Reasons for the failure of the Manpower Development and Training Act (MDTA) of 1962 to meet its major objective of alleviating skills shortages are recorded and analyzed. The lack of skills shortages was admitted to be the main reason for the shortcomings in performance, although the term "skills shortage" had yet to be defined and…

Qualitative methods were used to analyze a sample of 23 representative California Employment Training Panel (ETP) projects to determine how ETP training affected companies. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, surveys, observations, and document analysis. Among the factors found to affect quality of training design were: selection…

The effectiveness of "Investors in People," which was launched in October 1991 as the United Kingdom's national standard for training and development, was evaluated through a 3-year longitudinal study that included interviews with a sample of 1,804 employers and a series of case study interviews. Of the 1,804 employers interviewed, 76.6%…

A study evaluated the adequacy, effectiveness, and coordination of vocational education and Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) program delivery systems in Texas. Statistical data on vocational education were obtained from the Texas Education Agency and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and data on JTPA programming were obtained from the…

Intended for students, practitioners, policymakers, and academicians in personnel and industrial relations, this book presents findings of a 5-year study of joint union-management programs to improve productivity. Chapter 1 underscores the growth and importance of union-management cooperation and discusses union and management attitudes toward…

A study was done to define the general image of vocational-technical education in Indiana as represented by a statistical sampling of respondents from a variety of categories of the general public, including junior and senior high school students, elementary and secondary teachers and school personnel, parents, and employers. A stratified random…

The movement to train and counsel displaced homemakers began in 1975. State legislation for funding was followed by vocational educational and Comprehensive Employment Training Act funding. The Department of Labor has estimated that there are at least 4.13 million displaced homemakers. A total of 354 displaced homemaker programs have been located.…

A study was conducted in eight area schools in 12 upstate New York counties to identify the concerns and expectations of personnel having an interest in area vocational schools. A questionnaire was developed, field tested, and mailed to a representative sample of occupational students and their parents, occupational teachers, administrators,…

In 1992, the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce in Oklahoma established a welfare-to-work program called Industrial Exchange, Inc. (IndEx). IndEx provides welfare recipients with a combination of education activities and work experience. By contracting with local companies to perform light manufacturing and packaging work at a central site,…

A study examined employer involvement in the school-to-work (STW) internship strategy by comparing characteristics of participating employers to a sample of nonparticipants. The five STW programs chosen for study were ones in which students spent a significant amount of time in work-based learning outside the classroom. A telephone survey gathered…

Summarizes results from several surveys of students, parents, graduates, teachers, employers, and the public in six states on the quality of vocational education programs, public image, responsiveness of vocational education to student and business community needs, and the extent of articulation between persons and institutions. (MF)

Describes a study to determine the effectiveness of six community college occupational programs based on the perceptions of students nearing graduation, graduates, and employers. Major study components were the relationship between enrollment objectives and postgraduation activities, satisfaction with programs, and job preparedness and placement…

Research sought the perspectives of Iowa employers and deans and directors of continuing education regarding training and retraining needs of business and how Iowa community colleges' continuing education divisions could best meet those needs. A survey was mailed to Iowa employers and the deans and directors wrote summaries that described an…

The effectiveness of Mississippi's policy of offering incentives to promote workplace training was examined through phone surveys of a sample of 101 of Mississippi's 2,617 manufacturing firms with 100-350 employees (47 of the 77 plants that have used Mississippi incentive programs and 54 plants that have not) and in-depth case studies of 4 plants.…

This document offers the best available answers to questions frequently asked about vocational education by policymakers in vocational education at the state and local level. It is divided into two sections. The first section contains 15 frequently asked questions about vocational education effects and practices, each of which is followed by a…