Every person deserves the opportunity for dignified employment that provides living wages and potential for advancement. However, for many in America today, this is far from reality, as they are caught in a cycle of low-wage work, earning poverty wages, and unable to move up in the economy. Local leaders, firms, and workers need to adapt quickly…

As the need for instructing a globalized workforce increases, instructional designers must embrace the constraints and the opportunities these projects provide in order to move the field of cross-cultural instructional design (ID) forward. Cross-cultural projects offer multiple avenues for growth in ID practice, overcoming cultural barriers, and a…

Over the past two decades, an innovative approach to workforce development known as sectoral employment has emerged, resulting in the creation of industry-specific training programs that prepare unemployed and underskilled workers for skilled positions and connect them with employers seeking to fill such vacancies. In 2003, with funding from the…

The purpose of this case study was to explore how low-skilled workers who participated in a health care training program learned to acquire the technical, cognitive, and developmental competencies they needed to gain skilled employment in higher-level positions in the field and thus advance their careers. The data methods used were: (1) in-depth…

A conference was held to discuss the problems of the hard-core unemployed. The purpose of the conference was to spread the experience of the five Human Resources Development programs with special emphasis on Houston's success in the Outreach phase and to stimulate representatives from 12 southern states to promote HRD programs in their areas.…

Over the past few decades, the economic prospects for workers possessing relatively few skills have worsened as the demand for skills in the labor market has increased. Even in jobs that might be categorized as low-skilled, workers require a diverse set of skills to succeed. Many of these skills can only be obtained through schooling or job…

The three projects examined in this paper are the Work Link/Project R.E.S.P.E.C.T. program in St. Louis and Seattle's Individualized Placement efforts and Office Occupations sector project. These are programs that have focused their efforts on the difficult goal of high retention. All have managed to place and keep between half and about…

The Federally-sponsored manpower development project is concerned with two major issues: (1) ways to determine what particular services are needed by given clients in manpower programs for the disadvantaged, and (2) ways to organize a manpower program so that each individual receives appropriate services to fulfill individual needs. Following two…

Discusses the influence of future changes in the demographics of working populations and the characteristics of the workplace on research, development, and policy for training systems. Analysis of changes indicates that there will be greater expectations that training programs will help maximize each person's potential. (Author/JS)

A STUDY WAS MADE TO IDENTIFY, IN THE POSTTRAINING PERFORMANCE OF TWO GROUPS OF GRADUATES OF A TRAINING PROGRAM, DIFFERENCES THAT MIGHT BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO BASIC EDUCATION EXPERIENCES. NINETY MEN--45 IN EACH GROUP (COMBINED GENERAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION, GROUP A, AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ALONE, GROUP B)--COMPLETED MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING…

The Pittsburgh Plan, a voluntary hometown plan designed to place minorities in local building trade unions, is described in detail from the perspective of its operations, its effectiveness in carrying out its purpose, and the individuals it serves. A benefit-cost analysis of the Pittsburgh Plan is presented. The significance of the results and its…

On the basis of interviews with mothers and baby-sitters of children enrolled in the Early Learning Programs of the Pennsylvania Research in Infant Development and Education Project in the West Chester, Pennsylvania, area, 12 low-income labor force nonparticipants identified as potential entrants into the job market were chosen to participate in…

The impact of United Kingdom welfare policies upon opportunities for participation in all types of post-16 learning by those receiving welfare benefits differ by age, employment status, and mode of study. A key issue is whether welfare policies help low-skilled people who are not in work to participate in learning, or whether rules and regulations…

The training being provided to low-wage workers, factors affecting the availability and effectiveness of such training, and training outcomes were examined. The major research activities were as follows: (1) identification of 192 employers that invested most heavily in training for low-wage workers; (2) telephone interviews with 40 of the 192…

First-generation immigrants play a crucial role in the U.S. economy, but despite their pivotal role many immigrant workers confront enormous challenges in the labor force. The immigrant population increased from 19.8 million in 1990 to 31.1 million in 2000, comprising 11.1% of the U.S. population and 12.4% of the nation's workforce. Immigrants are…