A study to determine the effects of free counseling services and a program of subsidies for the direct costs of education and training revealed that the subsidies did induce increased school attendance, and both counseling and training affected labor supply. However, no subsequent effects of increased human capital have been found. (LRA)

To relieve the increasing shortage of skilled workers in the United Kingdom, the government established boards to stimulate and regulate private industry's training efforts and also provided direct training services in Skillcentres (formerly Government Training Centres). The article describes the Skillcentres program, training objectives, program…

The paper presents the policy of the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission to actively promote equal employment opportunities for women, discusses the author's role as women's employment coordinator in the Ontario region, and provides information about industrial and institutional programs to train women for nontraditional jobs through…

Describes a master's program in human resource development that uses experiential learning, transfer of learning, and team learning theories to maximize students' transfer of their formal training to the workplace. Activities include individual and group analysis papers and a team project. Students have found the group and experiential practice…

This article argues that metropolitan universities are well suited to respond to workforce development and maintenance needs, and ways in which institutions can gather the information needed to target their response are examined. A Northern Illinois University study is offered as an example of such an effort. The role of metropolitan universities…

Reviews the history of two-year colleges in Alabama, arguing that the colleges lack a focus on mission and purpose and have not generally met the state's need for a technically trained workforce. Describes initiatives of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, formed to develop linkages between colleges and industry. (AJL)

Six articles and case studies examine continuing education in the United Kingdom. Highlights include vocational education and training; the Professional, Industrial and Commercial Updating Programme (PICKUP); retraining in software engineering; Higher Introductory Technology and Engineering Conversion Course (HITECC); training needs in…

A unique partnership between Empire State College (New York) and the New York telephone company is offered as an example of a new educational model. The program enables company employees to earn associate and baccalaureate degrees while working full-time. Such partnerships are seen as helping rebuild the competence of the American workforce.…

Asserts that the Russian educational system is facing a crisis of confidence among its teachers and students regarding employment opportunities after leaving secondary education. Calls for educational reform in curriculum and instructional methods that can provide periodic retraining as economic changes occur. (CFR)

Discusses the impact of technological change on the technical and "employability" skills required of the modern labor force. Outlines specific content and faculty upgrading areas that general education programs should address to meet workforce needs. Discusses the current crisis in vocational education and the relationship between general…

Presents the proposals to improve workforce preparation from the report "America's Choice": (1) require attainment of high national standards of educational performance; (2) create learning environment that ensures this attainment; (3) establish professional certifications for non-college bound persons; (4) have employers allocate 1 percent of…

Two periods in British higher education are compared for the approaches taken to widening educational access. It is concluded that government policy in the postwar period emphasized expansion for the purposes of labor force development, whereas more recent expansion policy reflects a government commitment to greater accountability and social…

Includes 26 articles on increasing workforce quality and competitiveness, the primary task of employment and training professionals. Looks at the larger picture, strategies, and decentralized national employment and training programs internationally. Examines debate over research methods, national research, and state and local efforts. Includes…

In China, lifelong learning has a long history--as a way to prepare for traditional civil examinations, which opened opportunities for social mobility and, later, to train the adult workforce to meet national economic objectives. In Shanghai, adult education has recently become essential for adapting the workforce to rapid economic change, but…

Uses the examples of remedial education, K-16 initiatives, and workforce preparation to illustrate how these values influence higher education policy at community colleges. Policymakers should recognize that these values may conflict, therefore leading to controversy. States that cultural/social values dominating the development of educational…