While the COVID-19 pandemic has led to high unemployment rates overall, low-wage workers have been hit particularly hard. It is likely that many of the jobs lost as a result of the current recession will never return, even as new jobs are created. Some job seekers may have to learn new skills so they can find employment in a new field. Sector…

This report from JFF with a select group of community college practitioners, makes the case for policymakers, employers and practitioners to invest in and strengthen short-term credentialing programs to rapidly retrain unemployed workers for better career prospects, especially workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes key commitments…

Manufacturing isn't what it used to be, and the United States must ensure its position in the world trade market by educating factory workers in new automated systems. A computer manufacturing engineer outlines the training requirements of a modern workforce and details robotic training devices suitable for classroom use. (JN)

Teachers are being reassigned outside their primary specialities because of budget cuts, declining enrollments, school closures, and teacher layoffs. This article offers guidelines for developing a program, based on one implemented in Garden City (Michigan), that serves the retraining and emotional needs of reassigned teachers. (WD)

Community colleges have moved from a period of rapid growth to one of retrenchment, in which junior faculty members are often laid off and new faculty members are not being hired. The community colleges now have an experienced faculty, most at the apex of their careers, but who, in many disciplines, do not necessarily fit student enrollment…

Notes several options for keeping practicing engineers abreast of the state of the art, including university seminars, videotape courses, and instruction via satellite. Also cites the need for engineers to be encouraged to pursue life-long professional education. (DH)

Focusing on the institutional benefits of professional development, this article discusses ways institutions can encourage staff members to maintain contemporary knowledge and skill levels and how they can retrain both administrators and teachers to undertake new assignments. (DS)

In August 1983, when the second largest employer in Washington County, Maryland, closed its plant, the local unemployment rate was 13%. The following month, Hagerstown Junior College (HJC) received $50,000 in state funds to initiate a dislocated worker (DLW) program. The program included orientation by a counselor, diagnostic testing, and…

The 1987-88 dissemination program for REPLAN (the British program to promote educational opportunities for unemployed adults) is described; examples of good practice are identified; and suggestions for future dissemination activities are offered. The advice is intended for those who develop staff and curriculum for unemployed adults, and it…

Program rationale, goals, and strategies are outlined in this description of Arizona-based centers which trained migrant workers in the use of microcomputers for business and clerical applications. Topics include the need to create new jobs for displaced farm workers, the assets farm workers bring to the business world, the training-related…

The author presents suggestions from eight vocational teachers on how to stay up-to-date on innovations in their respective fields. Their suggestions include the following: (1) attend conventions and seminars, (2) work part time in industry, (3) read, (4) network, and (5) develop a schedule for professional development. (CH)

Describes recent changes in management education in the former Soviet Union. Identifies tendencies that have arisen in educational reform: (1) short-term seminars, courses, and conferences; (2) short-term seminars featuring foreign experts; (3) new permanent educational institutions; and (4) retraining experts in new economic knowledge. Discusses…

A number of school systems are using innovative strategies to recruit the teachers they need. (MLF)

The University of Virginia's Computing Survival Skills program, begun in 1997, addresses the ongoing technology training needs of departmental staff. An overview is provided of the program's first year, including background, content, materials, certification, benefits, results, success, and future plans. Tips for designing a training program are…

Educators anticipate bold new education reform initiatives from President Bill Clinton and his Education Secretary, Richard Riley. A priority project is college tuition loans, repayable through voluntary public service jobs. The President also supports increased funding for the Head Start Program and money for a national apprenticeship program for…