Labor unions hold a somewhat different view of "workplace literacy" efforts than company management often does. Unions believe that workplace literacy programs should be voluntary and involve more that just "work" skills. As in union education of the past, union programs focus on education of the whole worker for life, not just for work. Unions…

Despite its high unemployment level, Germany is experiencing a shortage of specialists and managers. Germany's need for highly qualified information technology (IT) workers and engineers is particularly great. Approximately 10,000 posts for computer scientists and IT specialists remained vacant in 1998. Because of the shortage of such specialists,…

Four major trends reshaping the American economy are having a tremendous effect on the number and nature of jobs in the United States: (1) corporate downsizing; (2) the outsourcing of work and services; (3) increasing use of "contingent" workers; and (4) the increasing income disparity between high school and college graduates. These trends have…

This theme issue focuses on skills and qualifications in future world markets in general and in the Single Market within the European Community (EC). The first two articles are "Anthropocentric Production Systems: Advanced Manufacturing is Based on Skilled People" (Werner Wobbe) and "New Skills or a New Concept of 'the Job'"?…

This monograph, one of a series prepared for the Employment and Training Administration, attempts to provide a new approach to on-the-job training (OJT) and to offer the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) prime sponsors a basis for new programmatic directions. The monograph is divided into seven chapters. Subject areas included are…

The Swedish employment structure and the role of colleges in preparing people for work is being studied by the Swedish Research on Higher Education program. The project is designed to: survey changes in the Swedish economy and employment structure during the postwar period; assess the extent to which business and industry have given priority to…

A study investigated the current situation of international activities in further education colleges in the United Kingdom. Surveys of over 180 colleges revealed that nearly three-fourths referred to international activity in their strategic plans; only 41 percent had a written policy. Benefits of an international dimension were broadening…

A sectoral survey focused on ways in which vocational training plans are formulated and analysis of the cost effectiveness of continuing vocational training at the company level. It examined techniques applied to developing continuing vocational training and improving access. National surveys carried out for the retail trade sector revealed…

The ninth meeting of CEDEFOP (French acronym for the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training) is summarized in this report. Attending the forum were representatives of the leading vocational training research and development institutions and ministerial departments from the European Community (EC) Member States and from…

In fall 1992, the League for Innovation in the Community College conducted a survey of 1,042 community colleges to determine the extent and nature of their involvement in workforce training programs, the types of companies served, funding mechanisms, and perceived obstacles to providing effective training. Study findings, based on a 73.2% response…

A study investigated how a sample of British further education (FE) colleges used the first round of Competitiveness Funding and how it affected the development of collaboration between colleges, Technical Education Councils (TECs), industry, and government agencies. A key ingredient in successful fund bids was matching the project's activity and…

This narrative account summarizes the 2-day research forum of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP). Presentations focus on the central theme of the forum: new qualifications versus skill shortages. They include Kees Meijer's outline of the research undertaken in a series of national studies on skill shortages…

The six articles in this journal issue were all designed to provide an objective presentation of the framework within which the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) is charting a course toward establishing a common training policy and creating a single market in 1993. The first article, "Information on…

This serial issue, which is devoted to the challenges that recent changes in the U.S. workplace pose for society and labor-management relations, contains nine papers focusing on the following aspects of building a new workplace for the 21st century: historical and current perspectives; workforce and workplace changes; education and training of the…

Three presentations are provided from Symposium 16, Improving Human Resource Development (HRD) Practice through Research, of the Academy of HRD 2000 Conference Proceedings. "Why HRD Practitioners Can Lack Respect: Sizing the Credibility Gap between What Top Managers Want and HRD Professionals Deliver" (Robert L. Dilworth, Timothy…