A 2-day conference on vocational training as an instrument to combat unemployment was held to discuss employment policy, vocational training, and decentralization in the context of the European Union's (EU's) accession strategy, current employment initiatives, and experiences of the EU's member states and regions. The conference included papers on…

This book examines how many of the United States' social and economic problems are reinforced by the combination of school, business, and government. It outlines ways that U.S. government policy can be reformulated to make schools and training major components in the U.S. labor market's successful adjustment to the new workplace realities. The…

Statistics regarding Australians participating in apprenticeships and traineeships in the automotive repairs and service trades in 1995-1999 were reviewed to provide an indication of where skill shortages may be occurring or will likely occur in relation to the following occupations: motor mechanic, automotive electrician, and panel beater. The…

This book examines the relationship among education, work, and social capital at the beginning of the 21st century. The following are among the topics discussed in the book's 15 chapters: (1) necessity, work, effort, and leisure; (2) the economic and work-related aims of education, including liberal, vocational, and civic education; (3) the…

The extent to which providers of post-16 vocational education and training (VET) in the United Kingdom are able to secure timely and relevant learning programs to meet sudden and unpredicted changes in local or national skills profiles was examined in a study that included interviews of nine private training providers and 11 further education (FE)…

Outcome measures are one of three key dimensions of the performance of Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system. The government, employers, students, and the broader community all share an interest in ensuring that Australia's VET system produces skills needed in the labor market. However, each group's views of what constitutes a…

The different situations confronting young labor market entrants in different European countries may be described in terms of the following models: (1) the conditions of labor market entry are basically tied to the nature of the qualification acquired in initial training, experience accumulated in the labor market plays a very secondary role, and…

This document is intended to assist health care organizations in designing and implementing a school-to-career (STC) initiative within their organization. Section 1 presents an overview of STC that discusses the following topics: skills needed by the health care industry's future workforce; the definition of STC; special needs of the health care…

The rising wage inequality in U.S. urban labor markets during the 1980s was examined in a study of 20 metropolitan area labor markets. The study's perspective differs from the prevailing perspective on the problem in three ways: (1) it focuses on changes in the wage structure in a sample of local labor markets; (2) it examines changes in the…

This booklet provides an overview of vocational education (VE) in the principality of Liechtenstein. The following are among the topics discussed: Liechtenstein's government, sovereignty, history, and foreign policy; Liechtenstein's VE system (history, underlying principles, policy, structure, economic framework, legal basis, organization and…

The effectiveness of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 was critiqued. WIA was praised for providing an avenue for communication among state and local agencies during development of workforce development plans, potentially allowing individuals to choose from a wider array of services and service providers, spreading the concept of one-stop…

These three publications examine the current state and future of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta, Canada. The "Current Context" publication, released in October 1996, examines the following topics: the structure of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta; enrollment and industry participation; Alberta's…

Findings from the 1992 Generation survey carried out by Creq in 1997 among young people exiting the French school system indicates that work-related disparities encountered by young labor market entrants in France can be characterized according to the worker's gender. Obstacles facing women include the following: (1) risk of unemployment or…

Recent labor market and economic trends have spotlighted the need for work force development systems and policies to simultaneously serve employers seeking qualified workers and individuals who want to find work and advance toward self-sufficiency. This need has in turn led to the development of labor market intermediaries that can perform a wide…

The rise of the office economy and its impact on vocational education and training (VET) in Australia were examined by replicating the methodology used in Carnevale and Rose's U.S. study on the impact of the new office economy. Both studies took a functional approach to analyzing economic activities and the work force and focused primarily on…