators must keep in mind. (CT)

A research review indicates that British employers are neither highly involved in nor satisfied with National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) despite claims for their role in providing needed skills. The review suggests that public funding of training should not be determined by the NVQ agenda or the objectives of the professional training lobby.…

Suggests that negative employer attitudes are no longer restricting employment of the disabled. Instead, inadequate job preparation has resulted in a lack of marketable job skills in many disabled job seekers. (Disabled USA, President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, Washington, DC 20210.) (JOW)

Presented is a sample of opinions gathered in a phone survey of cooperative education employers. Questions included: What do cooperative education employers think about vocational education? Is it good for business to have high school students working alongside full-time employees? What kind of jobs are co-op students hired to do? (CT)

Indicates that a combination of competition in domestic and international markets, rapid changes in technology, and changes in how the workplace is organized contribute to dissatisfaction among employers regarding the quality of job applicants. Suggests that applied teaching and learning strategies are the best way to achieve transferability. (JOW)

Offers low-cost tips for marketing vocational-technical programs, indicating that the biggest investment is time. Includes a worksheet for ensuring that voc-tech programs are teaching the skills local employers want. Steps include interviewing 10 employers, surveying students, identifying/analyzing competitors, aligning programs, implementing…

Educators are increasingly turning to employers for advice about educating for future jobs. A recent project involved conducting a series of seven national conferences on high technology to learn about innovations in industry. Experts from industry told educators that industry itself does a great deal of high technology training, computers are the…