A recent survey of retailing firms, ranging from single stores to nationwide chains, showed that the most significant human resources challenge facing these organizations is how to attract and retain qualified employees. Faced with the many changes in the retailing industry and in the composition of the work force that have taken place over the…

Many work-bound youths have poor work habits and poor basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. Many work-bound youths, especially minorities and females, spend their first years after school unemployed or job hopping, with consequent loss of training and productivity. These problems are becoming more serious because minorities and…

This document is the product of working groups of representatives from industry, business, associations, labor, and education who studied the types and levels of occupational competencies necessary for entry and sustained productive employment in the chemistry-based technology industry and in agribusiness. Representatives of both industries…

The Special Task Force for Economic Development Planning developed a long-term strategy to revitalize Mississippi's economy and help it become globally competitive. Input was gathered through regional conferences attended by more than 500 business and community leaders, a survey of approximately 8,000 Mississippi employers, and focus group…

A study was conducted in Illinois to determine the perceptions of "grassroots" personnel who have responsibility for administering programs authorized under both the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act. Questionnaires were mailed to regional delivery system directors, community college…

Seven job-related basic skills identified as skills employers want are as follows: (1) learning to learn; (2) reading, writing, and computation; (3) oral communication and listening; (4) creative thinking and problem solving; (5) personal management, including self-esteem, goal setting, motivation, and personal and career development; (6) group…

A study ascertained the perceptions that affect coordination between Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and vocational education. Questionnaires were completed by 184 individuals representing JTPA staff from service delivery areas (SDAs), vocational education staff from regional delivery systems (RDSs), community college staff, and state agency…

Elements of the "American dream" are adequate housing, education for one's children, and a secure retirement. Economic growth has long been seen as a way to realize the dream. Recent data indicate that achieving the dream and succeeding in the labor market have become more difficult due to sluggish productivity growth, increased competition from…

This report of the Illinois Council on Vocational Education for 1987-88 is 1 in a series of 25 technical reports prepared to fulfill mandates of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act. It focuses on policies needed to strengthen vocational education programs, specifically the Illinois State Board of Education's education for employment…

Predicated on the notion that workers will need to transfer new skills to a variety of situations, this document is intended to teach industrial trainers in Britain how people learn and how to train individuals to become independent learners as well as capable performers of specific job skills. The first section of the book is a mixture of…

This document reports on a 2.5 day workshop that trained 23 middle managers from Wisconsin school districts in developing and using information on trends relevant to vocational, technical, and adult education (VTAE) program planning, including trends in technology, the labor market, demographics, and education. A nine-page description covers the…

Following a message from the president of the college and a review of the college's mission, this master plan for Johnson County Community College presents a series of six challenges facing the college and the policy directions and responses which the college has prepared to deal with these challenges. Each response is followed by a series of…

When President Reagan took office in January 1981, the federal government had a four-fold function in public secondary and elementary education that included financing high-cost programs of overriding national significance and advancing the cause of civil rights throughout the nation. According to Reagan's "new federalism," the role of…

A study examined existing provisions for educational leaves for employees in various countries throughout Europe and the impact of any such existing provisions on labor market development. Present provisions for educational leave in the countries studied appeared to have a worker withdrawal effect that was generally well under 0.1 percent of the…

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) used its $105 million appropriation for fiscal year 1987 to support three major program areas in the 13 state region: (1) creating and retaining regional jobs; (2) assisting in construction of basic facilities, particularly water and sewer systems, in the region's 90 poorest counties; and (3) working…