A Job Training Partnership Act-funded reading, writing, mathematics, and cooperative learning program for 83 participants aged 14-21 was evaluated with pre- and postassessments. Program strengths identified were emphasis on a workplace atmosphere, structure with flexibility, variety in grouping procedures, computer-assisted writing, and outside…

A JTPA/FEL (Job Training Partnership Act/Family English Literacy) demonstration project is reported that involves a partnership between the Lao Family Community (LFC) of Minnesota, the City of St. Paul, and St. Paul Public Schools/Adult Basic Education. The goal is to provide workplace literacy instruction to refugees with limited English…

The 1990 U.S. Department of Labor Survey (DOL) of Workplace Literacy (WL) assessed the WL levels of applicants eligible for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) training and of job seekers in Employment Service/Unemployment Insurance (ES/UI) programs. Data from the survey, including WL proficiency scores and data concerning respondents'…

This document discusses reasons for the current interest in workplace literacy and describes existing training for the workplace. Among the reasons for the interest in workplace literacy are changing demographics, which are altering the composition of the labor force, and changes such as the demise of the factory model in the workplace itself and…

The Older Worker Readiness Program, a demonstration program funded by the Kentucky Department for Employment Services during 1987-88, developed three centers to provide a combination of job search skills and literacy skills for individuals over 54 who want to enter the work force. A job placement component eventually was put in place for…

This digest analyzes information from two recently completed national surveys to determine the extent to which various vocational education programs improve employment opportunities in the United States. The impact of a General Educational Development (GED) certificate on workers' wages is also analyzed. Data are from the 1992 National Adult…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Congress have improved the quality, effectiveness, and integrity of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). A basic skills improvement program funded by the DOL was implemented in two Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, worksites. Several implications for managing the changes within JTPA related…

This document reports how the Council of State Policy and Planning Agencies (CSPA) Academy process helped nine states develop workplace literacy initiatives involving their governors' offices, the Job Training Partnership Act system, and the educational system. The states were Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee,…

A comprehensive assessment of the literacy proficiencies of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and Employment Service/Unemployment Insurance (ES/UI) participants was conducted by the Department of Labor. The survey responses of a sample of 2,501 JTPA applicants and 3,277 ES/UI participants were scored, weighted, analyzed, and used to develop a…

A need for remediation has been increasingly apparent within vocational education and job-related skill training. The current debates about basic skills and literacy reveal ambiguities in the definition of the problem and the focus of the concern. Telephone questionnaires and program visits provided information about remedial offerings within…

The Workplace Skills Enhancement Project was provided by the Seattle-King County Private Industry Council in Partnership with the Employment Opportunities Center and the Refugee Federation Service Center. Of the 150 participants in the program, 137 were Asian. Workplace literacy training was generally advertised as a voluntary program available to…

These Congressional hearings contain testimony regarding options for restructuring the federal employment and training system. Representatives of the following agencies and organizations provided testimony at the hearings: National Commission on Employment Policy; Health, Education and Human Services Division, Education and Employment Issues, U.S.…