A General Accounting Office study examined strategies used to prepare youth for employment in the United States and four competitor nations and found that other countries have higher expectations of students, invest heavily in education and training, have national training standards, and have higher literacy rates among young adults. (JOW)

Technical-vocational education increasingly carries the burden of providing the needed labor force for the attainment of an industrialized economy. More collaboration is necessary to implement the best possible programs, strengthen intellectual and development, and promote their relevance to national development. (Author/JOW)

Includes "National Education Goals/America 2000: The Budget"; "Current Status of Proposed Solutions"; "America 2000: An Education Strategy"; "America 2000 Questions and Answers; "Bottom-up Reform from the Top Down" (Chubb); and "The Federal Role Comes of Age" (Doyle). (SK)

A major surplus of food products in Europe highlights the need for development of training programs to coordinate agricultural and food industry labor needs and market considerations. These largely traditional industries are changing rapidly. Efforts currently under way are emphasizing the international dimension of the business issues and…

The job training system needs to emphasize the basic and functional skills; it needs competency standards and certifications; advanced training should be vouchered; individuals should be tracked over time; and staff development is critical. (JOW)

Higher education is under pressure to create a workforce making the United States more competitive internationally. Demographic and workforce influences are shaping teaching, support services and management. Colleges and universities should increase quality, use of technology and communications, and labor productivity and efficiency, and reduce…

Vocational-technical education can play a substantial role in work force preparation if (1) unfounded assumptions are avoided; (2) supply/demand information is improved; and (3) equity effects of different policy options are examined. More educated trainees often benefit more from training than less educated ones. (SK)

Comparison of national policies in South Korea, Singapore, and Britain to respond to low-skills equilibria (self-reinforcing institutions that stifle demand for skill improvements) shows that different responses stem from national differences in supply/demand and the differential impact of globalization due to the individual economic and social…

Discusses free agent learners--those who take responsibility for self-directed learning--and offers recommendations related to the problems of recruiting, developing, and retaining competent workers in a period of labor market shortages and rapid technological change. (JOW)

Top-ranked competencies for graduate education in human resources development (HRD) identified by 55 (of 195) HRD practitioners were adult learning, presentation, facilitation, needs assessment, and human relations. Seven of the top 10 were allied with adult education graduate program content. (SK)

Britain's University for Industry is proposed as a 21st-century version of the Open University, intended to stimulate training innovations through a national learning network using communications technologies. It is likely to succeed only by sponsoring a demand-led training culture and an accessible infrastructure. (SK)

Describes Forsyth Technical Community College's (North Carolina) CareersNOW! Partnership that fosters cooperative development of a training program directly linked to current job openings and responsive to state and federal mandates for the state's "working poor." Discusses the workforce development process, program impact, enhancing student…

Combining key components with an innovative can-do approach will result in an effective education and training program for adult learners. Components include partnerships with local businesses, unique scheduling, alternative delivery methods, and training faculty in curriculum integration methodologies. (JOW)

This chapter addresses the contradictions inherent to working at the confluence of human resource development and adult education, as well as the opportunity for transformation in the workplace.

Workforce development grants and contracts are important methods for sustaining financial support for community colleges. This chapter details decision factors, college issues, possible pitfalls, and methods for procuring and handling government contracts and grants for workforce training.