In this paper, the authors first discuss the Neumark and Troske piece, and then compare the U.S. context to that in Europe and Korea, as described by the Caspar, Hartwig, and Moench and the Cho and Shin contributions. Although they are in basic agreement with Neumark and Troske on the extent and depth of the current employment situation, they…

This interview between a member of the FrameWorks staff and a long-time funder of FrameWorks research and field building highlights the critical role that communications can play in maximizing philanthropy's long-term impact in the social sector, even--or perhaps especially--in times of economic scarcity and retrenchment. The interview captures…

The training received by workers depends predominantly on the organisational choices and funds allocated by businesses. It is therefore justifiable to ask whether public policy should either endorse the spontaneous distribution of training or take measures to correct it. This paper analyses the motivations and limitations of public intervention,…

A significant amount of on-the-job occupational training is occurring in the private sector, though the data on its extent and nature are extremely sketchy. Estimates of total economic costs in the 1974-75 period range from a crude measure of 100 billion dollars to one that is somewhat more reliable of about 40 to 50 billion dollars. Most of this…

As the Chinese economy opens up to the outside world, the decision to engage in joint ventures with foreign capital is among the most important national policies. Significant direct consequences of joint ventures are the influx of foreign capital, expanding exports, and employment creation. However, the great importance of joint ventures lies in…

"Learning for Life--a New Framework for Adult Skills," a thought-provoking report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), manages to be both passionate and well argued. Resulting, in part, from a series of policy seminars during 2006, it makes an interesting contribution to current debates. Simone Delorenzi advocates the…

This article argues that, although No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is not presented as a jobs policy, the Act does function as a substitute for the creation of decently paying jobs for those who need them. Aimed particularly at the minority poor like its 1965 predecessor, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, NCLB acts as an anti-poverty program…

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…

Competency-based training is not a singular model; it embeds radically different conceptions of competence, depending on whether delivery and assessment of training incorporate industry standards. Models that maintain a tension between the outcomes and processes of education and training, rather than a focus solely on outcomes, are most…

This policy paper defines apprenticeship in terms of eight essential components, explains what apprenticeship is not, and recommends how the term should be used. As defined by the eight components, apprenticeship is: (1) a training strategy that combines supervised, structured, on-the-job training with related instruction and that is sponsored by…

Subjecting vocational training to economic analysis, the author points to the high degree of uncertainty affecting employment and training policies, and urges that economists attempt to integrate their analyses with specific knowledge of the realities of the labor market. (Availability: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities,…

Examines the case for and against government intervention in job training. Identifies pitfalls: difficulty defining training for the purposes of meeting mandates, incentive problems, displacement effects, and lack of recognition that no one level of training is appropriate for all enterprises. Suggests that governments tend to intervene…

Discusses government training programs in Canada and how they might be improved; the need for a more comprehensive training strategy; and apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs. (JOW)

These four Congressional hearings investigate the role of the federal government in assisting long-term, structurally unemployed workers and in encouraging private sector efforts to retrain Americans. Witnesses who present statements, prepared statements, and articles represent the Urban Institute, Washington, District of Columbia; Forecasting…

Proposes federal vocational education policies, emphasizing: (1) public education, business and labor cooperation; (2) educational needs of students; (3) joint school-employer instruction; (4) better local-level market information; (5) facilitation of youth school-work transition; (6) aid in occupational adjustment and aid for upgrading employer's…