Regions around the country are grappling with current and anticipated skills shortages and, in some cases, labor shortages. Economic prosperity depends heavily on the quality of the workforce, and yet far too few regions have recognized their best underutilized asset: the mature workforce. Because mature workers are nearing traditional retirement…

THE YOUNG JOB HOLDER WILL NEED TO CHANGE HIS SKILLS SEVERAL TIMES DURING HIS WORKING LIFE. HE HAS LITTLE TRAINING OR RESOURCES, AND SOCIETY HAS DONE LITTLE TO HELP. THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTH IS GROWING. OUR SOCIETY IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE A PLACE WHERE ONE'S CREDENTIALS HELP HIM SUCCEED. A COLLEGE DIPLOMA IS BECOMING A PREREQUISITE TO…

The rapid technological advancement that U.S. society is experiencing has increased the likelihood that workers will have to be trained and retrained throughout their working lives to meet continually changing job requirements. This situation has challenged instructors of technical communication who are faced with the overlap of traditional…

A study was conducted to determine employers' satisfaction with blue-collar and clerical employees entering the nation's work force. In addition, the study measured employers' perceptions of the ability of their employees to be retrained. A total of 200 executive interviews, of approximately 2 minutes each, were collected from a national sample of…

Most recent research on the impact of the new computer technology on skills has been focused on developing arguments that either support or contradict the "deskilling" thesis put forth by some economists and sociologists in the mid- and late 1970s. Although this research remains inconclusive, some generalizations can be suggested. The research…

This report on the textile industry focuses on the training and education of production-level textile workers--from unskilled factory hands to first-level supervisors. It is part of a larger study of the educational implications of broad economic changes, particularly the spread of microelectronic technologies, growing national and international…

The author examines the present educational provision for unemployed adults, in the light of its relevance to their needs, and draws attention to the Open University's (Great Britain) work in this field. The author also discusses the effects of unemployment and assumptions about unemployment. (CT)

The growing shortage of skilled workers in industrial maintenance, the growing complexity of equipment, and the automation of production processes call for improved and increased employee training and retraining. A General Motors training supervisor notes how education and industry can cooperate to provide this education and training. (MF)

A study was conducted to determine if dislocated workers in Minnesota felt they had sufficient reading and mathematics skills to obtain new employment or enter retraining programs. A representative group of 168 dislocated workers who had been employed in manufacturing, taconite mining, lumber, and farming were interviewed from June through…

A digital divide, a chasm between those with access to technology and training, particularly workplace information technology (IT) skills and those without, threatens the economic prosperity of American workers and America's competitiveness. The most effective way to reduce digital disparities is to improve the education and training of the…

This detailed, 2-year study used skill surveys to determine the Sudan's existing and developing needs for vocational training in various trades (at various levels, including retraining and upgrading). Two other objectives were to ascertain the educational and skill levels for different occupations, in particular in the engineering industry to…

A study explored the mechanisms used by adults in Australia and Korea to keep their skills current or to enhance their range of skills. Data were gathered through recent research reports and unpublished unemployment and training data. The study identified areas of the vocational education and training systems in the two countries that are…

The Asian Business Council surveyed 40 large Asian businesses on training strategies, emerging skill shortages, government investment in training, and the quality of the education and training sector. Of the 25 businesses that responded, 23 had their head office in Asia and all but 3 had more than 500 employees. Although the responding businesses…

This paper briefly examines three publications that lay out strategies for U.S. economic competitiveness in the future: the U.S. Department of Education's report "America 2000: An Education Strategy," in response to the President's message of April 1991; the report of the Secretary of Labor's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills…

This paper addresses the extent to which retraining and training programs are available for employed and unemployed adults. First, demographic and economic shifts and projections into the next century are discussed as the context for needed training. Second, the promise and positive impacts of new technologies in office and business settings are…