When the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the economy back into recession in early 2020, it laid bare a fragile and profoundly inequitable labor market. The economic expansion that reigned from 2009 through 2019 brought historically low unemployment and inflation but failed to reduce income inequality or arrest the decline in the number of high-quality,…

IN 1966, THE NATION'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPPED BELOW 4 PERCENT, A 13-YEAR LOW. THE TOTAL PRODUCTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES WAS $58 MILLION MORE THAN IN 1965, AND THE AFTER-TAX INCOME OF AMERICAN FAMILIES INCREASED, AFTER ALLOWING FOR PRICE INCREASES, BY 3.5 PERCENT. THIS PROGRESS RESULTED FROM BUSINESS AND LABOR ACHIEVEMENTS, GRADUALLY IMPROVING…

Focus of this speech is on the challenges of providing employment related education and training for young people in England. After briefly outlining the British education system, the author discusses recent and proposed changes designed to help young people (particularly the unemployed, terminal degree student, or those who are working and…

A strategic planning process for work force development has been proposed as the best way to improve the coordination of Utah's many employment and training programs. At both the state and federal level, it is widely recognized that employment and training issues have not been addressed in a very coherent way. Both the federal and state…

Research conducted by the General Accounting Office (GAO) indicates that the current system of multiple employment training programs requires major overhaul to reduce costs, streamline the bureaucracy, and improve results. The current system of 163 different federal employment training programs wastes resources and confuses and frustrates clients,…

This case study describes the vocational education system and job training programs, especially those funded through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, in an unnamed metropolitan area of California. The data were collected as part of another larger national study of state and local response to the Perkins Act. Information was collected…

The impact of 1996 federal welfare reform legislation on state work force development programs was examined through a study of work force development programs and policies in 13 states: Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. The study focused on…

At least 154 employment training programs (ETP) providing approximately $25 billion in employment training assistance are currently administered by 14 federal agencies. Individually, these programs are all well-intended. Collectively, however, they have been described as bewildering and frightening to clients and confusing to those who operate…

A study examined Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) coordination and program activities for fiscal year 1983. To gather data for the study, researchers reviewed literature on the delivery of CETA services, compared these delivery practices with delivery strategies employed in such CETA predecessors as the Manpower Training and…

This report briefly describes several dimensions of the youth unemployment problem and discusses 13 council recommendations for legislative consideration: (1) Consider the problem in a broad context which includes counseling, education, and skill training; (2) mesh programs and utilize existing resources at all governmental levels; (3) promote a…

The central theme of the papers presented in this symposium is that the labor market for minorities and youth does not appear to function properly because of structural impediments (often caused by government regulations meant to help minorities) and that these impediments must be identified and effective remedies proposed. Following an…

The 14 Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)-funded youth employment programs to which the Academy for Educational Development (AED) has delivered technical assistance for the past 5 years illustrate several important conditions for effective programming and "best practices" in the field of youth employment and training. Four of the JTPA…

This report surveys the vocational education system, work experience programs, and job training programs for youths in Chicago. The report is organized in five sections. It begins with a brief review of the socioeconomic context that affects youth employment in the city of Chicago. Section 2 examines vocational training in the Chicago public…

An overview on employment and training as it relates to higher education is presented as part of the American Council on Education's Higher Education/Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) Project, which was supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. Attention is directed to the linkage between higher education…

The Connecticut State Council on Vocational-Technical Education made recommendations to improve education that would help students prepare for the work force. The council evaluated the following: its belief statement; the Connecticut economy; the state's ability to support technical jobs; and education and training for work in Connecticut,…