Australia's system of vocational education and training (VET) is based on the principle of partnerships between key stakeholders: governments (Commonwealth, state and territory), training providers, employers and employees. Industry representation and governance in the VET sector in Australia has undergone several transformations in the past, and…

Streamlining the vocational qualification development process in Australia is a current priority of the skills ministers of both the Australian Government and state and territory governments. This research summary explores the development processes associated with vocational qualifications in selected countries and compares them with the current…

This project is focused on the second element noted by the Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) to streamline the national vocational education and training (VET) system so that it can better respond to the needs of industry -- faster development of qualifications. It looks at the vocational qualification development processes in different…

Aboriginal communities in Canada are typically marginalized, have very low employment participation rates, and have limited economic infrastructure. The downturn in global economies further marginalized these communities. The University of Northern British Columbia's (UNBC) Continuing Studies department piloted an Aboriginal and Small Business…

Industry and education must share responsibility for broadening and deepening the talent pool within Canada's population in order to ensure a productive economy. First, the educational enterprise should: (1) review its present program to focus more attention on the career and employment probabilities ahead; (2) revise learning materials with…

The speaker points out the enormous progress made by Canada in the area of vocational and technical education, discusses the proper role of the community college (job training, not "back door" entrance to the university), and asks for more active help and specific input from industry. (AJ)

A promising way of improving school-industry communication about requisite job skills is to use competency models to relay employers' needs to educators and by which educators can transmit clear descriptions of their products back to employers. The DACUM Chart described in the article also serves for organizing and conducting training. (Author/AJ)

Committees of representatives from business, government, education, and voluntary service agencies were formed to coordinate employment opportunities and employer needs with the growing need to integrate the handicapped and hard-to-employ into the labor force. Alternatives of suitable job training, sheltered or direct employment, or other needed…

Manitoba's STAY program is designed to create employment for "special needs" youth ages 16 to 24: the chronically unemployed, the handicapped, dropouts, native youth, delinquents, and single parents. The program pays participants to work in the private sector or nonprofit organizations and provides them with counseling and tutorial…

Contends that the language of business and the language of education do not always translate neatly. Notes that more than 200 U.S. and Canadian community colleges are trying to solve this problem by adopting a "common language" solution called Work Keys. Most of the centers that use this solution are housed at community colleges. (AMA)

Themes of a Canadian private sector task force report on labor force development are improving federal-provincial cooperation, expanding business and labor roles in policy, improving basic skills, promoting lifelong education, expanding counseling services, improving access to training programs, enhancing the quality and dissemination of labor…

This study reviews the relationship that has been established in the steel industry between the Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress (CSTEC) and education/training institutions called upon to provide steelworker job training and development programs. It describes the forces that brought the parties together and the difficulties in forming…

Creating stronger links between community colleges and industry is likely to be one of the most important tasks in the creation of new industries in Canada and the development of an internationally competitive economy. Existing relations vary from arms-length to working hand in hand, and several projects have been undertaken to encourage closer…

This book contains 21 papers from the Nordic-Canadian Learning for the Workplace Conference, which was held in Hanasaari, Espoo, Finland in June 1995. The following papers are included: "Introduction to the Nordic-Canadian Learning for the Workplace Conference" (Olli-Pekka Heinonen); "Conference Design and Process" (Diane…

This report provides the recommendations of a private sector committee to advise the Manitoba government on strategies for preparing the provincial work force to compete in the global economy. The report contains 10 sections: (1) background to the initiative; (2) Manitoba's changing labor market; (3) partners in skills development; (4) developing…