It has become increasingly difficult to succeed in the U.S. workforce with only a high school diploma. While 75% of the middle-class workforce had only a high school education in the 1970s, that percentage dropped to below 40% by 2007. An estimated two-thirds of all jobs in 2020 will require some postsecondary training, up from just a quarter of…

Despite legal mandates and evidence of predictors of success in transition, there continue to be poor outcomes for students with disabilities as compared to students without disabilities. This article describes the first steps of a quality improvement project, including a needs assessment and description of the current constraints of transition…

Illinois is investing in bridge programs as a strategy to help more low-skilled and low-wage workers improve their skills, acquire postsecondary credentials, and move up to better jobs. This guidebook is built on early lessons of bridge programs in Illinois. It is designed as a resource for those who want to develop a new bridge program or…

A survey instrument developed in 1991 by the Massachusetts Job Council to ascertain basic information regarding funds spent on job training and to provide state policymakers with information about those being served and what services are being provided was used as a model to develop a program assessment instrument. The program assessment…

In spite of the fact that noncredit generates approximately 10% of enrollment in the California Community College System, many people outside and even within the system are not aware of or do not fully understand the importance of noncredit and how it serves California's educational needs. Noncredit courses are basically what its title…

Originally designed to serve 400 employees, the Mott Community College (MCC) Workplace Literacy Project provided instruction in basic workplace skills to 566 employees from 20 companies. The cost was 2 percent lower than projected. All participants were assessed and counseled on the basis of the assessment tests. Individualized training plans were…

Mercer County Community College (New Jersey) and six small businesses used federal grant money to develop a model program of workplace literacy that would assist 600 adult workers with inadequate basic skills in performing their jobs. In analyzing the overall skills of the work force, the literacy audit identified these basic skills/literacy…

As part of an annual program planning process, Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) conducts a number of formal and informal consultations with various SIAST stakeholders in order to identify and research future program training needs in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. This Saskatchewan Urban Training Needs…

Parkway Area Adult Basic Education Program formed a partnership with St. John's Mercy Medical Center, St. Luke's Hospital, Watlow Electric, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Literacy Council of Greater St. Louis to develop a model National Workplace Literacy Program. The instructional model developed under Project…

As part of its ongoing efforts to improve further education (FE) in the United Kingdom, the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) developed a model for FE colleges that see their core purpose as meeting the needs of business and industry as distinct form colleges with a mission to serve the needs of the community or prepare young people…

This report brings together a number of principles as to best practice in supporting, through training, growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Central and Eastern Europe. Chapter 2 identifies key principles to be drawn from the West through a literature review. Chapter 3 reviews the "practice" of entrepreneurial training…

The Labor Education Achievement Program (LEAP) provided workplace literacy services to 664 union workers in 39 classes at worksites, union halls, and other locations. Students' average age was nearly 40. All had attended some public school; 91 percent had some high school education. Students reported various reasons for enrollment; 90.6 percent…

The California Community Colleges (CCC) use labor market information and student follow-up data for vocational education program development, implementation, and evaluation. In order to justify the development of new programs and the continuation and review of existing programs, the CCC initiated the Labor Market Information (LMI) system in 1987.…