The budget for the U.S. Department of Labor for Fiscal Year 2010 includes a total of $45 million to support and study transitional jobs. This paper describes the origins of the transitional jobs models that are operating today, reviews the evidence on the effectiveness of this approach and other subsidized employment models, and offers some…

A study examined whether the Minnesota State Board of Vocational Education has adequately implemented recommendations made in a 1983 evaluation of postsecondary vocational education programs. It focused particularly on how the board and its management have responded to problems of low job placement rates and low student-teacher ratios in some…

A study examined postsecondary vocational education at Minnesota's area vocational-technical institutes (AVTIs). During the study, researchers evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of approximately 800 vocational programs offered by the AVTIs with respect to student and teacher ratios, program duplication, completion rates, placement rates,…

This study was commissioned to examine Minnesota's four public higher education systems to identify possible duplication and inefficiency in instructional programs. Study findings indicate that the two-year college systems offer a significant number of occupational programs with low student/teacher ratios, low graduate placement rates, or both.…

In the face of the emergence of a global, technology-driven, skills-based economy and a continuing shortage of skilled labor in Minnesota, a study examined the development of a world-class training system for the state's workers and businesses. The study found the following: (1) there is an urgent need to address the high-skill needs of both…