This paper examines the origins of developmental education and explores the way developmental education is administered at selected colleges in Arkansas. Finally, the paper focuses on a model Career Pathways Initiative program at University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton. Career Pathways invigorates partnerships between colleges and…

In a global environment, growing business corporations have recognized the role diversity plays in business development. However, the human resource development (HRD) profession charged with the responsibility for developing any organization's human resources, has not defined what cultural competence is and its role in improving the…

This study examines whether jobs that enable competence development and a constructive leadership style enhance workers' employability or career potential through their assumed positive relationship with work-related flow (absorption, work enjoyment, and intrinsic work motivation). The authors conducted an explorative study with 303 pairs of…

The development of a diverse engineering workforce, with a variety of skills and interests is essential to the future of American innovation. Historically, the engineering field has been grounded in a series of standards that often benefit men while creating barriers for women. Thus, strategies for overcoming barriers to women's successful…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse what retail and hospitality industry employers want from training and trainers. Design/methodology/approach: The research project was undertaken for Service Skills Australia, the Australian Industry Skills Council that oversees formal training for a range of service industries in…

As the nation, bogged in recession, focuses on job creation and economic growth for relief, attention has turned to education as the key to building a workforce to fill current and future job needs. However, to the surprise of some, much of the discussion involves community colleges, rather than traditional four-year, degree-granting universities…

The Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA) congratulates the Commonwealth Government on the development of the National Career Development Strategy Green Paper. This is a timely and important document that provides a framework to demonstrate the central contribution that career development services play in supporting individuals,…

This article explores the relationship between school mathematics qualifications and the transition into employment. As part of a large-scale, three-year independent evaluation of pilot qualifications in 14-19 school mathematics, all 39 Sector Skills Councils and Employment Skills Boards in the UK were invited to provide evidence regarding their…

The construction industry has long been a leader in predicting economic prosperity and in responding to customers' needs. In the last few years, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has managed to assemble the only ANSI-approved standards for green construction in the nation. During this time and with an eye toward the future, NAHB and…

This is a report of the first year of a three-year project entitled "Vocations: the link between post-compulsory education and the labour market." The project's aim is to research how pathways can be improved within education, within work, and between education and work. There are three strands in the project; the first strand is…

Tribal colleges are often performing little miracles in their communities. Most tribal colleges operate without benefit of local and state taxes. Yet, they bring in new money from other sources that stimulate the local economy. Students gain knowledge and skills that can transform their communities and local economies. Tribal colleges not only…

This is the final report from a three-year program of research investigating the role of vocational education and training (VET) in workforce development. The research focuses on meat processing and child care, both of which are characterised by low-skill entry points to the labour market. The author pulls together the key themes emerging from the…

The STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) movement has developed from a non-educational rationale. Although some think it may enliven the delivery of maths and science in classrooms, the social and economic rationales are those that have initiated this movement. Spurred on by the global financial crisis, it is hoped that…

This paper was a keynote address at the Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) conference held in Canberra in April 2012. The author notes that industry is arguably the key stakeholder in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector, but is not a single actor nor a disinterested consumer of…

Across the United States, partnerships have formed between business and industry and rural community college workforce development customize training programs to meet the demands of the 21st century labor market. For many business and industry managers, a partnership has become a necessary means to train the unskilled as well as update skills…