In 2000, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched the programme "Learning Regions--Providing Support for Networks'" in cooperation with the Lander. It was co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). Some 90 regions were selected and financially supported. After one year, 71 regions continued to build-up…

This document includes three products of an international meeting on productive work in education. First, the secretariat working document addresses itself to problems arising from the introduction of productive work into general (elementary and secondary) education. It examines recommendations on this issue, reviews relevant documents from UNESCO…

Although the National Targets for Education and Training in England and Wales include indicators for lifelong learning, and the progress towards the targets set for these indicators has been lauded by politicians and other observers, much of this apparent progress is actually accounted for by changes in these same indicators. However, once the…

A survey was conducted of a randomly-selected sample of TAFE (Training and Further Education) graduates in Australia who completed vocational education and training (VET) qualifications during 1999 and of TAFE students who successfully completed some training ("module completers") and left the TAFE system. Analysis of the responses of…

This report contains case studies from six countries on local efforts to ease the transition of youth from school to work and to stop or prevent them from regressing to semiliteracy or illiteracy. The countries studied are Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe. A short summary of each of…

A study was conducted to determine whether Vocational Education and Training in Schools programs, and in particular, structured workplace learning (SWL) programs in Australia were successful in leading students to employment or further education. A total of 8,249 school leavers who left school in 1999 (15 percent of total school leavers) and had…

The 2001 Australian national Survey of Employer Views on Vocational Education and Training (VET) was similar to earlier studies but included more questions about employers' views about recent VET graduate employees. The survey was a sample survey and provides estimates of the results that would be found had all employers in Australia been…

A research study in Australia examined the nature, extent, and methods of workplace learning for school students. Following a literature review that found that the proportion of school students who work part-time is increasing but that there is relatively little research on the learning outcomes of either work experience or work placements,…

The pilot Job Effectiveness Training (JET) workplace basic skills program, developed by Canada's Alberta Vocational College (AVC), Edmonton, for Stelco Steel during 1989-90, was evaluated in terms of impacts or changes from the perspective of the four major stakeholder groups: the students (12 Stelco employees); the employers (Stelco management);…

A study examined what counts as success in literacy and numeracy programs for youth at risk in Victoria. It explored the relationship between discourses around best practice in government reports and through examining academic writings, surveying providers and policymakers, and speaking with practitioners and participants. Main findings indicated…

A community initiative (called ADAPT) was intended to help the workforce in European Union countries to adapt to industrial change and prepare for the information society, as well as to promote growth, employment, and the competitiveness of companies in the countries. Between 1995 and 1999, 4,000 projects were funded to transform the ways in which…

This document contains the papers from plenary sessions, forums, and panels conducted at a conference on the new forms of vocational education needed for the world economy of the 21st century. After introductory remarks and opening addresses by the Minister of Education and Science of Finland and the Acting Director of the European Commission, the…

There are three main parts to this report of a study that used case studies to showcase the different approaches used to encourage more continuing training within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the European Union (EU). Section 1 discusses the importance of funding training in SMEs and highlights the various types of funding…

This document, which is part of a toolkit for policymakers, donors, governments, nongovernmental organizations, and practitioners, presents the results of case studies of a group of 30 workforce development programs that were selected (during a 2-day workshop by a panel of 14 experts) as representing a balance among geographic regions served and…

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conducted a thematic review to identify changes in young people's transition to working life during the 1990s and to identify those policies and programs that are effective in delivering successful transition outcomes for young people. The review focused on 14 countries with widely…