Successful transition to work is important for all young people and crucial for those with poor basic skills. Research suggests that speaking and listening skills--an aspect of basic skills often overlooked--are particularly important at work. The message from employers can hardly be clearer--good speaking and listening skills matter at work. How…

Today's employers desire a number of qualities in their workers: self-confidence, technical knowledge, positive attitude, communication skills, teamwork, and the ability to learn. Also important are the various aspects of reliability: punctuality, attendance, commitment to excellence, and listening skills. (SK)

Responses from more than 400 employers indicated that the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) competencies adequately identified entry workers' needs. Over 90% said the following were necessary for entry workers: personal quality skills, basic skills, thinking skills, and interpersonal competencies. Disparities between the…

Analysis of 1,400 classified ads identified an increase in those specifically identifying entry-level technology and interpersonal skills. Ads identifying basic skills related to communication declined significantly. (JOW)

Developed for the training of the custodian corps in the State of Washington, this step-by-step training manual covers in minute detail the jobs, duties, and responsibilities of a school custodian. The sections covered are: classroom care, floor care, halls, lavatories, general maintenance, and emergency. Each operation is separately described…

Discusses the gap between the basic skills of many workers and the more complex skills required by many jobs. Points out that many employers offer basic skills training because they cannot find qualified entry-level workers and find glaring deficiencies in their existing workers. (JOW)

Kentucky employers (249 of 800 surveyed) identified adaptability, teamwork, communication, and problem solving as entry-level and advancement skills. Over 50 percent did no preemployment testing. Responses indicated areas needing change: training focused on workplace basics, accessible training delivery, and preemployment assessment services. (SK)

Compared personnel managers' (N=51) perceptions of requisite skills for successful employment and the actual competence of entry level workers. Results indicated a significant discrepancy between needed skills and the competence that secondary school graduates bring to the work place. Speaking and listening were rated most important. (JAC)

The perceptions of southern Nevada employers regarding the importance of the Secretary's Commission for Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) workplace basic skills were examined in a survey that was administered to a random sample of southern Nevada businesses. Of the 415 employers who completed the survey, 313 (75.4%) believed that the SCANS skills…

Business' agenda for improving education is linked to gubernatorial goals for school reform: (1) improve preschool learning readiness; (2) increase high school graduation rates; (3) require subject matter mastery in grades 4, 8, and 12; (4) improve math and science achievement; (5) teach literacy, global awareness, and citizen responsibility; and…

The largest segment of the American work force consists of high school graduates who have not attended college. New graduates usually start in entry-level positions but soon move into other occupations and other, often larger, organizations. Today's graduates should expect many changes that will affect their ability to succeed in the work force.…

A representative group of 14 recent surveys of employers' expressed needs was examined to consider the evidence they presented about the demands for worker education. The strongest trend in the results of these studies was the importance that employers placed on employee attitudes. A second theme was the emphasis on basic skills as opposed to…

Literature describing the scope and characteristics of employer-based training (EBT) in the United States and the evidence to date about the effectiveness of such training was reviewed in order to help categorize the types of programs or strategies that show promise in terms of improving skills or increasing productivity. For the review, training…

In collaboration, The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource Management conducted an in-depth study of the corporate perspective on the readiness of new entrants into the U.S. workforce by level of educational attainment. The study includes results…

This document describes the development and implementation of curriculum to train adult basic education students who are considering clerical careers in the legal and medical fields. The 17-page project report outlines the following aspects: (1) development of an entry-level math and English curriculum; (2) use of computer simulation for legal or…