Intermediaries--also referred to as bridge builders, boundary spanners, conveners, and other names--fill the critical role of connecting all the parties in the system to empower people with the skills required in the labor force. Those parties generally include employers, educators, workers, and prospective workers. Within these categories may…

This report defines the social exclusion process by examining long-term unemployment and educational deficiencies in Europe and assessing the scope and effectiveness of the steps taken by the governments concerned to deal with the problem. Chapter I looks at education and prolonged unemployment in six countries that reflect the range of European…

Skilled labor has always been difficult to recruit, and in a tight labor market unskilled, low-paying jobs with low status are also difficult to fill. Recruitment from outside seems necessary to satisfy demands, but migration creates at least as many problems as it solves. The consumption of theoretical training through the university level (a…

A study provided extensive statistics and documentation of Canadian adults' work and learning activities. The study included statistics for household labor and community volunteer activities as well as paid employment. Learning activities included both formal course work and informal learning, as well as on-the-job training. Data sources were the…

This book explores how two nations with widely divergent political economies, Germany and the United States (U.S.), embraced change in four contemporary settings. "Mutual Learning with Trade-Offs" (Kirsten Wever) discusses mutual learning and the distinguishing characteristics of the political economies of Germany and the U.S.…