A project developed an operational definition of and designed a conceptual framework for evaluating two-year postsecondary educational customized training programs. The definition specifies that customized training requires the following: (1) contracts; (2) payments; (3) relationships to economic development strategies; (4) the delivery of…

Brief descriptions are provided of 16 model literacy initiatives undertaken by community colleges in conjunction with local businesses or community groups. Following introductory comments by Barbara Bush, Tony Zeiss, H. James Owen, and Roy Romer, "Literacy: America's Great Deficit," by Earnestine Thomas-Wilson-Robertson and Tony Zeiss, reviews…

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Jobs Initiative is a six-city workforce initiative aimed at helping disadvantaged adults earn their way out of poverty. Between 1995 and 2002, the initiative enrolled more than 17,000 adults and placed 8,090 people in jobs. Most Jobs Initiative participants were working 18 months after enrollment in the program, and…

This document provides a list of dissertations, ERIC documents, and journal articles on contemporary issues of interest to community college leaders. The topics addressed include adjunct faculty, dual/concurrent credit, economic and workforce development, technology and distance education, development/fund raising, student retention, strategic…

Florida's Workforce Development Education (WDE) Program was subjected to an evaluation and justification review to determine its benefit to the state and evaluate its systemwide performance. The following components of Florida's WDE program were evaluated: career and technical education (CTE); adult education programs; and continuing education…

The first of the three papers in this symposium, "Performance- and Learning Support with On-line Help Systems: An Effectiveness Study" (Theo J. Bastiaens, Jan N. Streumer, Yvette Krul) is a study of a method to cut training expenditures for production, planning, engineering, and inventory employees by implementing an online help system for…

The role of Ohio's community and technical colleges in educating low-wage workers was examined. Ohio's community and technical colleges were shown to be uniquely positioned to serve as bridges to growth and opportunity by helping the state and its workers make the transition to a knowledge-based economy and help low-wage workers gain the footing…

The United States will not be competitive in the global economy of the 21st century without a technically trained work force. Community colleges and secondary schools offering technical programs are becoming increasingly important to local businesses as companies rely on a combination of schools and on-the-job training to help their employees…

In one of a series of hearings held in communities around the nation on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met to hear testimony from higher education professionals, business people, and students in the state of Hawaii. In particular the witnesses, grouped in seven panels, testified…

These proceedings contain 11 papers that examine several diverse collaborative efforts designed to improve education and training programs through substantive involvement of the private sector. Authors and titles are as follows: "Public-Private Sector Collaboration in Education: Implications for Research, Policy, and the Education of Professional…

Workplace literacy projects were established at Warn Industries, a winch and hubcap maker, and Oregon Cutting Systems (OCS), a producer of cutting edges supplying the timber industry by Clackamas Community College (Oregon). At Warn, project staff developed functional context materials, delivered instruction to a math class, and implemented a basic…

Significant changes in the educational environment have inspired structural and functional redefinitions to increase institutional competitiveness. To flourish, colleges now must be able to respond quickly and effectively to change. They must be adaptive, flexible, responsive, and innovative, especially in their application of new technology. They…

As a source of trained workers, postsecondary schools need to develop a curriculum that encourages critical thinking and provide an environment that helps students to understand the changing economy. The curriculum should be based on the student's experiences and interests and should prepare one for life situations. In the business curriculum,…

This report includes analysis of student enrollment behavior, employment outlook and training needs, and community needs to understand the supply and demand for postsecondary education in Washington State. The assessment will specifically respond to criteria laid out in state legislation: (1) Projections of student, employer, and community demand…

A 3-day institute on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction, designed for adult literacy teachers, is reported. The institute, held at Northampton Community College (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) in July 1993, offered seminars in acquired immune deficiency syndrome/human immunovirus (AIDS/HIV) and the ESL student, sheltered English instruction,…