It is a truism of American social policy that our nation has great success generating innovative programs that improve outcomes for participants--but that we are far less effective at moving from small, "boutique" programs into broadly applied solutions that improve the prospects of large numbers of individuals. This is certainly true in…

Communities across the country are grappling with different approaches to improving their schools. Introducing or expanding charter schools is one of the approaches that states and school districts have considered or implemented. Charter schools serve more than 5 percent of public school students nationwide and make up close to 7 percent of all…

This training package, consisting of information concerning the content, use, and applications of the Occupational Information System (OIS), is designed for use in a training presentation conducted for administrators, trainers, counselors, job placement specialists, and economic development staff who will be working with the OIS. Included in the…

The Occupational Information System (OIS) is a formal standardized system for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of occupational information that has been mandated by several major pieces of educational legislation. Designed to aid a wide audience--including direct participants in the labor market, persons whose job it is to help others…

Recent labor market and economic trends have spotlighted the need for work force development systems and policies to simultaneously serve employers seeking qualified workers and individuals who want to find work and advance toward self-sufficiency. This need has in turn led to the development of labor market intermediaries that can perform a wide…

A review of the literature on human resource development (HRD) and HRD programs is presented. Topics include: (1) two definitions of HRD (Nadler 1983 and the American Society for Training and Development); (2) an analysis of those definitions; (3) the importance of HRD to organizations and individuals; (4) descriptions of types of HRD programs…

This monograph is comprised of 12 essays related to the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), each of which serves as a generic primer on a topic relevant to work force development staff and researchers nationwide. The essays are "Learning the Language of LMI (Labor Market Information): Basic Labor Market Information Terms and…

This article presents information on the new career alternative of art therapy: a definition of the field, types of training necessary, registration as an art therapist, and the job market. It is part of a theme issue on art therapy. (SJL)

Describes difficulties in locating accurate data on child care workers: numbers, occupational categories, salaries, differences in education and experience, and data on enrollment in training programs and final job choices. Advocates the formation of a review panel to guide agencies' efforts to clarify their current data collection systems. (KS)

A forum was conducted to give workplace education practitioners (WEPs) from across Canada the opportunity to have an initial discussion on WEP development and recognition. The forum included presentations by forum participants, forum discussions, and brainstorming sessions on the following and other topics: roles and working contexts of WEPs in…

This document introduces community leaders and practitioners to innovative approaches to improving workforce literacy by building accessible lifelong learning systems to prepare adults with the array of skills needed to prosper in the new economy. The introduction defines literacy and workforce literacy and outlines the challenges that education,…

This self-instructional module, the last in a series of 16 on techniques for coordinating work experience programs, deals with affirmative action. Addressed in the module are the following topics: the nature of affirmative action legislation and regulations, the role of the teacher-coordinator as a resource person for affirmative action…

This guide is intended to assist counselors by providing occupational information about high-technology careers and by providing background information about high technology and its potential impact on the entire occupational structure. The first chapter defines the term "high technology" and includes an overview of how technology is…

This curriculum outline consists of instructional materials and information concerning resources for use in teaching a course in robotics. Addressed in the individual sections of the outline are the following topics: the nature of an industrial robot; the parts of an industrial robot (the manipulator, the power structure, and the control system);…

This book explains the TrainSmart approach to training, which is based on how the authors believe the brain naturally learns best. Part 1 introduces the five pillars of the TrainSmart Model, which are as follows: (1) engage (engage participants' attention); (2) frame (establish a frame of reference); (3) explore (introduce a conceptual activity);…