Three conditions characterize employment in France today: (1) high unemployment; (2) the importance of degrees in employment; and (3) significant differences between the sexes. The differences between national government initiatives and regional issues also are of concern. The main strategic issues facing career development focus on reducing…

The education sector of New Zealand was restructured in 1989. Career Services was created by integrating the Vocational Guidance Service and careers information functions from the Department of Labor. The goal of the Career Services is to assist in the achievement of government education, training, and employment goals through high quality…

The Department of Education and Employment is responsible for the system of education and training in England, including careers information, education, and guidance. After the age of 16, when education is no longer compulsory, young people have a variety of choices. Training is available from private and public sector providers. Career…

In the United States, three levels of government (federal, state, and local) influence the nature, structure, and delivery of career guidance and counseling. Career guidance and programs are available to individuals of all ages and circumstances. Due to the different sets of guidelines at the different levels of government, the diffuse nature of…

This packet contains three papers from a symposium on developing employee competence. The first paper, "Coaching in Organizations: Self-Assessment of Competence" (Gary N. McLean, Min-Hsun [Christine] Kuo), reports on development and pilot-testing of an instrument to identify the developmental needs of managers and peers to function more…

This book provides new insights and innovative ideas that may aid governments and educational institutions in developing programs and policy frameworks for their education and training enterprises. It consists of an opening synthesis, followed by papers presented at the December 1998 "learning.now/Skills for an Information Economy" symposium. Part…

This report presents a review and analysis of research on the internationalization of vocational education and training (VET) and provides an assessment of other research that needs to be conducted in this area. Globalization is the integration of economies worldwide through trade, trade agreements, finance, information networks, and movement of…

This report, presented by the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, proposes suggestions to the governor and legislature that would enhance the possibility of achieving proposed goals for improving workforce education and training services for the people of Alabama. The plan contains three main parts. First, that Alabama's two-year…

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Industrial Production Technology Programs in Illinois, which, according to Illinois Community College Board policy, must be reviewed at least once every five years. The disciplines included in this report are: industrial manufacturing technology, corrosion technology, plastics technology, and…

Until very recently, with the exception of adult religious education, spirituality has been given little attention in mainstream academic adult education. This may be because spirituality is difficult to define and can be confused with religion. The subject of spirituality is currently a theme in workplace and human resource development…

This report focuses on trade unions in Britain as negotiators for and providers of education and training, either alone or in partnership with employers and educational institutions. Section 1 introduces the report's aims. Section 2 gives an overview of union involvement in education and training. It also introduces the tensions within current…

This document presents the comments of the president of the North Carolina Community College System regarding economic and workforce development issues facing the community colleges. He states that North Carolina is a leading manufacturing state today in an economy that is increasingly being refocused on information-based services. From an…

This report card provides information to parents, students, faculty, staff, state policymakers, and the general public as to the quality and performance of public higher education in West Virginia. The report responds to six statutory goals that emerged from the Higher Education Advocacy Team meetings in 1992: (1) better preparing students to…

The paper discusses some policy issues facing community colleges in the 21st century: remedial education, K-16 initiatives, and workforce preparation. Identifying social needs and then determining appropriate policies to address them happens within an historical and cultural context. Within our capitalistic and democratic society, four cultural or…

This series of articles cites a variety of sources and synthesizes a number of studies on the working conditions and the welfare of workers from several countries. (SSH)