A study was conducted in the Champaign-Urbana area to evaluate the relationship of the educational preparation of medical transcriptionists to their on-the-job requirements. Personal interviews were conducted with three hospital medical records administrators and with the appropriate department head of an area community college that offered a…

A project was conducted in Australia to investigate the most effective ways whereby learners receive informal and formal support to assist them to successfully complete vocational education and training (VET), either in school or in business job-training programs. Data were collected through a literature review, a case study of 11 organizations,…

Vocational education programs conducted by the Cincinnati Public Schools were reviewed to analyze their characteristics and to clarify their mission and goals. The review examined information on demographic and economic trends in the labor market served by the schools and developed information on the purpose, conduct, and outcomes of the…

A study of 2-year associate degree commercial arts programs in Wisconsin was conducted to determine the entry-level job requirements of commercial artists on a statewide basis; to identify skill tasks, performance levels, and learning experiences required of commercial artists; to evaluate the relevance of 2-year programs to industry requirements;…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of school district participation in CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) youth programs in Box Elder and Cache Counties, Utah, as well as the overall effectiveness of CETA youth programs administered by the Bear River Association of Governments. For three years, the Bear River Association of…

This report, prepared by the Ohio Legislative Commission's staff for the Joint Education Committee on Program Evaluation, focuses on secondary vocational graduate placement and state funding. The content is presented in three parts. First, the Committee's findings and recommendations regarding the following areas are presented: placement results,…

A study assessed how to improve individual informed decision making by various actors in the arena of skills formation in Great Britain on the basis of existing research knowledge. Since individual decisions are situated in a complex institutional arena, two of the most important contextual relationships--schools and employers--were analyzed prior…

Project EXCEL, a workplace literacy project involving four small business enterprises in San Francisco, is evaluated. The project focused on literacy and basic skills training for limited-English-proficient (LEP) workers. The businesses included the following: a communications and mass mailing firm; a dessert wholesale company; a Mexican…

The image and effectiveness of an economics and business department at a medium-sized Christian liberal arts college were assessed, in order to assist in departmental planning for the future. Using goals from the extended mission statement of the department, two groups of graduates were surveyed, 421 recent graduates who had graduated between 1…

In Spring 1997, Maui Community College (MCC), in Hawaii, conducted a survey of Maui businesses to determine perceived needs for a certificate or associate degree program in sustainable technologies. Questionnaires were mailed to 500 businesses, including building, electrical, and plumbing contractors, architects, waste disposal, power generators,…

The Sumter Office of Economic Development and Central Carolina Technical College (South Carolina) formed a partnership to help increase the technical skills of the local work force. Industry surveys, questionnaires, and on-site visits revealed that employers were discouraged with the inadequate work force pool, and that those coming from secondary…

Data from the California Development Department's Unemployment Insurance System were used to track the earnings and employment of more than 57,000 California Employment Training Panel (ETP) trainees served by ETP projects that ended in 1994-95 and 1995-96. ETP trainees' earnings gains averaged 15%, versus 11.8% in the case of similar workers who…

Wyoming's seven comprehensive community colleges document their performance in meeting the needs of their stakeholders against fourteen core indicators: (1) Student Goal Attainment; (2) Persistence; (3) Degree Completion Rates; (4) Placement Rate in the Workforce; (5) Employer Assessment of Students; (6) Licensure/Certification Pass Rates; (7)…

A case study in program evaluation that demonstrates the effectiveness of qualitative research methods is presented. Over a 5-year period, the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities in Ohio offered a baccalaureate program (University Without Walls) to local employees of a national manufacturing firm. The institutional research office…

This study investigated the feasibility of developing five vocational education curricula for severely handicapped (i.e., trainable mentally retarded) young people, aged 13 to 21, that would enable them to work in the employment areas of gardening, housekeeping, laundry services, food services, and minor auto maintenance. One goal of the project…