Despite the heavy investments in the economic development of East German industry, the region still faces immanent structural challenges that affect the provision of vocational education and training (VET), in particular apprenticeships, and the availability of a well skilled workforce. In this article the situation of the economy as well as new…

As community and technical colleges work to train workers for green-energy jobs, they face myriad challenges. Among them are the recession and the financial strain it places on institutions' ability to develop programs, trying to meet the demand for trained workers that is a projection and not a certainty, and training low-skilled individuals for…

In a competitive workforce it is not just having the right qualification or technical skills that will land an individual a job; it could very well be their interpersonal skills. How someone communicates is often the first impression an employer has of a possible worker. Yet, it is precisely communication skills that employers feel applicants are…

Even before the Great Recession prompted policymakers to take a closer look at public programs designed to help unemployed Americans re-enter the workforce it had long been clear that federal, state and local government workforce development programs have not always effectively prepared low-income individuals to obtain decent-paying jobs. Job…

The Group of Eight (Go8) welcomes the Government's commitment to developing a comprehensive research workforce strategy. Australia's research capacity and the continuing translation of research into policy, products and services is directly linked to the future productivity of the economy, social wellbeing, environmental outcomes and the nation's…

The present British government claims that its policies have transformed the economy and reversed its decline. This paper suggests that reforms have been guided chiefly by short-term political expediency and in compliance with the government's market forces ideology. A-levels need reforming to avoid serious shortages of professional skills.…

The Post-16 Strategies project coordinated by Dr. Johanna Lasonen from 1996 to 1998 was chiefly concerned with four post-16 education strategies: (1) "vocational enhancement"; (2) "mutual enrichment"; (3) "linkages;" and (4) "unification." These four strategies to promote parity of esteem between vocational…

Within the private sector, the human resource management perspective has replaced the traditional personnel management approach. A similar evolution within the educational community is necessary for implementation of successful school reforms. Presented in this paper are an overview of the transition from personnel management to human resource…

Recent economic and technological changes, as well as changes in the very nature of work, have forced business institutions to redirect themselves. Consequently, human resource development (HRD) activities are no longer a group of diverse practices at the periphery of a few organizations. Rather, the scope of HRD has expanded to include solving…

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…

This book, which is written from the perspective of a practicing human resources manager, presents 17 case studies illustrating how technology is driving a new training paradigm. The case studies support 21 propositions regarding training in the e- learning (electronic learning) revolution, including the following:(1) the Internet changes…