Our nation's economy and global competitiveness depend on an educated, skilled workforce that can quickly adapt to changes in technology and business processes. Adult educators understand that adult learners need opportunities to obtain workplace and career management skills through work-based learning experiences that prepare them for the complex…

Ongoing research and evaluation that produce actionable, widely disseminated evidence are central to the continuous improvement of U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) programs. In addition, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) requires DOL to conduct periodic, independent evaluations to inform the effective operation of WIOA…

The Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) Network, under contract with the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), has created a framework that can be used to plan, implement, and evaluate professional development for practitioners working with adult English language learners at the state, regional, and program levels. The…

This report is California's response to the four questions that the United States Department of Education (USDE), Division of Adult Education and Literacy, requires of all states and territories receiving federal funding through the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The questions…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on professionalizing the field of human resource development (HRD). "Issues in the Professionalization of HRD: Building a Knowledge Base and Credentialing Practitioners" (Robert W. Rowden) discusses indicators of an emerging field as workplace education becomes a major strategic thrust.…

This document reviews the progress of the Employment Training (ET) initiative for employed adults in Great Britain. The document begins by explaining the changing context in which the project is operating, which includes a downgrading of the alternatives to ET, increased participation in ET, and increased employer involvement in ET. The response…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on the human resource development (HRD) function in organizations. In "Comparing Quality Profiles of Training Organizations--A Multi-Level Approach" (Martin Mulder), analysis of over 1,300 training projects indicates that variation in quality is almost entirely explained by the…

This article presents a perspective on the relationship between adult education and human resource development of the past two decades and the subsequent emergence of workforce development. The lesson taken from the article should be more than simply a recounting of events related to these fields of study. Instead, the more general lesson may be…

The evaluative mechanisms in the Department of Advanced Education and Labour and Department of Human Resources Development in the Canadian province of New Brunswick were reviewed. Data were gathered from the following: meetings with key staff in each department, briefing session for all key informants, 19 personal interviews, brief review of the…

States that are successfully integrating three development programs--economic, work force, and technology--are focusing on the results as the first step in the process and have an easier time developing, monitoring, and improving their strategies. To structure their integration efforts around results, states need to begin with a vision of a…

The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) administers programs and activities designed to help veterans obtain employment and training assistance. By establishing one-stop centers for employment services, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) affects how VETS serves veterans. VETS has made some progress and improvements with regard to its…

Training interventions can be evaluated by calculating return on investment (ROI) and cost-benefit analysis. The four-level model proposed by Kirkpatrick is the dominant evaluation model used. Calculating ROI has been a critical issue for trainers and executives, but only a few organizations have implemented the process that is considered as…

A task force examined New York State's role in providing resources and information to employers desiring to upgrade the skills of their current workers. The following were the task force's 12 major findings: (1) upgrading the skills of New York's existing work force is vital to the state's economic future; (2) all workers need opportunities for…

The purposes of this article are: (1) to investigate and describe the scope of rural adult education needs in relation to a national policy of rural industrialization; (2) to elaborate upon the problems in delivering adult education programs; and (3) to recommend approved adult education practices designed to strengthen human resources development…

This document presents the findings of a review of federal and state job training programs and governance structures in California that was commissioned to identify options for restructuring California's work force preparation policy and governance of the state's system of work force preparation programs through vocational education, job training,…