A 3-year research program on workplace learning was based on action research and involved the gradual implementation of "Work Activity Briefings" every 2 weeks or whenever a major task was to be undertaken at selected construction sites managed by an Australian mining and construction company. The briefings were regular meetings between…

Education and training in the workplace are quickly becoming survival tools for most organizations because their operating environments change constantly. Traditionally, many employers have looked externally to employ individuals with specific skills who can adapt to changing products and processes. Upgrading the skills of present employees was…

This working paper is a product of a regional study in industrial South Wales of the determinants of participation and non-participation in post-compulsory education and training, with special reference to processes of change in the patterns of these determinants over time and to variations between geographical areas. Based on this data, three…

Following a discussion of the basic skills required for an adaptable work force and how employers and workplace literacy providers determine which employees require basic skills training, this paper reviews three literacy instruments that can be used in workplace basic skills programs. A basic skills profile is drawn based on a review of the…

Wage rates and earnings give misleading signals to public and private policymakers as to the benefits of certain kinds of education and training investments. These misleading signals result from the fact that (1) workers and employers prefer employment contracts that either do not recognize or only partially recognize differences in productivity…

Vocational and technical training in Singapore has a relatively short history. Only after Singapore became independent did the need to formalize a national system of training to support the labor force needs of industrialization become evident. Singapore's first vocational institute was established in 1964. The system has experienced several…

This study is part of a regional study in industrial South Wales on the determinants of participation and non-participation in post-compulsory education and training, with special reference to processes of change in the patterns of these determinants over time and to variations between geographical areas. The study combines contextual analysis of…

While most training and development/institutional development professionals are familiar with either the world of formal higher education or the world of training in the business/industrial sector, few training and development practitioners are familiar with both. It is necessary to coordinate the efforts between these two spheres in order to…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on human resource development (HRD) effectiveness and transfer of learning. "Factors Affecting Transfer of Training in Thailand" (Siriporn Yamnill, Gary N. McLean) discusses how the Learning Transfer System Inventory was validated in Thailand by administering it to 1,029 employers and…

Too many of Britain's workforce lack the skills needed for a knowledge-based economy. To remedy this will require the commitment, in time and resources, of individuals, employers, the education and training infrastructure and the state. Adults with the lowest qualifications have the least access to employer-funded training, especially in small…

These three papers were presented at a symposium on rethinking diversity in human resource development (HRD) moderated by Neal Chalofsky at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "Diversity: A Double-Edged Sword" (Sally F. Angus) presents the notion of work force diversity through two differing perspectives in order to…

On-the-job training (OJT) is the most frequently used training method in industry. This OJT is mostly unstructured. While off-job-site training (OJST) should prepare for or supplement OJT, coordination between OJT and OJST is often poor. Advantages of OJT include its low cost, realistic nature, and motivating force. However, it is usually…

These eighteen articles concern approaches for dealing with the handicapped student in vocational education. The first article addresses the diversity of teaching approaches. The others focus on (1) team teaching (and cooperation with other subject area teachers); (2) the SERVE (Special Education Rehabilitation Vocational Education) Center…

This document contains the testimony and supporting printed evidence presented at an oversight hearing on the reauthorization of the Vocational Education Act. These hearings focused on various aspects of vocational education, including vocational education research, cooperative or worksite education, and vocational education in correctional…

These proceedings contain summaries of the panel discussions and workshops as well as texts of the individual papers and reaction papers presented at a conference that focused on key issues of concern to educators and industry involved in the education and training of agricultural machinery technicians. Addressed during the conference were the…