This publication shares research from site visits conducted to construction pre-apprenticeship programs in Baltimore, Hartford, Milwaukee and Portland (OR). Findings from the site visits, which included interviews and focus groups with pre-apprenticeship program staff, public officials, philanthropic leaders, construction industry leaders and…

Indicates the growing recognition that high schools do not do an adequate job of preparing students for their future as working adults. Describes the school-to-work programs in Wisconsin and suggests that employers and educators must devise workable plans for teaching the required skills in academic and workplace settings. (JOW)

Employer attitudes toward Wisconsin's Youth Apprenticeship Program were examined through a survey that was sent to 260 of the 733 employers involved in the Youth Apprenticeship Program in 1996-1997. Of those employers, 149 (57.3%) returned usable replies. Overall, the employers were very pleased with the Youth Apprenticeship Program's design and…

In the 1990s, federal education legislation and policies have encouraged state and local efforts in educational reform and placed a new emphasis on education for and about work. These initiatives have engaged the active participation of a broad range of partners and have spurred a variety of locally customized programs and practices. Nationally,…

The experiences of stakeholders in Wisconsin's youth apprenticeship programs are used to provide insights for other policy-makers and educators contemplating or currently implementing youth apprenticeship programs. In-depth interviews, focus group interviews, and surveys with more than 100 students, parents, employers, and instructors were used to…

A follow-up survey was conducted of all clients of Wisconsin's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) services whose cases were closed between October 1988 through November 1989. Of the 9,052 surveys mailed out, 2,498 (27.6%) were returned. The following percentages of program completers reported some kind of work within 6 months of leaving…

Since 1988, state governments have been required to collect quarterly from private sector employers gross earnings by Social Security numbers, industry of employment, and county of employment. A study was conducted of 13 states' efforts to use this wage record database as a tool for improving educational accountability and assessing the impact of…

An evaluation of secondary vocational education in Wisconsin was made using self-evaluation data from 55 schools. Each school gathered data from graduates, employers, advisory committee members, staff, and current students. Findings from the data were synthesized under five outcome areas: employment, postsecondary training, training satisfaction,…

This document provides the procedures and instruments through which vocational education program personnel may evaluate or reevaluate the value and effectiveness of their program. It was prepared to help secondary vocational educators prepare for self-evaluation of their programs and site visits by educational personnel as part of a statewide…

In 1992, the U.S. Department of Labor and Council of Chief State School Officers awarded grants for the development of statewide systems to enhance school-to-work transition (SWT) through youth apprenticeship in eight states: California, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. In June 1993, the programs were…

This document contains an overview of the Wisconsin Secondary Vocational Program Evaluation Project and guidelines for educators making evaluation site visits to the 55 schools evaluated in 1986-87. The first section of the guide introduces the evaluation program and outlines its components. Three following chapters cover: (1) goals of the team…

The effectiveness of school-to-work (STW) in Wisconsin was examined through a review of the data from the following sources: STW implementation reports; follow-up surveys of youth apprenticeship graduates, parents, and employers; and telephone interviews with curriculum directors from 45 Wisconsin school districts. Of the practices and innovative…

This review identifies and summarizes state and national research and literature dealing with the transition of secondary students from school to work. It is a digest of the printed information available through books, state reports, and national reports; ERIC searches in business, social studies, and education; and surveys and research from the…

These proceedings consist of the texts of papers and panel discussions presented at a Parker Project-sponsored futures symposium on youth, work, economic productivity, and the challenges facing Wisconsin's secondary schools in providing job training for the future. Addressed in the individual presentations included in this volume are the…

A project was undertaken to redefine the role of vocational, technical, and adult education (VTAE) in economic development in Wisconsin. Included among the objectives of the project were the following: to produce a statewide plan for economic development identifying new linkages among business, industry, labor, and the VTAE system; to develop…