As the demand for workers with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills grows ever higher, employers face stiff competition for qualified employees--and with retirements, the pool of employees grows ever smaller. Meanwhile, U.S. education and workforce systems could be failing to keep pace with the needs of the STEM economy,…

The challenge of connecting employers and educators to collaboratively plan for training future workers is an enduring one -- particularly for jobs that are rapidly changing because of technological advancements. This report addresses this challenge as it pertains to employers and educators in the oil and natural gas industry located in and around…

Purpose/Objectives: This study investigated the use of electronic and paper-based point-of-service (POS) systems in school nutrition programs (SNPs), including associated challenges and the desired skills and existing training practices for personnel handling such systems. Methods: A questionnaire was developed based on interviews with 25 SNP…

One of the great concerns of the business community involves the workforce pipeline: employers want to be sure that new entries into the labor pool, whether from the K-12 or postsecondary systems, are prepared for the jobs that await them. In Philadelphia, business and community leaders have joined forces to give students workplace learning…

This report contains findings from a study to examine the impact of Pennsylvania's Customized Job Training (CJT) program upon clients (trainees), business/industry, local education agencies (LEAs), and local communities and the commonwealth. Chapter 1 details study purposes, design, and procedures. Chapter 2 presents a summary description of the…

Cooperative education is a method of instruction that enables students to combine academic classroom instruction (school-based learning component) with occupational instruction through learning on the job (work-based learning component) in a career area of choice. Emphasis is placed on the students' education and employability skills. Co-op is a…

This article describes the outcomes of a needs assessment concerning current training needs and performance targets for non-degreed employees in the food industry. Focus groups were used to gather data from 5 food-processing companies: a fresh vegetable company, a canned vegetable company, 2 snack food companies, and a meat company. Focus group…

A project assessed the impact of 21 vocational programs funded for displaced homemakers (DHs) in Pennsylvania during the three-year period 1979-80 through 1981-82. To determine whether the programs focused on priority solutions for the problems of the target population, a review of project proposals and final reports was conducted, and…

A study was conducted to use the SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) employability skills to identify the criteria used for hiring and employment retention by companies in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Results were intended to help personnel development and training institutions in the region align their training outcomes and…

A project was conducted to prepare a catalog of duties and tasks, performance objectives and guides, and instructional materials that would enable schools to develop instructional programs designed to prepare persons to enter the career of auctioneering. An occupational survey of auctioneers was conducted; a writing team of auctioneers prepared…

This booklet describes various aspects of the Skill Training Improvement Program (STIP) in Washington, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California. Information concerning the funding, administration, coordination, specific activities developed, and effectiveness of the STIP program in each of the five States is provided. Also taken into…

This paper presents new evidence regarding the benefits of retraining prime-aged adults by analyzing the impacts of community college schooling on displaced workers in Washington State during the 1990s. The authors also conducted a similar analysis of a small program that provided community college courses to workers displaced from their jobs…

A project was conducted to prepare unemployed or underemployed adults to enter the work force by continuing and expanding an adult education and career enhancement program that embraces the National Education Goals and contains all the elements of a school-to-work model. Staff were recruited and trained, a curriculum integrating work-based and…

This booklet contains descriptions of the approach of each state member of the Action Team on Lifelong Learning in meeting the challenge to prepare and upgrade the skills of the work force. Each one-page discussion is followed by the name, address, and telephone number of a contact person in the state. The reported approaches of 10 states…

Objectives of this assessment of Pennsylvania's vocational programs for the handicapped were to describe and evaluate the programs' impact and explore the local capability for offering vocational program services to the handicapped. Study methodology was guided by 23 evaluation questions representing five major study components: problems and…