A recent International Labour Organisation (ILO) report noted that nearly half a billion people -- one in six of the world's working population -- did not have enough work, were looking for but unable to find work, or had given up looking for work. Women and youth were over-represented in this group. Since then, due to COVID-19, the numbers of…

This paper looks at the importance of mechanisms that give formal recognition to vocational skills acquired through work-based learning and how such mechanisms might be developed. It describes how skill recognition can benefit individuals, employers and society as a whole, and identifies in which contexts skill recognition has the highest…

In Qualified Vocational Instruction, one-third of instructional time consists of advanced application of theory in the workplace. Evaluation of a Swedish pilot project suggests that it is successful, but possible future paths (integration, separation, continuation, or liquidation) depend on political choices about the public/private role. (SK)

After briefly summarizing major policy concerns and different perspectives on the relationship between training and work, this report discusses three main modes of vocational training: school-based training, apprenticeship, and training of employees. The goals and ideologies connected with these modes and the national systems that exemplify them…

A review of vocational education trends in Western Europe and Japan covers the following: curriculum and program structure, alternatives, cooperative education, on-the-job training, enrollments, admission, curriculum content, skills other than strictly occupational, mechanisms for curriculum development, and efficiency of training. (MSE)

A 1991 study tour to Germany, Denmark, and Sweden investigated youth education and training policies, systems, methods of financing, and programs. Concerns were integration of academic and practical skills training, assessment of student competencies for employment, expectations and outcomes of employment preparation for all youth, and system…

This study of the conditions of developmental on-the-job training and learning for operators in highly automated industries is written in Swedish but contains an English abstract and 18-page summary. The summary begins with the study objectives, which were to determine the following: (1) conditions of developmental on-the-job learning in highly…

The literature on business involvement in education in Canada, the United States, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, the United Kingdom, and other European countries was reviewed. Special attention was paid to the following topics: workplace trends/changes; skill requirements/deficits; youth employment/unemployment; integration versus…