This report provides a comprehensive model of an optimum apprenticeship program, using survey and interview data to determine the essential characteristics of such a program. The model is intended to serve as a framework for constructing new programs and evaluating existing ones. Subsequent volumes will discuss survey findings in specific trade…

Two questions are answered in regard to the Andragogical Management-by-Objectives (AMBO) model in adult education within industry that focuses on the individual and is process-centered. The first question introduces and presents a justification for AMBO. Its philosophical foundations are described, and supporting learning theory arising from the…

A study examined training and staff development initiatives in Australian industrial and commercial organizations. It was carried out using a questionnaire and structured interview technique with 24 organizations. Larger organizations had their own facilities and trained in-house whereas smaller organizations made more use of Technical and Further…

Skill Upgrading in Cleveland (SUIC) is one of three manpower training and upgrading organizations which was funded to replicate and further test the High Intensity Training (HIT) model for upgrading underemployed workers. This report is a summary of activities aimed at upgrading low-skill, low-wage workers within a plant setting and with small…

Inplant training has begun to be used as a strategy to improve access and the relevance of training by the Human Employment and Resource Training (HEART) Trust/National Training Agency (NTA) in Jamaica. Inplant training is presented as a viable, efficient, and relevant method of providing induction and upgrading training for industry. In this…

Employers have begun to see that one of the keys to corporate success is a workforce of adaptable and agile learners who are constantly upgrading skills. While a gap currently exists between employer needs and qualified employees in the marketplace, businesses have shown themselves to be willing to fill unmet needs. Over 1,000 corporate colleges…

Use of ethnographic methods to assess learning and staff development needs for workplace adult education programs is discussed, focusing on the teacher's role as ethnographic researcher. Four stages of ethnographic research are identified: (1) open-ended, inductive study; (2) structured observation; (3) analysis; and (4) speculation and sharing of…

This paper, on the returns on investment (ROI) in training, introduces some practical examples for enterprises or organizations wanting to find out whether the money they have spent or intend to spend on training is necessary. It provides strategies for researchers who would like to undertake research in this area. The paper begins by examining…

This publication contains six essays that offer a range of practical and theoretical perspectives on work-related curriculum. It is part of the study materials for the one-semester distance education unit, Curriculum and Competencies, in the Open Campus Program at Deakin University (Australia). An introduction proposes a course design and pedagogy…

In 1989, Valmont Industries, a global manufacturer of steel lighting poles, center pivot irrigation systems, and other technologies and Metropolitan Community College began to work closely to address the basic skills training needs of Valmont workers. This partnership provided a unique educational opportunity for both Valmont employees and the…

A study explored current practice in organizing and resourcing training and development (T&D) using survey responses from over 100 major private and public sector employers and case studies of T&D functions in 6 organizations. Business drivers for T&D were senior management as customers; diagnosis of training as "the…

Training plays a major role in learning organizations. Training is an important tool for developing a productive workforce and fine-tuning operations, a major approach to helping people control or manage change, and a way of organizing information and experience so that employees can alter their behaviors on the job to their own and the company's…

This monograph focuses on job training delivered through employer-sponsored cooperative apprenticeships with the community college. Following an introduction, chapter 2 looks at job training and cooperative apprenticeships, including recent legislative efforts to promote linkages and cooperative apprenticeships through tech prep initiatives.…