Learning and skills contribute to economic growth both directly, by improving the skills base available to employers, and indirectly, by underpinning the five foundations of productivity identified by the government: ideas, people, infrastructure, business environment, and places. This is the case for all levels of learning from basic skills to…

MICROBOL -- Micro-credentials linked to the Bologna Key Commitments -- is a two-year project co-funded by Erasmus+ KA3 Support to Policy reform, and more specifically "Support to the implementation of EHEA [European Higher Education Area] reforms". It is linked to the aims of the new Erasmus+ Programme and the EHEA to increase access to…

Recent changes in education and training policy in England continue to focus on creating a 'demand-led' system in an environment where public funds are dwindling and where more responsibility is being devolved away from central government. This raises questions about governance of the system, among others, and the roles that key system actors are…

Neoliberal governments consider global business competitiveness to be thwarted by costly bureaucratic regulation and programme duplication. In an effort to downsize the costs of operating a state, the governors now streamline job training functions via a coordinated workforce and economic development effort known as sector strategies, with…

Strong societal requirements and consumer acceptance are the driving force of nanotechnology development. The necessity for qualified experts and strong demand on education in the multi-, trans- and interdisciplinary field of nanotechnology is a logical consequence of this driving force. There is the need for a comprehensive national…

In an attempt to inform how to approach nanotechnology vocational education training (nanoVET), this article briefly discusses the history of the development of vocational education training (VET) in the United States during the past century. The history of nanotechnology development and the current advances in this emerging field are discussed in…

While access to higher education has expanded significantly in the United States over the last century, a new crisis has emerged: disturbing numbers of students who enroll in post-secondary education are failing to complete their degrees with huge consequences to them, society, and the economy. Today, more than 70 percent of high school graduates…

It is hard to imagine a more critical time for helping the low-skilled and disenfranchised youth in our communities to become gainfully employed. Even as the nation suffers through its worst economic downturn in decades, America's business and industry leaders are predicting an unprecedented shortage of educated and skilled workers to meet the…

The rush of jobs from the United States to other nations has been explained by the Bush administration as a win-win situation for both technically advanced and developing countries. The free-market argument claims that the more sophisticated, complex jobs generated by an avalanche of new industries will be won by a well-trained, highly educated…

Is the United States getting it wrong when it comes to educating tomorrow's innovators in critical fields? It has been known for years that the only way to compete globally in information technology, engineering, nanotechnology, robotics and other fields is to give students the best educational opportunities possible. But do individuals have a…

Countries everywhere are turning to education in the quest for competitive edge in the global economy. How to attain the high skills needed in new reformed workplaces is a preoccupation that can be observed across developed countries. In this widening discourse of high skills and competitiveness, the U.S. skills production model is being seen as…

Several national trends are converging to impact adult education today. First, the increasing presence of adults in higher education is accentuated by the expansive Baby Boom generation who are demanding greater access to the higher education system in the United States. Second, regarding workforce and economic development in the 21st century,…

SHOP (Skilled Hands Overseas Program) is described as an informal arrangement between the Peace Corps and technical colleges, universities, companies, and unions around the United States to send representatives from these organizations on field trips to countries where Peace Corps volunteers are serving as teachers in vocational-technical,…

This monograph on Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) program models for practitioners who are implementing or redesigning public service employment programs explores three major approaches to public service employment: countercyclical, employability development, and structural targeting. The content is presented in six sections. The…

Global competition, sweeping technological change, and demographic shifts in the labor force call for a national campaign to improve the skills and professionalism of the American workforce. This document calls for the creation of new learning partnerships throughout communities and workplaces to sustain middle-class jobs, pay the social costs of…