As the largest funder of adult basic education (ABE) in the nation, providing over $600 million through its Basic Grants to States (U.S. Department of Education, 2019), the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) drives ABE policies and practices. In a review of the announcement on Title II, the phrase "transition to" is repeated…

All workplaces are sites in which people learn. To state such a fact still seems fairly revolutionary given that many employers and policymakers tend to restrict the meaning of job-related learning to formal episodes of "training" that can be counted and costed. This view is rooted in a wider perception prevalent in society in general…

It is no secret that America is at risk of losing its place as a world leader in education. Some 88 million adults in America need help with their English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic skills, yet the nation is currently providing services to only 3 million people. The Commission on Adult Literacy calls for bold change at the state and…

Looks at the best and worst workplace training ideas of the 20th century. Includes ideas that haven't happened, those that went from bad to good, ones that got lost in the shuffle, ideas to take into the next century, and those that are best discarded. (JOW)

The number of college graduates has increased considerably since 1960. However, the number of jobs requiring highly educated workers has not grown to the same extent. Thus, young, well-educated college graduates frequently replace older, less educated workers. The author challenges society to make more efficient use of its educational resources.…

This paper offers a rationale for the concern with, and involvement of, vocational education in the topic of productivity in the workforce. It also suggests what differences might result from knowing more about the topic. (CT)

The education-for-work movement needs a deeper philosophical base. The philosophies of vocational education, human resource development, and adult learning may provide appropriate guidance for workforce preparation. (SK)

Outlines major recommendations and actions to date of five reform proposals: "America's Choice" (National Center on Education and the Economy); "Connecting School and Employment" (Council of Chief State School Officers); America 2000; the National Education Goals; and Job Training 2000. (SK)

Six theoretical perspectives on work design are examined for their contributions to our understanding of how work is organized and designed in organizations: sociotechnical systems theory, process improvement, adaptive structuration theory, the job characteristics model, technostructural change models, and activity theory. A critique of these…

The author discusses the factors which must be considered for effective human resource planning. These factors include a grasp of regional reindustrialization, social and demographic changes, and social and economic priorities.

Reviews changes in the workplace: shift from industrial to information society, drop in wages, loss of the "employment contract," and effects of technology on skill needs. Suggests steps to help students prepare for the changing workplace. (SK)

No U.S. school district is world class. Radical systemic reform must (1) recognize that learning in context works; (2) assert that noncollege careers have worth; (3) raise standards and expectations. Foundation skills needed include basic, thinking, personal, resource, interpersonal, information, technology, and systems. (SK)

This review of the history of education reform from "A Nation at Risk" to the report of the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills concludes that what is needed now is national debate on the design of an ideal national system of school-to-work transition. (SK)

The recent vehement and highly visible critique of the North American business school curriculum illuminates core tensions in the field of human resource development (HRD) related to the role and responsibility of the profession in for-profit organizations and the educative process by which future practitioners are prepared. If the business school…

Human capital theory postulates that individuals and society invest in people to increase financial and nonmonetary income in the future. Liberal education, the study of a range of disciplines that develop lifetime intellectual skills and personal abilities, meets the standards of human capital investment. (MLW)