American jobs are undergoing massive technological transformation, with even entry-level workers now expected to use all manner of digital devices and equipment. Nowhere is this more true than in the manufacturing sector, which directly employs more than one in ten U.S. workers and indirectly supports millions more. To succeed in this rapidly…

In this article, innovative activity is considered in the light of broader conceptualisations of innovativeness and what it means to be innovative. Central to the definition of innovativeness used in the analysis is that the worker actively seeks new knowledge and uses it for work-related tasks. This is based on previous research emphasising…

Reviews survey and other data on workforce skill needs and literacy levels of current and future workers. Concludes that technical educators should cooperate with employers in developing a more literate workforce. (SK)

A review of literature and work with focus groups shows that, although adult education has always focused on helping undereducated adults prepare for work, since the early 1990s there has been emphasis on work force development (helping prepare the work force and get them into rewarding productive jobs) and workplace (organizational) change. A…

Educational problems underlie the crisis in the high-tech workplace. Insufficient expenditures for workplace education result in low productivity. Technology requires a skilled work force; the chief competitive advantage for a nation will be its skilled workers. Workplace literacy has been a half-hearted effort. Investment of billions by U.S.…

This brief presents summary information and contacts/references for a sampling of programs and resources that have been developed to support small business workplace literacy projects. Twenty-two contacts are included: Finger Lakes Regional Education Center for Economic Development; Development Assistance Corporation; Wayne Community College;…

This document contains five papers from a symposium on the purpose and place of human resource development (HRD). "An Introduction to a Debate on the Foundations of the Field: The Purpose and Place of HRD" (Robert W. Rowden) introduces issues related to workplace learning, which both adult education and HRD claim as an area of practice. "The…

Global competition, coupled with the United States' loss of its competitive economic edge and its failure to sustain and develop a highly skilled work force, has created a new and serious challenge. To meet this challenge, the State Employment and Training Commission has developed a series of recommendations, called the Unified State Plan for New…

This report focuses on work force education and lifelong learning as a newly emerging strategy for meeting many challenges of education and work in the 21st century. Chapter 1 introduces the concept, reviews the sociopolitical background to the strategy, and presents the rationale for a new type of professional, Workforce Education and Lifelong…

Workplace literacy programs can support the path toward either low wages or high skills. Instead of the "high skill" path, most U.S. companies follow the "low wage" path. Depending on who is involved, which program goals are selected, and what planning process is followed, a workplace literacy program can maintain outdated workplaces or foster…

This brief describes 14 national technical assistance organizations for work force and workplace literacy. Descriptions contain these types of information: specific areas of expertise, experience, or specialization; types of organizations with which it has worked; types of programs or services offered; geographic areas served; and clients. The…

This document consists of the woodyard skills handbook and an employee handbook for woodyard employees of Boise Cascade. The handbooks are products of a National Workplace Literacy project conducted by Alabama Southern Community College. The woodyard skills handbook contains information needed by employees to improve math, measurement, vocabulary,…

This guide is intended to be used as a companion to "The Competitive Edge: Sharpening Your Skills in the Workplace" curricular materials--the student editions and instructors' guides. It can also stand alone as a reference for individuals just starting to implement or beginning to plan a workplace skills enhancement program in their organization.…

This user's guide for professionals using Project Lifelong Learning staff development modules is designed to accompany the documentary on lifelong learning in the workplace, one of three half-hour television documentary programs intended for broadcast and for general public discussion activities. It introduces the project, the purpose of which is…

This document contains samples of work specific curricula for the basic level (I) and advanced level (II) of the safety section of the Auburn University (Alabama) Demonstration project in adult education. The samples consist of instructor manuals and student books. Content of each instructor manual--one for level I and another for level…