The next 10 years provide an opportunity for the European Union (EU) to renew the science and technology (S&T) base and build necessary knowledge-society capacities and capabilities in Pre-Accession Countries (PACs). Applied research has faced a major downsize; redressing the balance in the research and development systems is urgently needed.…

This document provides European social partners' responses to the Commission's memorandum on lifelong learning. Part 1, Opinion of the European Center of Enterprises, makes comments and proposals related to the memorandum's six key messages, which are new basic skills for all; more investment in human resources; innovation in teaching and…

This review develops a more systematic understanding of the contemporary significance of learning in Europe by considering the complex connections between the processes of economic restructuring, lifelong learning and partnerships. A brief introduction describes the contested terrain surrounding concepts such as lifelong learning, human capital,…

Aboriginal educators and economic development practitioners in Canada are developing and implementing initiatives to promote the achievement of "digital opportunities" so that Aboriginal communities can both develop and be in a position to take advantage of economic opportunities without falling deeper into the "digital…

Data for studies of vocational education and training systems in Malta and five other countries in the region were gathered through an analysis of existing studies and visits to the main stakeholders in the countries. Some of the main conclusions reached by the study of Malta include the following: (1) since the island has limited natural…

This report examines the human resources development and training dimensions of the gradual, but inexorable, shift towards knowledge-, skill-, and service-based economies and societies, and the stupendous growth of the information and communications technology sectors. Its four chapters explore the following: (1) globalization, technological…

As welfare-to-work reforms increase women's labor market attachment, the lives of their young children are likely to change. This note draws on a random-assignment experiment in Connecticut to ask whether mothers' rising employment levels and program participation are associated with changes in young children's early learning and cognitive growth.…

An effective system of education and training is important for both social and economic reasons. Its role in the Polish economy is to provide the current and future labour force with skills to facilitate both continuing productivity growth and reallocation of resources as structural adjustment proceeds. Important reforms to decentralise primary…

The lack of human capital in Portugal has become a key obstacle to higher growth. This paper discusses the performance of education and training services in Portugal and shows that improvements are needed to narrow the significant human capital gap with other OECD countries. Despite progress in the past decades, Portuguese children spend…

These three papers were presented at a symposium on rethinking diversity in human resource development (HRD) moderated by Neal Chalofsky at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "Diversity: A Double-Edged Sword" (Sally F. Angus) presents the notion of work force diversity through two differing perspectives in order to…

This volume contains an introduction and four policy option papers that explore key issues affecting the economy and state options to address the issues within the context of the U.S. workplace. "Introduction" (David Bedford, Evelyn Ganzglass) discusses the issues identified in the first phase of the governors' initiative on Excellence…

These proceedings contain 70 papers and summaries of panel discussions and workshops. Selected titles are as follows: "Consumer Access to Health Care" (Jones); "Credit Education for the Disadvantaged Consumer" (Schuchardt et al.); "The Jouranl of Consumer Affairs" (Herrmann et al.); "The Consumer's Role in a Changing Marketplace" (Edwards);…

This document identifies the costs of teen pregnancy in terms of high dropout rates, long-term educational decrements, the increased risks of the children of teen parents, loss of human capital, and increased welfare costs. Prevention and intervention and the features of operationally successful program models are included under the topic of…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined the effectiveness of using strategic human capital (HC) management to drive transformational change in federal agencies and reported on its own implementation of a new competency-based performance management system. First, the potential impacts of the following three broad HC reform opportunities to…

This book looks at ways European governments can create changes in institutions that will foster cooperation among states, focusing on company investment in general skills and using data from France and Germany. Chapter one provides a general description of the challenges governments face in developing policies to change company-level vocational…