Everyone needs a bit of help sometimes, but it can be difficult to know what support is available, or who or how to ask. The National Apprenticeship Service is committed to making sure apprenticeships are open and available to all individuals. This guide explains what support apprentices can expect during their apprenticeship programme and where…

Chicago teachers voted last week to suspend a 7-day-old strike, sending some 350,000 students back to the classroom and paving the way for the teaching force to vote on a tentative contract. But for many in the Windy City, the contract has raised another potentially tall hurdle: how the cash-strapped district will manage to pay for it. District…

Many school districts had to cope with shrinking budgets this past school year, but the effects of these cuts were cushioned to some extent by the availability of federal economic stimulus money. In 2009 and 2010, school districts received about $80 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). These funds were intended…

Most colleges have steered through the first jolts of the recession without resorting to layoffs, cutting employee benefits, or imposing across-the-board freezes on hiring. But the economic pain is afflicting campuses in many other ways, according to the findings from a new survey of chief business officers conducted last month by "The Chronicle"…

This study is the twelfth in a series of studies conducted by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) on the impact of the economic downturn on schools. AASA launched the series in fall 2008 in response to state budget shortfalls, federal buyouts and interventions, and a series of additional events characterizing a slowing,…

Given a strained economy with skyrocketing fuel prices and homeowner foreclosures that threaten property tax rolls, plus pressures to satisfy mandates for improved student achievement, district administrators must tighten belts, juggle priorities, and find creative solutions to situations that might challenge them as never before. Teachers are…

The study investigates the adequacy of pension plans and severance pay for defense workers in the event of defense cutbacks. Pension plans were examined on the basis of a sample of firms in the defense and nondefense sectors, matched by size and industry. The study finds that benefit provisions of defense industry plans are similar to those in…

ESTIMATES OF GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE BY INDUSTRY INDICATE THAT EXTENDED PROTECTION DURING LAYOFF IS GUARANTEED TO NO MORE THAN A TENTH OF THE APPROXIMATELY 50 MILLION WORKERS COVERED BY GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS. THIS COVERAGE HAS LARGELY DEVELOPED DURING THE PAST 15 YEARS. FRAGMENTARY DATA SUGGEST THAT INCREASED COST ATTRIBUTABLE TO…

The author explains how one company managed a shutdown while avoiding difficult problems. He describes a five-action plan that focused on all the following areas: severance and benefits, communication, training and development, job opportunities, and retirement planning. This plan is then evaluated and recommendations to improve the plan are…

This handbook reviews displaced worker and community experiences to identify traumatic areas of concern and, thereby, to propose strategies for other communities should they face similar crises. Part 1 focuses on preventing a plant closing. Indications of plant closure are discussed as well as a pre-closure intervention model to reduce…

Discusses measures that have been adopted by France, Great Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States, and Japan to prolong the work life of older workers. Measures include job transfer and exemption, dismissal protection, retirement policies, and reintegration of unemployed older workers. (JOW)

The program of voluntary separation at Smith College (Massachusetts), implemented as an alternative to forced staff layoffs, is described. The plan included generous separation benefits and counseling services. Related issues are discussed, including tax considerations, eligibility, cost estimation, the plan's timeline, information dissemination,…

Ten recommendations for development of institutional policy for termination in cases of financial exigency are outlined. Two recommendations are procedural; others pertain to the specific content of the policy, including definition of terms, making distinctions between program redirection and financial exigency, criteria and procedures for…

In the second of a two-part article, the following questions are addressed: How does the unemployment compensation system work? Which employers are affected by laws on unemployment compensation? Which employees fall under federal and state laws? and How much does a covered employer pay in unemployment taxes? Ways to minimize unemployment claims…

Regardless of the techniques, model specifications, time periods, and data sets used, studies on the effects of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits on the duration of unemployment of individuals all indicate that UI prolongs spells of unemployment and lowers employment among its recipients. Unfortunately, the magnitudes of these estimated effects…