This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in South Africa. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment of skills acquisitions with labour market needs; education and training policies targeting skills…

Though not extensively researched, third-party employee competency certifications are increasingly important to organizations. Certifications are double-edged: they may serve to reduce transaction costs, enhance performance, and foster employee development; but they can also be used as "credentials" to gain prestige, rewards, or influence. The…

Issues concerning the job preparation and development system for persons who are blind or visually impaired were identified by public and private sector leaders and used to develop a plan for full employment. Issues affected by factors external to the rehabilitation system and those influenced by the system are discussed. (SW)

Although research has shown a clear relationship between employment and rehabilitation of drug abusers, efforts to develop comprehensive vocational services in drug treatment programs have been limited. To examine the nature and extent of vocational- and employment-related services in NIDA-funded drug treatment programs, 164 clinics responded to…

This document contains one of two assessment tools developed by Project Proud Option, which developed and field-tested a set of student- and job-assessment instruments that provide a strategy for determining (1) the vocational skills required on a particular job; (2) the functional skill levels of a particular student; (3) a process to determine…

The Wisconsin Workplace Partnership Literacy (WPL) Program provided job-specific basic skills education to employees at 11 worksites. A total of 1,441 employees were recruited to participate in on-site competency-based educational activities to upgrade their basic skills sufficiently for job retention or advancement. Participants were encouraged…

This report is a synthesis of interviews conducted during the youth employment survey to determine the most appropriate role for Boys Clubs in responding to the employment needs of youths. Quotes and anecdotes are provided from the interviews with 360 young people, Boys Club staff, board members, business people, educators, community leaders,…

This study examines the significant role of computers in the transformation of the Canadian employment structure. An executive summary appears in English and French. Following an introduction, Section 2 discusses how the role of computerization of the employment structure is viewed in the literature. Section 3 presents an overview of past…

This manual is a list of verified vocational education activities that relate to job development, job placement, and job follow-up/follow-through services. The activities incorporate information on employability skill development, occupations and labor market, job search training needed for the disadvantaged, student needs assessment, and student…

Project Proud Option of Palmer, Massachusetts, had the following objectives: (1) develop and implement a system for assessing the functioning levels of handicapped students in institutional schools as these functional levels relate to already existing job task outlines and performance objectives; (2) develop new job opportunities within the…

Vermont's Welfare Restructuring Project (WRP), which was implemented in 1994-2001, required that single-parent welfare recipients who could not find wage-paying jobs after receiving cash assistance for 30 months accept work in subsidized, minimum-wage community service employment (CSE) positions to satisfy their work requirement and improve their…

This document outlines the Kansas plan for making every state citizen a learner and a worker by the year 2000. The goal of the plan is to take new approaches to education and human resources management that emphasize learning, flexibility, and productive participation in work and society throughout life. The plan lists the skills that will be…

A series of roundtable discussions, designed to bring together employers and educators in small and informal sessions to discuss youth employment and related issues, was held in Birmingham, Hartford, Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago. The discussions yielded policy implications in five major areas. These are access to the private sector,…

A study examined approximately 130 projects that were conducted in New York between November 1980 and December 1983 as a part of the state's Short-Term Program for Economic Development. During the study, researchers interviewed representatives of the businesses, industries, unions, and educational institutions involved in the training programs in…

The energy manpower research project was established to review the process used to identify skills needed in emerging energy sources and to discover any new occupations for which additional post-high school, vocational/technical training would be needed. A supplemental part of the project was the development of a solar energy instructional module.…