2020 will forever be remembered as the year of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. The graduating class of 2020 will face a difficult job market, and the adversities will follow them for years. New graduates facing these types of jobs numbers will be subject to "scarring"--reduced lifetime incomes caused by entering…

This report outlines key data elements related to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), and Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) for the 2021-22 academic year and is a core resource for policymakers, institutional leaders, counselors and other stakeholders across the region. This report…

Drawing inspiration from the new social history of livelihood, this article examines how rural nineteenth-century teachers made a living by engaging in livelihood diversification. By using a wide variety of source materials from nineteenth-century Sweden, this article shows that, far from specialising exclusively in teaching, teachers were often…

The author earned a physics degree in college and then failed to find a job in the aerospace industry. He writes of how he fell back on his training as an electrician for sustenance and from that extrapolates how the trades have become confused with work of the hands rather than of the mind. He uses the venerable debate between Booker T.…

Over a quarter of the members of the social work profession are working in health related settings yet preparing students to work in such multi-disciplinary environments, with hierarchical organizations and problem-focused systems, can create value conflicts, principally with the strengths-based paradigm inherent in social work practice. In order…

This report outlines key data elements related to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), and Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) for the 2019-20 academic year across a range of categories. This report contains participation and migration statistics for each of the Western Interstate Commission…

For 65 years, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has been serving the students of the West. The largest of WICHE's three Student Access Programs, the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), helps more than 40,000 Western undergraduates save on nonresident tuition. The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) allows…

A growing number of employers identify difficulty hiring highly qualified workers as their top competitive challenge. Roughly 75 million of Americans could meet these employer needs but currently lack the skills or supports to do so. This is America's untapped workforce--the many people who do not have the work or wages they need to get by, but…

This article describes occupations in the mining, oil, and gas extraction industry. The first section covers the industry's employment and outlook. The second section highlights some common occupations. The third section discusses pros and cons of the work. The fourth section describes how to start a career in mining or oil and gas. And the fifth…

The Office of Workforce Development (OWD) in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, implemented Career Pathways, an innovative program designed to increase the local talent pool and help lower-skilled, unemployed, and underemployed individuals train for work in growing fields. RAND Corporation researchers evaluated…

This document was produced by the author based on their research for the report, "VET in Schools Students: Characteristics and Post-School Employment and Training Experiences," and is an added resource for further information. This support document presents the variables used and the findings of the supplementary analysis in the linked…

Professional Santas entertain children and adults during the holiday season at all types of events. They work at shopping malls or stores; entertain crowds at parades and tree lightings; and make appearances at holiday parties, charity events, and people's homes. Most Santas work during the Christmas holiday season, which usually lasts from late…

A recent International Labour Organization (ILO) report has documented the limited opportunities for women in the labour market (ILO, 2016). The report shows that women face higher unemployment and underemployment than men, are more often employed in the informal labour market and in family enterprises, and are overrepresented in lower skill…

Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber that is roughly the diameter of a human hair. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. Each optical fiber is capable of carrying an enormous amount of…

Renewable energy systems are beginning to appear everywhere. Solar modules are creating "blue roofs" that convert the energy from the sun into household electricity. Solar thermal systems on roofs can generate hot water. Wind turbines catch breezes to provide even more electricity. Recommendations for saving energy, specifying systems for…