This document reports on three focus groups comprised of state officials, local practitioners and supporters, and researchers who were convened to provide input on strategies for assessing and validating the effects of tech prep. Part I provides a brief summary of the groups' discussions, including major points and broad themes in these four topic…

A study was undertaken in Florida to examine the impact of the state universities on the state's workforce, using data sources from a follow-up program called the Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program, which uses data from the unemployment insurance wage database, federal employment databases, continuing education data at…

Education and training in the workplace are quickly becoming survival tools for most organizations because their operating environments change constantly. Traditionally, many employers have looked externally to employ individuals with specific skills who can adapt to changing products and processes. Upgrading the skills of present employees was…

Australia's construction industry employs nearly 600,000 workers, over 7% of total national employment. The industry is heavily dominated by males (nearly 88%) and full-time workers (86%). Much of the work in this industry involves subcontracting and is cyclical. Construction employers provided much less structured training than the average…

Nearly 590,000 persons are employed in education in Australia, two-thirds of whom are women. One-third of education jobs are part time, and 40% of the work force is over age 45, suggesting that labor shortages may emerge in the next decade. As would be expected, this sector employs more persons with bachelor's and higher degrees than any other…

Australia's finance and insurance industry is among the 5 industry divisions in which females outnumber males. Women's share of industry jobs has risen from 51% to 55% in the last decade. However, there is a pronounced gap in earnings between male and female workers. Employers expressed below-average satisfaction with vocational education and…

In Australia, the health and community services industry is the nation's fourth largest, and employment has grown by 39% since 1987, almost twice as much as the labor force as a whole. The industry is the most female dominated in Australia (77%) and the second-largest source of jobs for women. Thirty-eight percent of jobs in the sector are part…

With greater demands being placed on postsecondary education as employers report that graduates have inadequate skills, interest has been generated in assessing student academic achievement in reliable and valid ways. A descriptive case study was used to outline the process that has been developed to identify and implement program outcomes for 55…

This document presents the text of a roundtable discussion on the topic of best practice in workplace literacy in which six individuals representing the following agencies/organizations participated: Ontario (Canada) Ministry of Education; City of York Board of Education; an employer in Markham, Ontario; a community literacy group in Ontario's…

In 1991, a mail survey was conducted of all students who received an associate degree or certificate from Howard Community College in Maryland (HCC) during fiscal year 1990. Telephone calls were made to those who did not return the survey, resulting in an adjusted response rate of 58%. A response rate of 52% was achieved for a subsequent survey of…

Employers expect their employees to have basic skills in reading, writing, and math; speaking and listening skills; problem-solving ability; employability skills; reasoning skills; leadership skills; computer literacy; interpersonal skills; ability-to-learn/learning-how-to-learn skills; and collaborative/teamwork skills. How well do employers…

In 1988, a follow-up survey was conducted of 1987 Howard Community College (HCC) graduates to determine their employment and educational status, reasons for attending HCC, goal attainment, reasons for selecting HCC, ratings of the college, attendance pattern, transfer experiences, employment patterns, and satisfaction with the college and their…

As a follow-up to a 1981-82 formative evaluation of Scarborough's (Ontario) cooperative education program, an outcomes-oriented study of the program was conducted in 1983. The study, which involved surveys of cooperative education and control group students, employers, teachers, and parents, focused on program outcomes related to student attitudes…

A study was conducted to develop baseline information about the cost effectiveness of cooperative vocational education to be used in teacher education programs in Pennsylvania. Information gathered included data on cost effectiveness, types of occupations for which students were prepared, the effect of school dropout and youth employment on local…

An analysis was made of the case histories of two Georgia State University (GSU) "cooperative models" for the delivery of career education and formal academic services to economically disadvantaged groups. One of the models served primarily black, primarily female Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) participants by providing…