America's more than 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges constitute the largest branch of higher education in the country. Two-year colleges are subjected to rigorous institutional accreditation standards and procedures by regional accrediting bodies. At least 80% of their students are already in the workforce, and they serve the…

A serious shortage of qualified health care professionals is forcing hospitals and health care agencies to undertake costly recruitment and hiring of foreign nurses and other health care professionals to meet staffing needs. Hospitals in Dade County spend from $2,900 to $20,000 per recruit, not including salary. The Health Careers Project for…

Technological change and other innovations affect the way Canadians work. These changes demand increasingly higher levels of literacy for today and for the future. Basic skills are not enough. A low level of schooling is associated with higher unemployment. People who invest in their own higher education are likely to reap the reward of higher…

A study analyzed how the oil industry in Cameroon developed and influenced the expansion, structure, and content of Cameroon's formal and nonformal education and training system. A survey of 213 employees and 8 enterprises was supplemented by a review of government reports and official published and unpublished documents. The economy of Cameroon…

This report examines ways of improving women's productivity and education and the consequences for development in Peru. The research finds that women account for about 39 percent of family income in Peru. They carry the main responsibility for child care and heavily influence family decisions on children's education and family size. Improving…

The need for higher education to plan curricula based upon generalizable human, analytical, and technical skills is discussed in view of historical and economic changes, productivity questions, demographic projections, and employment forecasts. Questions are posed regarding the form of undergraduate education that will best prepare the college…

Two approaches to private sector participation in employment and training programs for economically disadvantaged out-of-school youth (16-21 years old) are discussed in this report. The two approaches are: (1) subsidized work experience in the private sector, which tries to foster good work habits leading to employment; and (2) occupational…

A model for developing a training partnership across a three-step or three-phase sequence is outlined. The goal is to improve vocational school preparation of students and the job site training of new employees. In the first phase, the use of videotapes as a training medium is explored. A teacher and an employer analyze typical training problems…

This document reviews (1) recent trends in labor force participation and employment among young men, paying specific attention to high school dropouts and minorities because their participation and employment rates have particularly declined; (2) several potential causes for the trends (including a decline in the demand for the labor of these…

Representatives of the business community define workplace literacy according to how well informed are the spokespersons for business, how expansive is their view of the role of literacy, and the extent to which literacy bears on their firms' productivity. These elements affect business people's understanding of what constitutes workplace…

Because of a perceived lack in the development and use of evaluation procedures for vocational education in Illinois, a new evaluation system was begun in 1984. It required that at least 20 percent of funded vocational programs be evaluated annually, in compliance with requirements of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act. The evaluation…

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections of occupational employment growth have systematically underpredicted the growth of occupations that require the most education and training. The latest data on occupational growth rates show that the BLS's recent projections of occupational employment growth to the year 2000 probably suffer from…

In light of the projected growth in the percentages of women and minorities in the work force, as well as the need for increased skills among workers, a project was developed to improve recruitment and retention of women and minorities in associate degree science and engineering technology programs. The project involved on-campus…

Seven trends are emerging in the corporate training and development sector of human resource development (HRD). First, there is an increasing corporate commitment for training. Employers are viewing training today as an essential element in their competitive business strategies. Second, customer service training is becoming the competitive weapon…

Nigeria's social and economic conditions at and after independence necessitated changes in educational and employment policy. At independence, in 1960, unification and economic development were necessary to galvanize the country's direction. Control and domination of the economy by foreigners deprived the country of the development of an…