The appointment of para-professionals to overcome skill shortages and/or make efficient use of expensive resources is well established in both developing and developed countries. The present research concerns para-teachers in India. The literature on para-teachers is dominated by training for special needs settings, largely in developed societies.…

A research project was conducted to determine how and what clown-doctors know on entry to the profession and how and what they learn both formally and informally in a hospital environment; the linkages between informal and formal learning in clown-doctor training and practice in Canada; and "best practices." Information was gathered…

Consultations with and written submissions from practitioners and administrators provided the basis for this overview of adult basic education in Victoria, Australia. Based on the findings, recommendations were formulated to allocate new funds to improve programing. The recommendations center on these issues: (1) the need for greater understanding…

A project that focused on how the field of adult numeracy education had been shaped in Australia over the last 20 years sought answers to these research questions: (1) What does the past tell about adult literacy and numeracy policy, provision, and research? (2) Are Australians numerate? (3) What sort of numeracy activities do Australians engage…

As part of a larger project, this study was conducted to provide a snapshot of the characteristics, size, work patterns, and training needs of the sessional teaching work force in technical and further education (TAFE) in the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Victoria, Australia. Twelve research questions formed the basis of two…

The literacy programs and policies implemented in Australia over the past decade were reviewed to identify initiatives that have and have not had a positive impact on vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning opportunities. Policies and practices in seven other countries were also reviewed. The following themes received…

Eight work force literacy initiatives were conducted in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The primary objectives and key activities of the initiatives were as follows: (1) alliance development (developing partnerships and linkages promoting and supporting work force literacy); (2) public awareness (conducting presentations and media relations and…

This document contains eight papers from the international issues section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "The Impact of Globalisation and the Changing Nature of Work on Vocational Education and Training" (Chris…

This book examines the rhetoric surrounding the notion of informal learning in order to expand debate about the uses of informal learning in workplaces and about attempts to "recognize" it through competency-based standards. The following topics are among those discussed in the book's eight chapters: (1) the nature of informal learning…