The United States today is becoming less competitive in the world, due in large measure to short-term thinking, perverse incentives for saving and investing, and an absence of global thinking. Six issues demand high priority in order to change this situation: saving and investment, education and training, technology, corporate governance and…

This document provides materials prepared for and discussed at a workshop to analyze the problems facing Central and Eastern European countries in the management of the vocational education and training (VET) system. Part I gives an outline of the major research findings and reflects the discussions of the workshop. "Management of Vocational…

Australian public policy adopted the concept of lifelong learning in the 1980s and harnessed it to human capital theory to articulate a new policy emphasis on "up-skilling" the Australian labour force. This paper addresses the question of how this conception of lifelong learning has fared in practice as Australian Commonwealth government…

Asserts that the Russian educational system is facing a crisis of confidence among its teachers and students regarding employment opportunities after leaving secondary education. Calls for educational reform in curriculum and instructional methods that can provide periodic retraining as economic changes occur. (CFR)

Discusses how Russian vocational-technical education should be funded and proposes four possible scenarios. Recommends a privatization procedure in which an individual or a group of employees of a vocational school would purchase the institution from the government. (CFR)

A consensus that unions must develop coherent and comprehensive policies on new work systems and continuous learning in order to guide local activities, was the central theme of this conference on the interrelated issues of the high performance work organization. These proceedings include the following presentations: "Labor's Stake in High…

Reports on an interview with the director of Secondary Specialized Education in Russia. Finds concern about the lack of appropriate educational funding to support changes necessary to produce students for a market economy. Calls for more training in economics, marketing, finance, and insurance. (CFR)

Asserts that Russian vocational school principals now have to think and act as educational entrepreneurs. Discusses three shortcomings of Russian vocational-technical education. Argues that marketing is the foundation of success and provides three principles to guide educational planning and administration in the future. (CFR)

Discusses Russian political and economic changes and the impact on public education. Questions whether the emphasis on teaching ideas and new instructional methods is better than the work experience programs under the Soviet educational system. Concludes that the nation must maintain the labor training of students within school programs. (CFR)

This book examines how many of the United States' social and economic problems are reinforced by the combination of school, business, and government. It outlines ways that U.S. government policy can be reformulated to make schools and training major components in the U.S. labor market's successful adjustment to the new workplace realities. The…

This document reports on how key stakeholders in work force preparedness nationwide are responding to pressures of the skills race. Part 1 presents an overview of the skills challenge and the economic and social consequences of failing to meet the challenge. Part 2 examines the impact of the skills shortage on major stakeholders and explains how…