Increasingly, companies are dropping four-year degree requirements in job postings, favoring skill-based requirements--such as communication and writing--instead. These types of nonacademic "soft skills" are viewed as essential for employment--employers consistently cite these abilities as among the most valuable in job applicants, yet…

This guide is one of a series of publications that the National Alliance of Business is providing to stimulate and sustain U.S. business efforts to restructure public education in order to make it more responsive to the changing requirements of the modern workplace. This publication provides business people with some of the tools that will help…

A project was initiated (1) to improve internal communications among various vocational education providers within the River Hills Region (Indiana), (2) to improve external communication among providers and users of products of vocational education, and (3) to incorporate vocational education information into regional planning efforts. Local…

Employer-sponsored career development programs can be a vital force for increasing productivity, reducing employee turnover, and insuring that an organization has a pool of motivated employees from which to draw new talent. However, none of these benefits can occur unless organizations undertake initiation of career development programs according…

To determine the need for a v"terinary aide training program, a study was conducted to: (1) discover the need for trained veterinary aides, (2) ascertain the type and extent of training needed, and (3) provide a sound basis for developing a post-secondary training program. Responses to mailed survey instruments were received from 159 of 500…

A project was set up to investigate the issues arising in relation to the training needs of companies involved in major economic developments (MEDs) in Great Britain. Two major developments were studied: Stansted Airport and the Dartford International Ferry Terminal. Companies involved in each MED were identified and contacted by mailed…

This manual provides guidelines for developing and implementing employee educational programs with the cooperation of unions and management. It establishes the need for such programs by explaining the current and future demographics of the workplace, then suggests ways to determine the need for education in any particular company. Information…

This document describes a case study of a competency-based vocational education (CBVE) project. An introduction outlines the nature of CBVE and places it in the context of vocational competence. This section also describes a rationale for how CBVE relates to the individual, to access, and to the recognition of previous learning. The features and…

This study was conducted to assess how the Hartford Area Vocational Center could work with area employers to increase the occupational skill readiness of currently employed workers. A total of 1,381 employers in Vermont and New Hampshire were surveyed through a mailed questionnaire, with a return rate of 518 employers (38 percent). Most employed…

In order to determine if occupationally-oriented curriculums in home economics should be developed at the post-secondary level in Oklahoma, three groups of people were interviewed: (1) managers of business establishments and supervisors of child care agencies, (2) administrators and instructors of home economics courses, and (3) students enrolled…

Career development has become very pertinent for adult educators inasmuch as career development programs have been shown to increase effectiveness and efficiency in the field of adult education. Career development programs can vary widely in their content, approach, and philosophy. Various theories have been proposed to explain career development.…

This project was begun to explore the feasibility of instituting a personnel exchange program for vocational education--at both the secondary and postsecondary levels--and business and industry in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Following a literature search for other programs and interviews with representatives of business and industry and of…

Open entry/open exit refers to formats and procedures which allow learners to enter a program whenever they are ready and available, and allows them to leave or complete programs when competencies for job entry are attained. This study sought to provide base data on the concept of open entry/open exit by surveying involved individuals and to…

Quality circles (QCs) are small volunteer groups of workers who meet weekly with a trained leader operating to a strict code of conduct. They use techniques of brainstorming, cause and effect classification, pareto analysis, and presentation to consider work-related problems and recommend solutions to management. QCs have been tried in educational…