Inter-firm cooperation has emerged as a key element of competitive business strategy. Firms improve mutual understanding of their complementary competencies and combine them in better ways; improve access to new markets and advanced technologies; and learn more fully and quickly from each other. Challenges of work force development (WFD) can be…

This five-section paper describes how the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, the largest system of higher education in the state, determines what degree programs will be created, based on needs for workers in various occupations in the state. The paper begins by discussing why connecting demographic trends, learner segments,…

The quantitative relationship between factors previously identified as affecting the extent and intensity of training within organizations was explored through a survey of companies in Australia's entertainment and process manufacturing sectors. A self-completion questionnaire was mailed first to a sample of 446 companies across Australia (112 of…

This document contains 19 papers and case studies, in English and Korean, from a conference on national strategies for developing human resources through technical and vocational education and training. The following are representative: "The Need to Innovate and Optimize Resources [Keynote]" (Wataru Iwamoto); "School to Work…

Diversity in BC schools is an overarching concept that reflects a philosophy of equitable participation and an appreciation of the contributions of all people. It is a concept that refers both to our uniqueness as individuals and to our sense of belonging or identification within a group or groups. Diversity refers to the ways in which we differ…

This book, which focuses on actual practitioners' experiences, outlines a systematic approach to improving individual workers' performance as part of an overall strategy for organizational change. Frameworks are provided for conceptualizing and implementing exemplary training practices. In addition, steps in achieving the practices and pitfalls to…

With accelerating technology in the workplace, worker training has become a key component of almost every corporation's long-range strategic plan. Almost all companies provide some form of training in computer operations to new and existing employees, and more than 90 percent of companies also provided a range of management, leadership, and…

This publication offers a summary overview of initiatives to promote lifelong education and training that have actually been implemented in various European countries. Six chapters describe initiatives that are supporting and promoting lifelong learning, either at a European or national level, in accordance with the six key messages (KMs) spelled…

This guide is intended to bring all the policy and tools approved by the Pennsylvania State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB) into a single reference for local workforce investment board (LWIB) members involved in chartering. Part 1 lists the guiding principles and benefits of Team Pennsylvania CareerLink, which is Pennsylvania's one-stop system.…

This study describes and analyzes certain population, labor, and education issues in oil monarchies of the Persian Gulf. The countries profiled are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (also known as the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries). Since the discovery of oil, these countries transformed themselves…

This publication is a reference document meant to accompany other National Skill Standards Board (NSSB) publications that describe the development of skill standards, including Built to Work: A Common Framework for Skill Standards. This companion guide provides the NSSB Complexity Rating Skill Scales. Chapter 1 explains briefly how this tool fits…

A research project studied Canadian organizations that are using informal organizational learning approaches to embed ongoing learning within the actual work processes. Five organizations that self-identified as learning organizations at mature stages of development were studied in depth. No organization was a paragon of organizational learning.…

This guide is designed to assist countries in the Eastern Caribbean region in assessing their needs for vocational-technical training. It discusses needs assessment from an economy-wide perspective; needs assessments within a company are addressed briefly. The guide describes in detail each of the eight broad phases involved in conducting a…

This document summarizes a comparative analysis of the interconnections between technological and socioeconomic developments in agriculture and rural development, human capital formation, and social systems in the 13 candidate countries (CCs) for admission into the European Union (EU) and in the 15 countries of the EU. Specific topics considered…

This field-tested training packet, which was designed for adult literacy providers, contains preparation materials, facilitator's notes, handout masters, and transparency masters for two 3-hour sessions on learning disabilities (LD) in the workplace. (At the end of the first session supported by the packet, participants will be able to do the…