A survey of over 3,800 employers found that school-provided vocational training was required for 9.5 percent of the jobs studied and "important but not required" for another 37.9 percent. In this study, new employees with relevant vocational education exhibited these characteristics: (1) were 6.5 percent more productive 6 to 36 months after being…

This workshop guide is intended to help personnel specialists and educators conduct workshop activities to promote positive attitudes toward women with disabilities. Activities are suitable for use in workshops not only with people in personnel management and education, but also with college students, parents, public school students, and others…

Designed to assist postsecondary area vocational-technical schools in developing internship programs, this manual provides basic explanations and steps to help understand the objectives of the Athens Tech internship program and how these objectives are met. An introduction contains a definition; purpose; explanation of benefits to student, school,…

Employer and employee expectations and satisfaction with the mathematics competencies essential to perform in fifteen occupations were identified through mailing 1839 surveys (25% return) to employees who were 1977, 1978, and 1979 graduates of fifteen occupational programs in at least two Vocational Technical Adult Education (VTAE) districts in…

Procedures and results of a project to develop and verify a list of communication skills that students in postsecondary vocational technical institutes should possess upon graduation are presented in this report. A list of forty-six competencies was developed and sent to 765 vocational technical adult education (VTAE) graduates and 740 employers…

This document focuses on investigations of three main issues of "User Choice," which has been applied to New Apprenticeships since 1998. The issues are as follows: (1) why some firms do not access User Choice when arranging training for their trainees and apprentices; (2) whether the size of the firm has a significant impact on User…

The impact of generic competencies on workplace performance was examined through a review of literature and evaluation research which focused on conceptualization and piloting of the following key competencies in Australia in 1993-1998: collecting, analyzing, and organizing information; communicating ideas and information; planning and organizing…

A major proposition is that dual training arrangements alone do not necessarily solve quality problems in the delivery of vocational education and training (VET) nor improve VET links to the labor market. An essential strategy for Australia should be to further develop holistic training courses linked to apprenticeship models and embed both into a…

Assesses the current demand for and range of vocational education programs in the United States, describing participation, program availability, teaching methods, effectiveness, student and employer attitudes toward vocational education, the importance of federal funding, and needs for improvement and changes in program content and support. (PGD)

A survey of 177 employers of Wyoming vocational education graduates sought to identify skills and competencies the graduates needed. A random sample of 525 businesses both Wyoming-based and foreign (home-based outside of Wyoming) were mailed surveys; 267 survey forms were returned, but only 177 provided data for analysis. Findings indicated that…

A study assessed the relevance of work-based learning approaches used in school-to-work efforts. Evidence indicated that employers were steadily raising the entry requirements into the low end of the labor market. Despite the serious skill deficiencies of welfare recipients, employers felt no responsibility to people who lacked the basic skills…

The 1994-95 school year was the first year of the MECA (Manufacturing, Engineering, Construction, Automotive) partnership implementation in the Saginaw (Michigan) Public Schools. MECA's purpose was to nurture the potential of youth while placing them in workplace environments that had not been a traditional part of applied learning in secondary…

A study was conducted to provide vocational educators with resources regarding implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM). Data were gathered through development of a bibliography of resources; a survey of all Oklahoma vocational-technical schools regarding specific industries in their area using TQM components (10 responses); and site…

Employer attitudes toward youth, the youth labor market, and prospects for a national system of youth apprenticeships were studied through a survey of firms that had participated in local youth apprenticeship or cooperative education programs in seven U.S. cities and focus group discussions with small and large employers in eight U.S. communities.…

An evaluation was conducted of the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI), a program that aims to improve the skills of young people in Scotland to enable them to be effective, enterprising, and capable at work. The evaluation looked at the extent to which TVEI had enhanced the acquisition of certain key skills (communicating,…