Changes in skill requirements, training needs, the industrial and occupational mix of employment, and the spatial location of jobs are 'natural' consequences of a dynamic economy. These changes, in turn, influence employers' hiring and staffing patterns, workers' career paths, and economic growth and development. However, the evolving nature of…

The U.S. economy is undergoing a transition that may rival the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution. The general directions are clear: an ever smaller share of the nation's work force is employed in the manufacturing sector; service sector industries are the source of most new jobs; and some "high tech" industries have had explosive…

Discusses some of the issues involved in professionalizing human resources planning and implementation at the national level. Issues include (1) incorporating human resources into national development, (2) demand considerations, (3) using the skill supply system, (4) obstacles to effectiveness, and (5) enhancing roles of social partners. (CH)

Private organizations and state governments are increasingly seeking out businesses with training needs they cannot fulfill themselves and finding community colleges willing to set up flexible retraining programs quickly. (MSE)

This article presents a brief account of some of the new directions that manpower planning has taken in recent years viewed primarily in the light of activities undertaken by the International Labour Office technical cooperation program in this field. (Author/CT)

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor and the New Jersey Department of Labor indicate that: (1) in mid-1977, 40 million women were working, meaning that women composed 41% of the nation's labor force; (2) in New Jersey, women composed 30% of the state's labor force; and (3) both nationally and on a state-wide basis, employment for…

The author states that the trade deficit and the foreign debt reflect the inability of a large percentage of the U.S. work force to compete in an integrated world economy. He argues that investing in human capital is the only way to solve the competitiveness problem. A review of recent and current influences on the educational system is included.…

Discusses recent changes in Canada's labor market. Examines the role of "visible minorities" in the labor force. Presents a forecast of anticipated changes for visible minorities in the Canadian labor market by the year 2000. Examines possible changes in the United States' labor market and the implications on Canada. (JS)

Belying the stereotypes, vocational schools, with the help of business, are developing better-trained, more productive workers. Improved vocational education programs can make academics relevant, reduce the dropout rate, encourage postsecondary education, provide jobs, and retrain older workers. (SK)

The Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act established provisions whereby youth may receive academic credit for skills acquired through work experience, but many educational institutions have not sanctioned these provisions. This problem was explored in a study of credit availability, type of credit, and the relationship between credit…

Despite its high unemployment level, Germany is experiencing a shortage of specialists and managers. Germany's need for highly qualified information technology (IT) workers and engineers is particularly great. Approximately 10,000 posts for computer scientists and IT specialists remained vacant in 1998. Because of the shortage of such specialists,…

Educational and occupational training programs initiated in times of high unemployment are actually designed to maintain social control of the unemployed. Current efforts by the Australian government to educate young, unemployed school leavers wrongfully shift the blame for unemployment away from the economy and onto the work force itself.…

Two prominent claims underlying educational policy are that jobs by year 2000 will require considerably more education and substantial increases in test scores may powerfully affect productivity. The article suggests that economic concerns with education should think more about contributing to the development of capable human beings than narrow…

This is an evaluation report on the vocational education program in the majority black school system of Oakland, California. An overview of the employment problems in Oakland and a description of the report's preparation are contained in an introduction. Chapter two examines the relationship of the vocational education program to planning,…

Two approaches to private sector participation in employment and training programs for economically disadvantaged out-of-school youth (16-21 years old) are discussed in this report. The two approaches are: (1) subsidized work experience in the private sector, which tries to foster good work habits leading to employment; and (2) occupational…