Purpose: This paper aims to describe how the human resources development (HRD) policy has shifted from the national level to the sectoral levels; the paper also explains the changes that have been made in skills formation in the economy by presenting the emergence of Industry Skills Councils (ISC). Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents…

This study, jointly conducted by the University of Warwick Institute for Employment Research (IER) and SQW Ltd., discusses the UK Government's intention to accelerate the process of ceding more responsibility for delivering a range of services to the local level. The logic is that local actors are better placed to identify local priorities. This…

Research conducted by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), Fab Foundation and FHI 360, in partnership with more than 150 national and international experts and leaders from 28 states, found that to prepare their future workforces, governors and state leaders must develop a comprehensive agenda made up of three…

National Longitudinal Survey on Youth data indicate a large proportion of each youth cohort is still struggling in the labor market in their early 30s. Unemployment spells of long duration are common. A future problem is scarcity of needed skills in the kinds of jobs that will have to be created if the nation's economy is to regain its competitive…

The National Advisory Commission on Work-Based Learning worked to identify practical steps that the Labor Department could take to help increase the skill levels of the U.S. work force and expand work-based training. The findings gained from a series of roundtables and further studies were synthesized into a set of recommendations in five major…

Nearly one-half of all unemployed persons in the U.S. today are between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four even though that age group accounts for only one-fourth of the total labor force. Unemployment among sixteen- to nineteen-year-olds is currently more than fifteen percent, and among twenty- to twenty-four-year-olds it exceeds ten percent.…

Work requirements in welfare reform proposed by the George W. Bush administration would impose much tougher work requirements on welfare recipients. Seventy percent of all adults would be required to work 40 hours per week, versus the 50 percent who are required to work 30 hours per week currently. In addition, states would be given little leeway…

This book contains 13 papers that identify major education and work issues related to post-compulsory schooling in Australia. The following papers are included: "Changing Policy Perspectives" (Millicent E. Poole); "A Historical Essay" (Andrew Spaull); "A Philosophical Perspective" (Colin W. Evers); "School to…

Models of workplace learning and principles for funding workplace learning in Australia were identified through case studies and a literature review. A diverse array of workplace-based approaches to delivering nationally recognized qualifications were identified. The following were among the nine funding proposals formulated: (1) funding…

This document contains transcripts of U.S. Senate hearings leading to the reauthorization of the Vocational Education Act. During the hearings, testimony and/or prepared statements were given by the U.S. Secretary of Education, representatives of business and industry (especially the training sector), educators (especially vocational education…

In 1997, a skills task force began a 2-year process of gathering input from English employers and post-16 education and training practitioners and formulating a national skills agenda. The agenda's goals included instilling a culture of lifelong learning in the United Kingdom, better anticipating the evolving skill requirements of employment, and…

The House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families met in Nashville, Tennessee, to gather information on the education and employment futures of youth in the South. Testimony was heard from experts in education, training, and economic development. Organizations represented included universities in the region, adolescent dropout and…

From a macroeconomic perspective, the evolving demand for skills in the United States has been triggered by the accelerated expansion of computer and information technology, which has, in turn, brought significant changes to the workplace. Technological advances have made some wholly manual jobs obsolete. But even for many other workers, a rapidly…

This report describes the opinions of a number of groups on five roles attributed to vocational education (i.e., employability skills development, occupational skills development, work experience, job placement, and basic skills development). The findings were based on a secondary analysis of data from five completed National Center for Research…

The state of Washington's workforce development system agenda focused in 2002 on these four goals: (1) closing a perceived job skills gap; (2) training incumbent and dislocated workers in order to prepare them for changes in the economy; (3) achieving wage progression for low income individuals; and (4) integrating workforce development programs…