As many organizations restructure, the role of support staff is also changing. Secretaries are under increased workloads and are assuming duties previously performed by management, such as budgeting, project coordination, and public relations. According to Professional Secretaries International, only 31% of its members bore the title "secretary"…

This ERIC digest summarizes recent studies on poverty in rural areas. In 1986, the poverty rate in rural areas was 50 percent higher than the urban rate. During the 1980s, rural poverty stayed higher, rising more rapidly during recession, and falling more slowly in the "recovery" period. Characteristics that distinguish the rural poor…

Pending legislation for the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act mandates the development of performance indicators or standards, which are also called educational indicators, quality indicators, outcome indicators, performance standards, and performance measures. There is general agreement that indicators or standards…

Employment statistics of Mexican-American, Cuban-American, and Puerto Rican men and women are compared with each other and with blacks and whites. Facts and figures are provided for geographic distribution, labor force participation (employed or seeking a job), type of occupation (blue-collar or white-collar), and income. Barriers to employment…

Reauthorization of welfare reform legislation has focused attention on the effectiveness of short-term training as a means for welfare recipients to attain self-sufficiency. Its effects on employment and earnings have been one focus of recent evaluations of federal programs. Although some Job Opportunities and Basic Skills programs produced…

Although not all current jobs require basic computer skills, technological advances in society have created new jobs and changed the ways many existing jobs are performed. Clearly, workers who are proficient in technology have a greater advantage in the current workplace and the need for technologically proficient workers will only continue to…

Many studies have verified that education beyond high school results in higher earnings. The highest earnings benefits depend upon certification or degree achievement. Not obtaining a degree results in some penalty: individuals who have some college credit but no degree earn less than associate degree holders. Professional and vocational…

An enormous body of literature illuminates various facets of the relationship between education and employment. Views of the proper role of education have ranged from cultural transmission to societal transformation and individual development, to the current belief that it prepares for transition to adulthood, i.e., the movement from school to…

Is the positive potential of globalization being realized? Are transnational careers becoming a reality? What effects are uncertainty and continuous change having on career development? There is evidence that a growing number of companies are exporting both blue- and white-collar jobs overseas, although some contend that it is new technologies…

In 1970, 55 percent of the US population over age 25 had completed high school or some college and 11 percent had completed 4 or more years of college; by 1999, those figures had reached 83 percent and 25 percent, respectively. A comparison between 1982 and 1992 high school seniors found more completing some postsecondary credits (from 53 percent…

It is a myth that skills alone ensure employment. Other keys to workplace success include continuous learning, emotional intelligence, networking, flexibility, and commitment to business objectives. Although academic degrees, skill certifications, and other documentation of accomplishments provide access to employment, they are significant only at…

The status of women in higher education administration and strategies for increasing their numbers are considered, based on research studies on women and job structures in higher education, and from information on organizations and programs. General observations based on the studies include the following: women are underrepresented in major…

Because emotional well-being is increasingly being recognized as a predictor of success in school, family, and work life, many are advocating that emotional intelligence be promoted as early as elementary school. Emotional intelligence involves two competencies important to career success: (1) the ability to recognize personal and others' feelings…

The issue of underemployment (a condition characterized by inadequate hours, inadequate income, and/or inadequate use of skills) is explored in this monograph. The methodology and vocabulary of underemployment are first examined, including a definition synthesis of hours worked, skill utilization, and compensation. The second section provides…

Recent educational approaches that have career and technical education (CTE) components have integrated work-based learning (WBL) with traditional academics. Among positive effects of the association between WBL and secondary students' educational outcomes are: (1) increased attendance, (2) decreased dropout rates, (3) increased number of academic…