A study was conducted to determine what factors of human resource development (HRD) or other learning interventions impede or enhance improved performance. A review of the literature suggested theories of HRD effectiveness, where HRD effectiveness is perceived as the extent to which HRD goals and objectives are achieved. Various authors state that…

In 2000, a government-supported foundation called Careers the Next Generation (CNG) in Alberta, Canada, began coordinating summer internships for high school students in information and computer technology (ICT). The participating firms represented a mix of large and small private and public organizations in high-tech and other industries in the…

The contribution of competency-based training (CBT) to Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector was examined through three data collection activities: review of Australian and international literature on VET and CBT; telephone survey of a sample of training managers of 195 companies across Australia; and 8 intensive case studies…

This document contains an overview of the Wisconsin Secondary Vocational Program Evaluation Project and guidelines for educators making evaluation site visits to the 55 schools evaluated in 1986-87. The first section of the guide introduces the evaluation program and outlines its components. Three following chapters cover: (1) goals of the team…

A study explored why differential learner performance exists across work-based learning providers. Attention focused on retention, achievement, and completion as key indicators of work-based learning performance. Findings showed providers should encourage take-up by learners; provide a process to get learners started; provide teaching and learning…

This publication provides a detailed description of Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system in the context of Australians living in rural and remote regions who undertook some form of VET in 1997--about one-third of all students who participated in training in public institutions. The nine sections of the report cover the…

The first of the three papers in this symposium, "Conflicts that Arise in Small Group Facilitation: A Descriptive Study of Accounts, Actions, Outcomes, and Assessments" (Judith A. Kolb, William J. Rothwell), contains self-report verbatim accounts contributed by facilitators and the results of a literature review on small group conflict.…

The Iowa Department of Education, in cooperation with the state's 15 community colleges and Drake University, completed an outcomes study of adult vocational training/retraining programs offered through the Adult and Continuing Education Divisions of the colleges. Study goals were to profile businesses served by the colleges, evaluate employer…

In 1990, a follow-up study was conducted of former students of Lane Community College (LCC) and their employers. The survey targeted three groups of former LCC students: all 1988-89 graduates who earned degrees or certificates, all no-formal-award leavers with 70 or more credits, and all early leavers who had earned less than 70 credits while…

The third biennial outcome evaluation of the state of Washington's workforce development system analyzed the results of nine of the state's largest workforce development programs plus employer-provided training for participants who left programs from July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998. For reporting results, the nine programs were grouped into three…

Australia's electricity, gas, and water supply industry employs only 0.8% of the nation's workers and employment in the industry has declined by nearly 39% in the last decade. This industry is substantially more dependent on the vocational education and training (VET) sector for skilled graduates than is the total Australian labor market. Despite…

The effectiveness of school-to-work (STW) in Wisconsin was examined through a review of the data from the following sources: STW implementation reports; follow-up surveys of youth apprenticeship graduates, parents, and employers; and telephone interviews with curriculum directors from 45 Wisconsin school districts. Of the practices and innovative…

A study examined the views of private sector employers in Oregon on vocational education. During the study, researchers mailed questionnaires to a stratified random sample of 1,500 employers throughout Oregon. In addition, they surveyed another 140 employers who were identified as hiring the largest numbers of vocational education completers in…

A study, which was part of a multiphased secondary education improvement program entitled the Parker Project, examined Wisconsin employer and employee perceptions of the effectiveness of job training and career education available in high schools in the state. Survey data indicated that employers are not entirely satisfied with the training…

A total of 232 studies on the effects of participation in vocational education that were reported from 1968 through 1979 were analyzed. The studies were classified into more rigorous, less rigorous, and national studies, and were summarized within these groups. Studies of secondary and postsecondary programs were reviewed separately. Focus on the…