The demand for paraprofessionals trained to work in the special education of the handicapped is rapidly increasing, especially due to the impact of Public Law 94-192 which requires that individualized educational programs be provided for handicapped children. To help meet this need, a model program called PEG is being developed in New Jersey. Its…

A study to examine policies governing educational assistance plans for hourly and salaried employees in selected nongovernmental organizations in Ontario is reviewed. In the first of five chapters, educational assistance is defined as tuition aid and paid/unpaid educational leave plans to assist employees in pursuing education and training through…

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE SEMINAR WERE TO PROMOTE THE USE OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION IN ALL VOCATIONAL SERVICES AND TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES OF INTERSERVICE TRAINING FOR OCCUPATIONS REQUIRING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FROM SEVERAL AREAS. IT WAS ATTENDED BY OVER 110 STATE LEADERS FROM 41 STATES. THE GUIDELINES ARE ORGANIZED IN FIVE GROUPS DEALING WITH THE…

As part of its ongoing efforts to improve further education (FE) in the United Kingdom, the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) developed a model for FE colleges that see their core purpose as meeting the needs of business and industry as distinct form colleges with a mission to serve the needs of the community or prepare young people…

This monograph, written for persons interested in promoting company-funded workplace basic skills programs, addresses the following 13 key issues: (1) companies' rationale for investing in workers' basic skills; (2) the factors that need to be in place for a workplace basic skills program to be adopted; (3) who in the company makes the decision to…

To address the findings of the Kirby Review (that early school leaving is motivated by a desire for work and lack of interest in school), a new qualification, the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) was introduced on a trial basis in 2002. The Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE (NMIT) Youth Unit offers programs at three northern…

This brief provides information about the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, how it will be implemented in the greater Phoenix, Arizona, area, and the program's relevance to business. The brief also discusses the current work force development system, including information on these five areas of interest: (1) what the literature says about…

This document describes a work-based learning approach designed to integrate work and learning at the workplace and thereby help young people develop the skills required for changing workplaces. The following considerations in designing work-based programs are discussed: the trend toward high performance workplaces and changes in the way work is…

This guide, which is one of a series of three guides designed to provide state and local leaders, policymakers, practitioners, and other stakeholders with information about the work-based learning component of the School to Work Opportunities Act, deals with occupational education. The introduction traces the history of school-to-work initiatives,…

The Australian engineering company, Jaques, and Swinburne University of Technology conducted a joint project to write more than 190 operating instructions for the company's 77 employees. First, the university's Workplace Skills Unit (WSU) interviewed 75 production workers to identify their language, literacy, and training needs. The WSU negotiated…

The Alliance for Workforce Skills (AWS), a public/private partnership, provided adult basic skills training to employed and unemployed men and women in the Greater Hartford area. Many goals were not met, due in large part to the massive downturn in the Hartford economy. Only one of the four sponsoring corporations was still an active AWS partner…

This two-part document contains the final report (part 1) and the model curriculum (part 2) of the Workplace Basic Skills project at Burke Mills, Inc., North Carolina. Part 1, the final report, discusses the design, implementation, and operation of a project to identify a yarn manufacturer's skill needs, assess prospective employees' basic skills,…

A study assessed the needs of Wisconsin single parents, homemakers, and displaced homemakers and identified barriers they encounter in obtaining education, training, and employment. A total of 770 new participants from 15 vocational/technical colleges responded to the written survey; 335 responded to the program completers' survey; 15 lead staff…

This 3-year follow-up report describes actions taken by the Illinois Council on Vocational Education (ICoVE) during 1989, 1990, and 1991. It addresses the 66 suggestions and 56 recommendations of 9 technical reports (spanning 1987 and 1988) related to special populations. Recommendations from 1987-88 and follow-up actions are reported on the…

This document explains the concept of sectoral employment strategies and profiles 13 successful work force development programs based on such strategies. The first half of the document examines the increasing need for sectoral employment strategies and their key characteristics, role in achieving systemic change in work organizations, and…