The manufacturing industry is crucial to the United States economy, constituting more than 10% of the gross domestic product (National Association of Manufacturing [NAM], 2022). However, the sector faces challenges such as a shortage of skilled labor and underrepresentation of women, which threaten its sustainability (NAM, 2023). Various…

Work-integrated learning (WIL) affords students opportunities to apply skills and knowledge to practical work placements. Students potentially learn professional behaviours appropriate to their chosen industry sector. However, students may also face challenges they may not be prepared to navigate. One of these is gender bias due to assumptions…

To date, there has been little examination of those who complete training in male-dominated sectors and continue to work in these sectors within regional Australia. Therefore, in this preliminary qualitative study, we examine the attraction and retention issues of women entering male-dominated trades within regional NSW. This paper reports on…

The U.S. workforce is increasingly comprised of older adults, women, and minorities who lack basic skills and are unable to acquire these skills through traditional educational and training programs. New approaches are needed to provide effective training to the adult learner and flexible support for nontraditional students who must balance…

With funding from the National Science Foundation in 2014, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) launched a five-year project to demonstrate the efficacy of regional ecosystems of community colleges, four-year higher education institutions, and STEM-driven business in facilitating the retention and persistence of students in STEM fields. This…

This report demonstrates the power of business-higher education partnerships to create new kinds of STEM pathways that provide educational opportunity and economic mobility for underrepresented students. With funding from the National Science Foundation in 2014, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) launched a five-year project to demonstrate…

Advanced manufacturing is growing and thriving in the United States. Companies are in great need of reliable employees who can communicate well, effectively make decisions, and are interested in long-term careers with opportunity for advancement. Employers have identified a need for a more robust talent pipeline to narrow America's skills gap--a…

"Research Messages 2013" provides a summary of the research published in 2013 by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in the following broad categories: (1) skills and productivity: from VET qualifications to higher-level qualifications and issues affecting the workforce; (2) social inclusion and participation in…

This is a case study based on BELTEK, which is a training organisation under Ankara metropolitan Municipality in Turkey. BELTEK is one of the initiatives aiming to train women and help to boost their employability. In this descriptive study, the goals, structure, training activities for the training and employability of women are put under…

This guide informs women about the apprenticeship system and how it operates, about apprenticeable occupations, and provides background on the problems that women sometimes encounter in seeking apprenticeships. In the first section, Women and Apprenticeship: An Overview, barriers to women in apprenticeship--such as sex discrimination, inadequate…

This part of a 2-part working paper identifies and describes major occupational groups that are characteristic of high technology manufacturing and service industries as well as employment sectors that use high technology products in their provision of goods and services. The paper is based on a review of a wide range of employment projections…

Basic skills education has become a pressing need in the construction industry as jobs become more complex and fewer workers have needed skills. However, the construction industry lags in spending on training for entry-level workers. The Home Builders Institute (HBI) is testing a pilot basic skills program that it hopes will prove useful to the…

This booklet is designed to introduce some of the career possibilities in the electronic media at broadcast stations and cable systems as well as in allied fields such as advertising and the law. It begins by describing the two organizations that designed this booklet: American Women in Radio and Television, Inc., and the Women's Bureau of the…

A study examined the nature and requirements of biomanufacturing work force development in Massachusetts. The jobs created by biotechnology and skill requirements for the different levels of biotechnology jobs were analyzed. Next, study task force members visited 23 companies throughout Massachusetts and interviewed a wide selection of personnel,…