Recognizing the significance of soft skills in workplace success, some organizations have implemented strategies such as internships, conferences, and workplace coaching to aid employees in developing these skills. Given that Generation Z employees are now entering the workforce in greater numbers, it becomes imperative to employ methods that…

Initial vocational training (VT) in high school consists of short-term programs leading to employment in a skilled trade. To better align training with employment opportunities and to encourage students to stay in the programs until they graduate, most programs include traineeship. Since traineeships involve acquiring skills directly on the job,…

This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in the United Kingdom. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment between skills acquisition and labour market needs; education and training policies targeting…

In Belarus, youth policy is acknowledged as an important part of state policy on social, economic and cultural development, and the country has a well-developed legal framework covering all spheres of young people's lives. However, the fact that the youth unemployment rate is higher than the unemployment rate for the adult working-age population…

This paper reports on recent research into enterprise skill profiles and workplace training practices in the Bangladesh manufacturing industry. The article presents survey and interview data for 37 enterprises across eight manufacturing sectors collected during a study for the International Labour Organisation. The research analysed enterprise and…

This report examines the current state of open and flexible technical-vocational education and training (TVET) in nine Pacific Commonwealth countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) has commissioned the Open Polytechnic to complete this report to…

Workplace learning is identified by UK and Scottish governments as an important means of achieving social mobility, and therefore producing a more equal society. However, there appears to be a patchwork of provision and funding arrangements, making it difficult for employers and employees to identify suitable routes. Analysis of large scale survey…

Literature describing the scope and characteristics of employer-based training (EBT) in the United States and the evidence to date about the effectiveness of such training was reviewed in order to help categorize the types of programs or strategies that show promise in terms of improving skills or increasing productivity. For the review, training…

This document contains in-depth descriptions and assessments of 17 exemplary employer-based training (EBT) programs that were studied as part of an examination of EBT programs. The case studies are based on site visits to each firm, during which interviews were conducted with company management, supervisors of workers in training, individuals…

Employees of Hannaford Brothers Company, Nichols Portland, and Wood Structures in the Casco Bay area of Maine participated in a series of tours at each worksite for three consecutive Tuesdays in August 1995. Each group of employees, some of whom were limited English speakers engaged in workplace literacy classes, planned a tour of their facility,…

Data from the Youth79 cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys were used to examine the acquisition of skills by young adults at the start of a job and as a response to changes in the workplace. The analysis was based primarily on a set of questions posed in 1993 to a group of workers between the ages of 28 and 36. It was discovered that…

A review of the literature on employer-based training (EBT) and case studies of 17 exemplary EBT programs (9 of which were Job Training Partnership Act [JTPA] programs) were used to determine best practices in EBT and make recommendations for effective strategies for implementing EBT programs. Some of these strategies included the following: (1)…

Analysis of the Project ALERT (Adult Literacy Enhanced & Redefined through Training) Workplace Literacy Project produced a description of the needs assessment process, steps, and instruments that can be used for needs assessment in other workplace education projects. The data for the needs assessment were collected through the following methods: a…

A study examined the role of employer training in ameliorating skill shortages and enhancing productivity and competitiveness. The study established that formal training by specialized personnel accounts for only 5-10% of the time newly hired workers are engaged in training activities and that existing labor market research instruments fail to…

This document contains a final report, evaluation report, and materials from the Better Educational Skills Training (BEST) workplace literacy program in Vermont. The seven-page final report describes program components: (1) expanding and institutionalizing the workplace literacy program developed through two previous national workplace literacy…