Hiring people with a higher-level education is an increasingly urgent priority for business. This is because our economy and the world of work is changing, making more flexible and new routes to higher-level education more important than ever. The Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) most recent education and skills survey found as a result…

The apprenticeship movement is reshaping skills, policies, and programs in the United States at a critical moment in our country's history. This reader offers a chorus of voices emanating from different countries and populations, echoing commitment to bright, sustainable workforce futures through a well-crafted approach to this talent development…

In association with Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC), Wisconsin Bell developed a specialized program called "Ready Tech" in which qualified Bell employees can earn WCTC's electronics technology associate degree. (JOW)

Suggests ways that the Job Training Partnership Act can serve as a local labor force development tool. Besides assisting "hardcore unemployed," education can take a proactive role, keeping up with the technology and needs of business and industry. In return, business and industry must support education with state-of-the-art machinery and…

Explores the relationship between vocational education and customized training; identifies the significant opportunities customized training holds for vocational education and the conditions under which those opportunities may be realizied. (JOW)

Demand is intensifying for highly skilled workers qualified for jobs in high technology companies. Training (and retraining) for these jobs is being offered and supported by various groups/programs. Discusses cooperative and federal programs, internal retraining, contract training services, and vocational school training. Examples of such programs…

Automation is a word that describes the workings of computers and the innovations of automatic transfer machines in the factory. As the hallmark of the new industrial revolution, computers displace workers and create a need for new skills and retraining programs. With improved communication between industry and the educational community to…

The author's company, Autodesk, Inc., developed and implemented a model industry-based training program for teachers of computer-aided drafting. (CH)

Identifies practices that ensure institutional success in industrial training, focusing on areas including institutional commitment, the president's role, institutional flexibility, instructor qualifications, needs assessment, five basic elements in program development, contracts, recognition of student achievement, evaluations, ongoing…

The authors report on a partnership among American Motors Corporation, United Auto Workers, and Gateway Technical College designed to recall and retrain 1,200 auto workers. The impact on American Motors Corporation and the state of Wisconsin is described. (CH)

Describes a partnership between the Licking County Joint Vocational School in Newark, Ohio, and General Motors Corporation. The school houses a remote training center for General Motors automotive technicians that also trains the school's instructors. (CH)

Private organizations and state governments are increasingly seeking out businesses with training needs they cannot fulfill themselves and finding community colleges willing to set up flexible retraining programs quickly. (MSE)

Organizational pre-retirement planning increases stress in middle-aged employees, but programs in pre-retirement education initiated by community colleges in cooperation with local companies can be very successful. (MS)

Many postsecondary technical education programs are facing obsolescence and need more than another course or piece of equipment to be effective. Educational institutions must restructure their programs, redesign their laboratories, and retrain their faculty. The business and industrial community is the direct beneficiary of a strong vocational…

Finland's largest single-company training project at the University of Helsinki aimed to create a sounder production base for the Asko Company by developing the skills, creativity, and attitudes of all 2,000 employees. The project was conceived as an alternative to drastic employee layoffs. (MSE)