This article presents a brief account of some of the new directions that manpower planning has taken in recent years viewed primarily in the light of activities undertaken by the International Labour Office technical cooperation program in this field. (Author/CT)

Changes in skill requirements, training needs, the industrial and occupational mix of employment, and the spatial location of jobs are 'natural' consequences of a dynamic economy. These changes, in turn, influence employers' hiring and staffing patterns, workers' career paths, and economic growth and development. However, the evolving nature of…

The U.S. economy is undergoing a transition that may rival the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution. The general directions are clear: an ever smaller share of the nation's work force is employed in the manufacturing sector; service sector industries are the source of most new jobs; and some "high tech" industries have had explosive…

Analyzes differences between youth unemployment and unemployment in general. Shows that while market unemployment has been moving downward, youth unemployment has been trending upward. Discusses community services for youth manpower development, schools and job preparation, and recommendations for improving the situation. (CT)

This document is the first of a projected series of reports that explores a statewide solution to the problems of work force quality in Texas. This initial report describes the current status of the Texas work force and introduces the concept of the Human Investment System as a means to improve that status by making human investment and…

Labor unions hold a somewhat different view of "workplace literacy" efforts than company management often does. Unions believe that workplace literacy programs should be voluntary and involve more that just "work" skills. As in union education of the past, union programs focus on education of the whole worker for life, not just for work. Unions…

Despite its high unemployment level, Germany is experiencing a shortage of specialists and managers. Germany's need for highly qualified information technology (IT) workers and engineers is particularly great. Approximately 10,000 posts for computer scientists and IT specialists remained vacant in 1998. Because of the shortage of such specialists,…

Educational and occupational training programs initiated in times of high unemployment are actually designed to maintain social control of the unemployed. Current efforts by the Australian government to educate young, unemployed school leavers wrongfully shift the blame for unemployment away from the economy and onto the work force itself.…

Discusses some of the issues involved in professionalizing human resources planning and implementation at the national level. Issues include (1) incorporating human resources into national development, (2) demand considerations, (3) using the skill supply system, (4) obstacles to effectiveness, and (5) enhancing roles of social partners. (CH)

Private organizations and state governments are increasingly seeking out businesses with training needs they cannot fulfill themselves and finding community colleges willing to set up flexible retraining programs quickly. (MSE)

The author states that the trade deficit and the foreign debt reflect the inability of a large percentage of the U.S. work force to compete in an integrated world economy. He argues that investing in human capital is the only way to solve the competitiveness problem. A review of recent and current influences on the educational system is included.…

Belying the stereotypes, vocational schools, with the help of business, are developing better-trained, more productive workers. Improved vocational education programs can make academics relevant, reduce the dropout rate, encourage postsecondary education, provide jobs, and retrain older workers. (SK)

Important insights about how to develop human potential are being discovered these days in a field called transpersonal psychology. This new field is called the fourth force in psychology because like psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanistic psychology before it, it is on the cutting edge of what it means to be fully human. It seeks to develop…

Interest in quantifying the results of state economic development programs, most involving financial support to colleges and universities, in creating jobs may raise new questions about the appropriate relationship of campus researchers and business leaders. (MSE)

The Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act established provisions whereby youth may receive academic credit for skills acquired through work experience, but many educational institutions have not sanctioned these provisions. This problem was explored in a study of credit availability, type of credit, and the relationship between credit…