This paper examines opportunities for language learning in a cleaning job, which is a typical entry-level job for immigrants. An ethnographic case study approach is taken to investigate examples of the conditions that allow or prevent language learning for the focal participant, a sub-Saharan man who works as a cleaner in Finland. This case…

Adult non-formal education and training (NFET) in South Africa was adopted in 1990 to address the problem of unemployment of non-educated and unskilled adults. Public and private NFET centres aim to meet the training needs of adults who were deprived of formal education that would foster access to opportunities for employment. The paper reports on…

This paper reports on the author's experiences of working with accountancy employers to develop a deeper understanding of skills development and employability in the accountancy profession. It notes that while there is a well-developed literature that examines skills development amongst university accounting students, there is also evidence of a…

This paper describes the experiences of four beginning secondary school teachers in Australia during their first two years of teaching, looks at policy and literature on existing teacher orientation programs and needs, and makes recommendations for further research and program development. Significant contradictions of policy and practice are…

Recent graduates of conservation courses throughout the United Kingdom were surveyed to determine the impact of existing training courses and internship courses on their early careers as conservators. (Conservators are archivists and curators who work primarily in museums.) Of the 404 individuals contacted, 137 (35.2%) returned usable responses.…

Few studies have tracked youth transition beyond the immediate post-school period or have looked at the longer-term outcomes of post-school programs. This study reports the findings of a case study investigating links between an industry-specific school vocational education and training (VET) program and subsequent work transitions to the building…

This book examines the transition from higher education to the labor market in 10 countries. Although the individual papers do not follow a rigid standard format, they all consider the following issues: (1) how the labor market for graduates is organized; (2) how vocational orientation is achieved in degree courses in individual countries; and (3)…

Learning in the first professional job was examined in a study of 40 nurses, 27 engineers, and 16 accountants who were in their first full year of full-time employment after college in hospitals and firms located in the United Kingdom. Data were collected through the following activities: (1) interviews with the respondents; (2) 1- to 2-day visits…

Student outcomes at Australia's technical and further education (TAFE) institutes were compared to those at Australian universities. The study was based on data from a survey completed by 39,426 individuals who had graduated from TAFE courses in 2000 and a survey of the more than 150,000 individuals who graduated from an Australian university in…

The United Kingdom's Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), UK SKILLS, and the Further Education Skills Competition Council conducted a collaborative action research project to improve students' vocational learning and skills through enhanced learning experiences. From February 2001 to April 2002, three further education colleges worked to…