It has been suggested that older workers may be particuarly vulnerable to the obsolescence process. One definition of obsolescence directly implies that the obsolescence construct is a function of two elements, the job and the person. New technologies, new products, and new methods and procedures can result in job changes which in turn can compel…

Presents the views of the Consortium for Worker Education (New York, New York), which advocates a formal schooling system to upgrade the skills of the American worker. The first step toward systemic worker education would be the passage of federal legislation to allow state and local governments to establish Workforce Development Boards to provide…

The changes to be effected by high technology in both projected employment growth and existing jobs seem to require significant changes in the American educational system. However, government estimates for the period 1978-90 suggest that employment growth will favor jobs that require little or no training beyond the high school level (for…

the document addresses the question of the degree to which United States Air Force (USAF) pilot skills deteriorate as a function of reduced or deleted aircraft flying time. An examination of the results of several studies concerning the effects of periods of inactivity on pilot skill retention and subsequent retraining requirements indicate that a…

In 1989, the Industrial Research and Development Advisory Committee (IRDAC) of the European Community established a Working Party on education and training issues relevant to industry. A subgroup on skill shortages considered the issue from the European and macro-economic point of view. It examined such skills shortages issues as demographic…

Undertrained workers, not dislocated workers, are the real problem in the American economy. The vast majority of the workers affected by structural change in the American economy appear to make employment transitions fairly swiftly and smoothly, with no need for public intervention. Undertrained workers, mostly employed and scattered in all…

This report addresses the degree to which retraining has met the challenge of ensuring that the American work force has adequate skills to cope with the changing world of work. Chapter 1 sketches economic, social, and technological changes that help explain why the current reactive approach needs to be more active. In chapter 2, the extensiveness…

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…

Implications for universities of high technology industries and the labor market are unclear. There is a need to ease the transition for those categories of workers who will be affected: women, low- and medium-skill workers in manufacturing, and certain categories of middle-level managers. The provision of highly qualified personnel is the…

The eight articles in this theme issue of CEDEFOP's twice-yearly multi-lingual bulletin focus on continuing education to maintain and upgrade the workforce. "Force--The Community's Action Programme for the Continuing Training in the 1990s" describes the objectives of this new program to improve the skill levels of the European…

The effects of technological change on the manpower and training needs of New York State industry were studied in a survey of 281 Industrial situations. The study was designed to help answer questions about the effects of factory and related technological change in displacing workers, in creating recruitment and training needs, and in altering the…

Technological advances necessitate the continuous retraining of the work force. Three technologies are having greatest impact on the labor force: (1) the scope and depth of computer skills required by most jobs continue to expand; (2) robotics in manufacturing means that certain new jobs are more technical and require postsecondary education; and…

This audioconference report consists of nine sessions, each featuring a panel of experts who discussed a variety of issues related to collaboration in education and employment. The focus is on practitioners and employers and how they can collaborate to improve the quality of schooling and employment opportunities for secondary- and…

A study examined management perspectives on retraining workers and educational alternatives for such training. During the study, more than 300 senior human resource executives from Fortune 1500 firms across the nation were interviewed by telephone. Of those interviewed, 84 percent felt that their workers are concerned about such issues as: losing…