The Exploring Making Through Mobile Emergent Technologies (EMMET) program sought to disrupt the trajectory from rural high school to factory floor by introducing STEM and computational thinking (STEM+C) skills through mentorship training and hands-on activities involving creative production--often referred to as "making." The program…

As policy makers have placed an increasing focus on training and preparing workers to obtain postsecondary credentials, questions remain about the value to various actors, especially for job seekers and workers who often invest time and money to obtain a credential with the hopes of improving their employment prospects and raising their earnings.…

Governors are increasingly aware that the emerging economy will provide few well-paying jobs for workers who have not earned a postsecondary degree or a relevant workforce certificate. Fifty years ago, nearly 80 percent of all jobs required only a high school diploma or less and most paid a good wage. Fast-forward to data from 2013 and that number…

Conducted from May 1971 to July 1974 at the Lakeshore Technical Institute in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the comprehensive career education program was established initially to serve 15 school districts but was redirected into a "model school" approach serving four schools. Business, industry, and labor became involved and loaned support to…

A study investigated the processes Wisconsin's businesses and industries use to identify training and retraining needs and the mechanisms they use to communicate these needs to the state's vocational, technical, and adult education (VTAE) system. Data were collected by a survey questionnaire sent to a representative sample of 361 Wisconsin firms.…

A project was conducted to determine the computer application competencies needed by a graduate of Wisconsin Vocational Technical Adult Education (VTAE) food service programs. Surveys were conducted of food service graduates and their employers as well as of major companies by the food service coordinators of the VTAE districts in the state; a…

A survey was conducted during January and February of 1984 to ascertain the continuing education/training needs of personnel working in water utility and wastewater systems in Wisconsin. From the estimated 4,000 certified operators in water utilities, waste water treatment plants, and plant superintendents surveyed, 723 (18 percent) completed…

This newsletter updates the reader on the latest Wisconsin initiatives to build tomorrow's work force through education, training, and cooperative ventures with business and industry. "Executive Cabinet for a Quality Workforce Defines Pathways to the Future" (Dwight York) discusses major reports related to the work of the executive…

A survey of 501 Wisconsin firms (260 responses) assessed the impact of changes in demand, productivity, and technology on the employment needs and training requirements of Wisconsin employers in 10 selected economic sectors. Major findings included the following: (1) Wisconsin's services sector has recently experienced major employment growth and…

A study identified the vocational needs of Winnebago adults. To identify these needs, researchers interviewed 340 of the approximately 3,174 Winnebago adults living in the Central Wisconsin area, administrators of 15 area secondary and postsecondary schools, and 103 Winnebago students attending area high schools. While job placement and vocational…

In order to respond effectively to the profound impact that high technology has had on the labor market in Wisconsin, members of the Wisconsin Board of Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education (VTAE) must address a number of key human, curriculum, policy, and technological concerns. State VTAE agencies must close ranks, maintain close…

Wisconsin's welfare reform program, which is called Wisconsin Works or W-2, emphasizes work over education. Wisconsin's welfare reform policy caused the numbers of Wisconsin welfare recipients attending college to shrink by thousands in the mid-1990s. In contrast, increasing numbers of states are coming to realize how much flexibility they really…

The Wisconsin Career Information System (WCIS) is a joint effort by several state agencies, institutions, and interested individuals to develop and disseminate accurate, current, and locally relevant occupational information to assist persons making vocational choices. One of eight state-wide occupational information systems funded by the U.S.…

This document contains four papers on issues in human resource development (HRD). "Employability By Sector of Industry: Taking Account of Supply and Demand Characteristics (Andries de Grip, Jasper B. van Loo, Jos M.A.F. Sanders) reports on development of an Industry Employability Index that integrates both supply and demand determinants of…