This study examined the academic labor market experiences of 393 recipients of Ford Minority Fellows, Mellon Fellows, and certain Spencer Fellows who had recently completed doctoral degrees. Of the original 393 individuals, 78 percent responded to telephone interviews that focused on their hiring experiences relative to eight prototypes, which…

American women have always been an integral part of the work force, first on the family farm and later as industrial laborers. In World War II, millions of women went to work only to be sent back home when the men returned. Today, women are in a very different situation. Between 1985 and 2000, 80% of new entrants into the work force are expected…

This paper summarizes a comparative study of the impact of market and technological changes on human resources in banks and insurance companies in five countries: France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United States. The research was organized around case studies of changes in 12 firms--9 banks and 3 insurance carriers. The paper discusses the…

A computerized system set up at the University of Illinois for monitoring graduates and their experiences in the labor market is discussed, along with trends among graduates that have occurred over an 11-year period. The university initiated studies of graduates in 1972. About one-third of the content of the surveys is devoted to vocational…

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) was founded in 1986 with the intent of widening the debate on U.S. economic policies by presenting analyses that provide an alternative point of view from those of various conservative research institutions. The two papers presented in this document were originally prepared for a seminar designed to identify…

In the Federal Republic of Germany, apprenticeship is the preponderant form of vocational training. The basis of the training is a private legal contract between the trainer and the trainee. The practical part of the training takes place in the training firm from 3 to 4 days per week, and the theoretical part takes place in a vocational school 1…

A permanent national publicity and public relations campaign for learning foreign languages is necessary to the well-being of this country, of its youth, and for the growth and stability of the profession of language teaching. Nine major factors have contributed to the decline in language enrollment: (1) the dropping of foreign language…

The crucial role of the states in postsecondary education and the changing conditions in higher education are addressed. It is noted that the states constitute the largest single source of funding for higher education and have the largest investment in it, and historically and constitutionally are primarily responsible for education. Important…

This study compares the effects of human capital variables (education, training, etc.) and labor market variables (location, transportation, industry type) in influencing the employment success among a selected group of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) trainees. Employment success was defined by initial wage rates of employment and…

Economic growth and the welfare state have lengthened initial obligatory education; specialization is postponed; general education widens. Nevertheless, many youths in industrialized Europe leave school for work at 16; losers in the generalized school, they resist further learning. Schools should provide a variety of learning situations, and work…

Introduced in 1971, the French "Continuing Vocational Training (CVT)" system was designed to promote workers'"socio-professional promotion." The contribution of its induced mobility to the fulfillment of this objective has always been considered as one of its key performance indicators. Outcomes of the CVT over the last 3…

In preparation for a conference held in Paris, France, in November 1994, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) launched a 5-year program that involved 20 countries studying the changing role of vocational and technical education and training (VOTEC). This report synthesizes 18 country reports on major recent developments…

A frontier-free European Community (EC) has been created in which goods, capital, services, and people move freely across national frontiers. The issue of mobility is especially important for young people eager to exploit the opportunities opened up and for teachers and trainers in the educational field. A European dimension is now a necessary…

The effects of various megatrends in social and economic life on vocational education in Germany and other countries are discussed, and the evaluation of one approach to facing these megatrends is described. Trends include demographic changes and the conditions resulting from new technologies and environmental concerns. Such megatrends are…

The current crisis in education, coupled with the changing work force and changing business needs in the 1990s, poses a challenge for vocational education. Competency-based vocational education needs to evaluate its competencies to see if training graduates to meet them will serve the needs of the new work situation and keep the United States…