Since the introduction of workplace computers in the 1970s, policymakers have been racing to outpace the workforce demands of the information age. To address concerns, policymakers have promoted an expansion of skills training to help workers keep up in the changing economy. Because the way people learn, work, and live is transforming, so should…

Protecting all people from the harmful effects of environmental exposures relies on the coordinated efforts of scientific researchers, regulatory agencies, legislators, and the public. Environmental justice addresses the disproportionate impact that harmful environmental exposures have on individuals and communities who are minoritized and…

Learning and skills contribute to economic growth both directly, by improving the skills base available to employers, and indirectly, by underpinning the five foundations of productivity identified by the government: ideas, people, infrastructure, business environment, and places. This is the case for all levels of learning from basic skills to…

Digital inclusion is key to a better and fairer economic future where every Californian can thrive. But social and physical distancing requirements necessitated by the pandemic have shined a spotlight on the dramatic digital divide facing California's workers, as well as the inequities of that divide. It's time for policies to change so that every…

Poverty is a complex cultural phenomenon that is very much in existence in contemporary post-industrial Britain. A young person's poverty-striken situation, in addition to their marginalised hierarchal position, shapes their repetitive life cycle comprising different but interrelated forms of marginality. The young people in this ethnographic…

In Australia, like many western countries, there has been a convergence of education policy around a set of utilitarian and economistic approaches to vocational education and training in schools. Such approaches are based on the assumption that there is a direct relationship between national economic growth, productivity and human capital…

Child care and early education policies are shaped by a history of systemic and structural racism. This has created major racial disparities in children's access to quality child care that meets their cultural and linguistic needs and enables their parents to work. Early care and education workers are overwhelmingly in low-quality jobs with…

Over the past thirty years, the modern workplace has changed radically, and the demands on those making the transition from the classroom to the workforce continue to rise. Students from Baltimore and Boston no longer compete against each other for jobs; instead, their rivals are well-educated students from Sydney and Singapore. But as…

This article summarises previous academic research into university education, distinguishing between arguments for and against improving access. Several views are summarised, including structural-functionalism, which claims that powerful social groups maintain their status and income, and human capital theory, which focuses on employee…

The United States has been underproducing college-going workers since 1980. Supply has failed to keep pace with growing demand, and as a result, income inequality has grown precipitously. From 1915 to 1980, supply grew in tandem with demand. But, starting in 1990, the share of college-educated young people in the workforce rose very slowly. If the…

This report provides the recommendations made by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) to the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology based from its examination on the accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada. Aligned with the needs of employers, and operating on the leading edge of advanced…

Postsecondary noncredit education has become increasingly common; many community colleges now enroll more noncredit than credit students. Much of the growth has occurred in workforce instruction and contract training, programs are noted for their role in meeting shifting workforce demands and providing skills in a way that is flexible and…

This report provides the recommendations made by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) to the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology based from its examination on the accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada. Colleges are the advanced skills educators of choice. Aligned with the needs of…

Supported work is an employment program operated primarily by locally based nonprofit corporations that serve as the temporary employer for people who have traditionally had great difficulty in getting or holding a job. This article describes program operations, target groups, funding sources, and program impact research. (Author/SJL)

This publication describes four highly regarded workforce development programs, concentrating on how they cultivate emotional intelligence--how they prepare trainees for the cultural demands of the workplace. Section 1 describes how ACHIEVE, Cabrillo Community College, Watsonville, California (CA) teaches business dress, skills and culture in two…