This article reports on a study that is concerned with surveying the aspirations of some students in an Australian Technical and Further Education (TAFE) College and developing strategies to address issues arising from the surveys. The study is essentially a series of surveys, thought it has an action learning aspect because of its developmental…

Four trends will alter the way the education and training system and other human resource agencies will do business. Themes that reflect them are captured in four words: flexibility, quality, diversity, and scope. The reaction to the current economic downturn remains one of flexibility. Flexibility has emerged as the way in which employers look at…

In Brazil, electronic technicians are increasingly being asked to perform a number of technical and nontechnical tasks, for which they need complex education and training or multiskilling. The typical tasks faced by electronic technicians require a relatively high level of abstraction and symbolic learning. Required skills cover a broad range of…

This document explains the concept of sectoral employment strategies and profiles 13 successful work force development programs based on such strategies. The first half of the document examines the increasing need for sectoral employment strategies and their key characteristics, role in achieving systemic change in work organizations, and…

This report examines how the aging of the population of the United States will affect the workplace, and how employers, government, and the older employees themselves will adapt to this societal aging. The report covers issues surrounding the aging of the work force and uses case studies to illustrate how some companies and organizations are…

Black, Latina, and Asian women generally work in jobs that are less well-paying and lower on the occupational hierarchy than are the jobs held by their white counterparts. In addition, these women of color face higher unemployment rates than do white women. Whereas the entry of large numbers of white women into the work force is a fairly recent…

A study based on supplementary questions in the October 1978 Current Population Survey revealed an improved job situation among U.S. youths both in and out of school, but it showed dropouts and those from low-income families at a distinct disadvantage. Overall, the number of employed youths (age 16-24) increased by 1.1 million from October 1977 to…

This study examined sources and occupational consequences of utilizing alternative educational patterns in a nationally representative sample (Retrospective Life History Sample) of black and white men. The study explored patterns of educational activities used, the antecedents of the use of alternative normative patterns, and occupational effects…

Skill supply chains apply a chain strategy to human resources to make the labor market more efficient. They link the multiple skill levels in a given labor market within a network of recruitment pathways for employers and advancement pathways for workers. Skill supply chains are based on employers' actual skill needs and on the principle that…

This report presents innovative vocational training (VT) initiatives to improve integration of low-skilled workers into lifelong learning and the labor market. Chapter 1 describes study structure and methodology. Chapter 2 addresses the theoretical basis for observing innovations. It analyzes the definition and significance of innovation in system…

To prepare young people and adults for labor market success, career-technical education (CTE) practitioners must know how to find and use work force information. Recent federal legislation, including the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, underscores the importance of work force education. The nationwide work force information system makes data on…

This collection of essays, which is arranged in four sections, concerns flexibility in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems of Europe. The first section, "Introduction," includes the following chapter: "Shaping Conditions for a Flexible VET" (Nieuwenhuis et al.). The second section, "Institutional and…

Data from national administrative and telephone surveys of nationally representative samples of unemployment insurance (UI) recipients who began collecting benefits in 1998 were analyzed to identify changes in the UI claimant population over the past 10 years and determine whether the time has come to retool the nation's reemployment services. The…

The purpose of "Focus" is to provide coverage of poverty-related research, events, and issues, and to acquaint a large audience with the work of the Institute for Research on Poverty by means of short essays on selected pieces of research. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Changing poverty and changing antipoverty policies…

The role of Ohio's community and technical colleges in educating low-wage workers was examined. Ohio's community and technical colleges were shown to be uniquely positioned to serve as bridges to growth and opportunity by helping the state and its workers make the transition to a knowledge-based economy and help low-wage workers gain the footing…