In order to provide students with demand-driven skills that will set them up for career success, the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and state businesses collaborated to create the Simulated Workplace--powerful learning environments that transform the traditional classroom into student led companies that replicate real-world work…

A study was conducted in Minnesota to identify generic knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) that are germane to all of the fields of vocational education--that all students will need for future roles in the family and work force. The research consisted of a review of the literature pertaining to generic skills needed for work and a validation…

The State of New Jersey has proposed moving its competency test of basic skills from the 9th to the 11th grade, in order to allow for more content learning, more maturity, and more test-taking skills on the part of students. Since vocational students are more likely than other students to score low on the basic skills competency test, having the…

After 2 years of a 5-year pilot project to develop approaches to strengthen basic competencies of students enrolled in vocational programs in Oklahoma, two of the projects were reviewed. The study sought to: (1) document the incidence and level of basic skills instruction, along with the teaching methods and materials used, in the vocational and…

Ohio's commitment to vocational education is stronger than ever. Vocational education programs in Ohio reflect the fact that not all high school graduates go on to higher education; job training programs offered in Ohio schools provide young people with marketable job skills. To determine these skills, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) makes…

Specific administrative and legislative steps are recommended for action by the government of the State of Hawaii. The recommendations are related to the following responsibilities of the State: (1) to promote occupational training and skill development programs appropriate to the State's needs and resources, (2) to encourage a program of useful…

A survey was conducted of Colorado secondary career and technical programs in 1995 to gauge how the state has responded to mandates of the Carl Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1990. Results were reported for the first three of nine standards developed by a statewide committee in 1992. The three standards require secondary programs…

An evaluation was conducted to describe Tech Prep prototypes as they have been implemented in five sites in Indiana and to determine the effectiveness of the programs. Tech Prep is a curriculum initiative that: is performance based, provides students with skills necessary to gain employment or to pursue further education upon high school…

This final report of a commission appointed by the Governor of New Jersey to investigate skill training, job preparation, and education of inmates of the state correctional institutions discusses these areas in relation to the inmate's entry, confinement, and departure. The first section of the report, Classification, points out the need for…

The Texas Skills Development Program (TSDP) is a key long-term strategy of the Smart Jobs initiative that will assist Texas business, industry, and labor in conveying job skill requirements to the public education and training system. Employers feel that job applicants do not have the basic reading, writing, and computation skills they need. TSDP…

This study examines the intent and operation of postsecondary education linkages with business and industry. Following an introduction, chapter II describes the Industry Services Training Program, which provides occupational training for jobs created by new, expanding, and diversified industry, and the Sunshine State Skills Program, which helps to…

A survey was conducted of Colorado postsecondary career and technical programs in 1995 to gauge how the state has responded to mandates of the Carl Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1990. Results were reported for the first three of nine standards developed by a statewide committee in 1992. The three standards require postsecondary…

New York State's New Ventures program, a comprehensive 21- to 24-week career exploration and job skills training program to help low-income women prepare for economic self-sufficiency through employment in higher-paying nontraditional occupations, was evaluated through a 5-year formative outcomes-based evaluation process. Program data (including…

This project presented a conceptual model for adapting with change and the strategies and procedures for introducing change skills instruction into vocational programs to groups of vocational educators and administrators at sites throughout Illinois. Following the presentations, the project directors solicited feedback from the persons who…

A task force examined New York State's role in providing resources and information to employers desiring to upgrade the skills of their current workers. The following were the task force's 12 major findings: (1) upgrading the skills of New York's existing work force is vital to the state's economic future; (2) all workers need opportunities for…