England and Wales lag behind competitor nations in the proportion of people with higher technical skills. In this pamphlet, Scott Kelly proposes three overarching reforms to ensure employers have access to the skills they need: (1) There should be a well-defined set of institutions where the core mission is to deliver technical and professional…

This paper presents formal interactions between vocational education and training and the labour market in France, part of a large European study commissioned by the Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). The paper examines the nature of vocational education and training system, the feedback mechanisms and the…

This paper traces the evolution of Australia's apprenticeship and traineeship system since permanent European settlement in 1788. The system was imported from Great Britain; it has evolved and diverged in some areas but retains many of the features of the British model. Most major changes have occurred in the last 25 years. The apprenticeship…

In the article "A Jobs Mismatch", Jaschik has compiled the findings of a new report that was released by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The Georgetown University report claims that there is a severe shortage of college graduates in America, and that this shortage has the United States on a…

Cyprus takes over the European Union Presidency in the second half of 2012 in a period of continuing uncertainty due to the world economic crisis. The vocational education and training (VET) system of Cyprus is playing a significant role in dealing with the immediate adverse effects of the crisis on the labour market as well as in laying the…

A responsive advanced technical study plan permits students to receive additional advanced courses free for a period of time after graduation. Community colleges should consider such plans as a response to the need for educational restructuring. (SK)

This document reports the results of a study conducted to (1) study the impact of certification on talent flow into administration and leadership development of educational administrators; (2) assess the degree to which there are negative consequences or inadequate uses of certification requirements and processes; (3) identify, reassess and/or…

A study of business and labor was conducted to define the performance skills expected of those entering the workplace in the 1990s and beyond. Survey respondents were 1,120 business people and 26 labor representatives in Illinois of whom 90 participated in follow-up roundtable discussions. Respondents identified and rank ordered nine basic skills:…

This document contains five papers from a seminar devoted to the rise in the level of diplomas across the labor market. "Diploma and the Labour Market: Results and Questions Stemming from European Research" (Louis Mallet) discusses the findings of a recent study of six European countries in an attempt to explain the enormous growth in…

Changes in the vocational and technical education (VTE) opportunities available for women in Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) member countries in response to changing labor markets and job skill requirements were discussed at a June 1994 meeting of experts. The discussions focused on the following issues: gender differences…

The three two-page briefs in this packet focus on the skills needed for America's workforce and student career aspirations. "What Do We Know about America's Workforce?" provides a statistical overview of the workforce and workers today, reporting the following: (1) the number of men and women in the labor force is about equal; (2) by the time…

Curriculum reform in vocational education and training (VET) in Central and Eastern Europe was examined through case studies of VET in 10 countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, and Slovenia. Special attention was paid to the following: each country's VET system; curriculum…

This book contains 12 papers that were produced as a result of a seminar program on selected issues central to the debate over job training in Great Britain. The first paper, "Why We Need a Training Reform Act" (Richard Layard, Ken Mayhew, Geoffrey Owen), examines existing deficiencies in vocational education and training in Britain and…

The growing importance of education in overall economic growth and individual opportunity has necessitated that education reformers address the need for the additional and better human capital needed to foster overall growth in the new knowledge-based economy. Education reformers must also work to reduce the growing differences in family incomes…

The demand for and supply of skills in the automotive repairs and service trades in Australia were examined to identify skill shortages in the industry. Special attention was paid to the following items: (1) the industry's demand for skills (employment levels; growth; and prospects); (2) the supply of skills to the industry's existing work force…