Problem-based learning (PBL) is apprenticeship for real-life problem solving, helping students acquire the knowledge and skills required in the workplace. Although the acquisition of knowledge and skills makes it possible for performance to occur, without self-efficacy the performance may not even be attempted. I examined how student…

On May 5, 2006, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in Australia announced the launch of "Research Messages, 2005"--a collection of summaries on all research projects published or completed by NCVER in 2005. The summaries are clustered under five broad themes used by NCVER to organise all of its vocational…

In the manufacturing industry, many complex tasks are taught through an apprenticeship program; the experience and expertise gained through years of practice is invaluable to the industry and can be lost if not properly captured and transferred. This paper reports on the design of a training system that combines the use of computer-based…

In France, a "Very Small Enterprise" (VSE) is defined as a legally independent company with fewer than 10 salaried employees. VSEs are characterized by a great deal of movement in the creation, transformation, and disappearance of jobs and the extent of turnover, which seems tied with intensive use of public employment programs, notably…

In the face of changing economic conditions and shifts in skill requirements caused by technology, American corporations must integrate learning as an integral part of their functioning. Businesses must implement learning-intensive production, speed up the process of learning how to improve training, and learn how to assess the results of…

For occupations demanding a great deal of skill, such as trades and crafts, apprenticeship has long been used as a training mechanism. A system requiring supervision under a master craftsman and some classroom theory, depending upon the level of job difficulty, an apprenticeship can involve training time from 2 to 7 years. Realizing the need for…

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a report on the apprenticeship system in New South Wales by its Industrial Commission. It found that while apprenticeship provided the best method of producing skilled tradesmen, there had been a shortage of certain skills which was likely to continue. The majority of…

Apprenticeship is the main avenue to self-employment in micro-enterprises and thus a cornerstone of informal sector development in West Africa. Survey results for Ibadan, Lome, Dakar, Niamey, and other cities demonstrate that apprenticeship as practiced by informal sector artisans is often very similar from one country to the next. Dropout rates…

This document describes the AFL-CIO's Upgrading and Career Ladder Program (UCLP), which creates a system of structured, work-based learning integrating on-the-job training with related theoretical instruction. The UCLP has the following objectives: to meet workers' skill upgrading and occupational mobility needs; to encourage unions and employers…

This paper reports findings from a survey of former students from six Australian rural school clusters. It compares the experiences and outcomes of students who had participated in a school vocational education and training (VET) program with those who had not. School VET courses intended to provide a pathway to local employment appear to be…

A project was conducted in Australia to identify the training needs of the emerging industry required to support the development of the high performance areas of the automotive machining and reconditioning field especially as it pertained to auto racing. Data were gathered through a literature search, interviews with experts in the field, and…

Noting that skills and knowledge taught in schools have become abstracted from their uses in the world, this paper clarifies some of the implications for the nature of the knowledge that students acquire through a proposal for the retooling of apprenticeship methods for the teaching and learning of cognitive skills. The paper specifically proposes…

An overview of the functions of preapprenticeship programs, this report contains a statement of need, definitions, description of component parts, examination of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) as a resource, and discussion of how to work with CETA. Preapprenticeship programs are defined as those which prepare individuals…

This guide is designed to provide employment trainers and instructors with educational materials that can be used to prepare young women to enter appreticeship or advanced training programs in the skilled trades. The manual describes basic classroom exercises used to sharpen required skills of apprenticeship candidates. It emphasizes clarifying…

Developed jointly by several professional organizations and government agencies, these national standards depict the essential skills, knowledge, and ability required of certified emergency medical technicians (EMT) to provide optimal prehospital care and transportation to the sick and injured. Topics covered include definitions of terms EMT's…