A solid body of empirical research supports the view that educational level is strongly related to occupational attainment. In the final analysis, however, it appears that although education does lead to a better job, how much better is determined by one's gender and race. Research on the relative need for training in basic, general employability…

Employers expect their employees to have basic skills in reading, writing, and math; speaking and listening skills; problem-solving ability; employability skills; reasoning skills; leadership skills; computer literacy; interpersonal skills; ability-to-learn/learning-how-to-learn skills; and collaborative/teamwork skills. How well do employers…

Communication, mathematics, science, and vocational skills are critical to an individual's career progression, but they do not guarantee job success. Many employers believe that employability skills are of primary importance. Because of the changing nature of today's employment picture, employers need creative, flexible workers who have a broad…

Many handicapped workers fail in competitive employment situations for social reasons rather than for the inability to perform required work tasks. Such individuals are usually those who need to be trained under conditions more closely matching those of the workplace. Thus, work-related social skills should be taught, at least in part, in work…

Employers believe high school graduates have inadequate reading, writing, math, thinking, and communication skills. A declining number of good jobs for first-time workers can be attributed to employers' focus on retraining their remaining employees or in recruiting skilled and otherwise qualified workers who were laid off because of other…

Parents have a major influence on their children's attitudes toward work and life. Handicapped youth, who have more difficulty than other youth in making the transition from school to work and adult life, have a special need for parental guidance. Parents can play key roles in transition, especially in the areas of career exploration, job search…

Career counseling in secondary schools is important for all students, but it is especially critical for students with learning disabilities. This digest describes how making developmental career counseling a focus in secondary schools contributes to the success of youth with learning disabilities in post-school employment. These students show…

Many educators believe the role of vocational education is to prepare students for work in a given trade or vocational area with the focus on job skill training. Some contend vocational education should concentrate more broadly on all aspects of students' career development, including lifelong learning, employability, and cognitive skills. One way…

This document reports on the major activities carried out and the major findings produced by the Counseling for High Skills Project. Using a customer satisfaction approach, data were collected from 39,940 currently enrolled students in 2,145 programs in 361 postsecondary institutions in 14 states. The study examined what kinds of persons enroll in…

In many respects, career education has never been needed more than it is today. The need to keep abreast of technological change and to participate effectively in today's high-performance workplace requires each worker to possess a set of basic competencies and a foundation of skills and personal qualities. The competencies, foundation skills, and…

Researchers have long debated on whether note-taking results in improved student performance on tests. Over the years, researchers have tried to verify that note-taking helps students "encode" the information involved and that notes are valuable as materials for review. C. C. Crawford's 1925 study concluded that taking notes was better…

This digest is intended to help parents and educators assist with the development of leadership attitudes and skills in gifted youth. The relative lack of interest in leadership despite its designation as a talent area in definitions of giftedness for state and federal policies requiring differentiated programs is listed. Characteristics of gifted…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational approach that challenges students to "learn to learn"--students work cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to real-world problems and, more importantly, to develop skills to become self-directed learners. PBL is unique in its integral emphasis on core content along with problem solving.…

The gap between existing skills and desired or required skills is the impetus for the development of business/industry standards. Professional associations have taken the initiative in setting skill standards; state licensing exams are used to certify workers in some occupations. An impending work force crisis has triggered a demand for…

Quality system awards offer blueprints for assessing quality in vocational education as well as in business and industry. The three most prestigious awards recognizing quality improvement in business and industry are the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, Deming Application Prize, and ISO 9000 Registration. When comparing standards for the quality…