In this paper, the authors first discuss the Neumark and Troske piece, and then compare the U.S. context to that in Europe and Korea, as described by the Caspar, Hartwig, and Moench and the Cho and Shin contributions. Although they are in basic agreement with Neumark and Troske on the extent and depth of the current employment situation, they…

This study examined the current state of online occupational programs in community colleges and explored issues related to institutional, economic, and social indicators that influence (a) the offering of online programs and (b) the programmatic connection to workforce development needs. The study is based on a random sample of 321 institutions in…

Looking beyond institutional strategies, the National Commission on Adult Literacy (2008) called for legislation that would make workforce preparation the primary goal of adult education, including addressing education for unemployed and lower-skilled workers, and other adult groups historically underserved by higher education. Further, state…

The field of children's services in Australia is currently undergoing significant change. For example, the current implementation of the Early Years Reform Agenda encompasses the development of National Quality Standards, which promote a strong focus on workforce development. As a consequence, practitioners in this sector are being required to…

Thirty years after pro-market policies were first adopted, how best to organize Chile's scientific enterprise remains as elusive as when universities were state-run and funded. This paper explores scientific research at a for-profit university, University Andres Bello, to ask if a new mode of knowledge production is in the making and with what…

Purpose: This study sets out to investigate the e-learning participation and completion phenomenon in the US corporate HRD online communities and to explore determinants of e-learning completion. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the HRD Learning Participation Theory (LPT), this study takes a two-stage approach. Stage one adopts an interview…

The role of research in university institutions whose primary task is to provide teaching remains ambiguous and controversial. In principle, all university teaching is based on pertinent research. However, for some university units, such as language centres, the basic tasks, and consequently their funding, are very often defined in a manner which…

This paper offers a broad overview of vocational education in Singapore. Looking at vocational education from Independence, it argues that the development of a skilled labour force was not only crucial in the age of globalisation and the dominance of multinational companies, but also an empirical litmus test of the newly elected post-colonial…

In 2011, the Harvard Graduate School of Education released "Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century." The report argued that the current education system was too narrowly focused on the goal of preparing all young people to pursue a four-year college or university degree immediately…

This group of tables are a companion to the report: "The Annual Condition of Iowa's Community Colleges 2014." Information is provided here in tabulated format on the following broad subject areas: (1) Fall Enrollment; (2) Fiscal Year Credit Enrollment and Demographics; (3) Online Credit Enrollment and Demographics; (4) Joint Enrollment…

Purpose: The main aims of this paper are to determine the extent to which experienced traders in investment banks based in London are learning by informal methods, which methods are to the fore, and whether HRD staff are providing support for informal learning. It also seeks to find evidence that such investment banks were attempting to become…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore, drawing on the author's experience, the role of human resource development (HRD) in developing individuals, teams and communities. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a critically reflective methodology rooted in the research practice of the author working alongside communities in the UK.…

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to examine the meaning and value of the notion of theory as a basis for other papers in the special issue which examine facets of theorising HRD. Design/methodology/approach: A small scale and targeted literature review was conducted which focused on writings in the philosophy and sociology of science in order to…

As health care providers, patients, and employers adjust to the changes related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which promises to extend medical coverage to thirty million previously uninsured Americans, community colleges are gearing up to keep pace with rising economic and societal demands for medical and allied health…

Higher education systems around the globe are experimenting with different strategies to foster internationalization and networking, achieve critical research mass, and strengthen innovation and labour market integration. This paper discusses how Portugal, since 2006, has pursued a distinctive international collaborative strategy to induce…