Too many of Britain's workforce lack the skills needed for a knowledge-based economy. To remedy this will require the commitment, in time and resources, of individuals, employers, the education and training infrastructure and the state. Adults with the lowest qualifications have the least access to employer-funded training, especially in small…

The literature on the training provided by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Great Britain was reviewed to determine the extent and quality of training available and the link between training provision and small business performance. Smaller firms were less likely to offer training, and the training they did provide was generally…

This handbook, which was developed for federal managers, explains how low-cost and no-cost training methods developed in the private sector and the services and support available from federal human resource development (HRD) offices can be used to build a smarter and more productive work force. Presented in part 1 are the following: seven…

A study examined challenges associated with investigating the role and occupational identity of learning practitioners who operate within the organizational as opposed to the educational institution context. These challenges include the following: (1) naming this group of organizational practitioners; (2) distribution of learning responsibilities;…

The first of the papers in this poster session, "Developing the Employment Brand: Targeting MBA Campus Hires" (Diane M. Bergeron), posits that employment branding benefits both individuals and organizations. It functions as a campus recruiting tool in a competitive labor market and communicates the organization's values and work…

Workplace learning, both formal and informal, is taking on an increasingly important role in the education and training of the workforce. Based on an analysis of recent research on workplace learning in Australia, in an 'ideal' workplace learning situation enterprises would have in place the elements outlined in the following key findings: (1)…

The first of the three papers in this symposium, "Performance- and Learning Support with On-line Help Systems: An Effectiveness Study" (Theo J. Bastiaens, Jan N. Streumer, Yvette Krul) is a study of a method to cut training expenditures for production, planning, engineering, and inventory employees by implementing an online help system for…

An Australian study examined the relationship between current and past participation in education and training in small business and success or failure and how small businesses decide how to improve knowledge and skills. Telephone surveys were conducted with 181 small businesses in 4 industries in 3 metropolitan and 3 non-metropolitan regions.…

The approaches to employability being taken by United Kingdom employers were examined in a study that included three components: a literature review to develop a definition of employability and isolate its key elements; case studies of six organizations to identify employers' approaches to employability; and examination of related literature on…

These three papers were presented at a symposium on rethinking diversity in human resource development (HRD) moderated by Neal Chalofsky at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "Diversity: A Double-Edged Sword" (Sally F. Angus) presents the notion of work force diversity through two differing perspectives in order to…

This annotated bibliography describes 42 documents dealing with work force and workplace literacy. Annotations are provided for 17 how-to guides and assessment tools, 19 policy reports and research papers, and 6 surveys. The following are among the topics covered in the individual documents described: job-related literacy training, basic skills in…

The experimental Vocational Exploration in the Private Sector (VEPS-I) program, 1971-72 was intended to provide dropout-prone Neighborhood Youth Corps (NYC) youth with intensive counseling, supportive services and work experience in the private sector, to encourage completion of high school, and to assist in obtaining full-time employment upon…

This final report on the second experimental year of the Vocational Exploration in the Private Sector (VEPS-II) program presents an assessment of program operations, administration and impact. VEPS was designed as a training and vocational exploration program for in-school Neighborhood Youth Corps (NYC) enrollees who were probable dropouts. The…

THE COUNCIL OF THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS MADE A ONE-YEAR STUDY OF THE MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING ACT IN APPALACHIA AND HELPED ESTABLISH THE YOUTH, EDUCATION, JOB DEVELOPMENT, WORK EXPERIENCE, VISTA, AND ON THE JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS WHICH ARE REVIEWED AND EVALUATED IN THIS REPORT. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT--(1) MEN WANT JOBS, (2) WHILE UNFILLED…

INCREASINGLY, PROPOSALS ARE EMERGING FOR THE LARGE SCALE EMPLOYMENT OF NONPROFESSIONALS IN THE HUMAN SERVICES WHERE INEXPERIENCED PEOPLE LEARN TO PERFORM JOBS (IN SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, AND SERVICE AGENCIES) NORMALLY ALLOTED TO PROFESSIONALS. IN THE CONCEPT OF JOBS FIRST, TRAINING BUILT IN, ENTRY JOBS BECOME THE MOTIVATORS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF…