An analysis of office work (OW) highlights the relationship between formal vocational qualifications and tacit knowledge gained through experience. In OW, "abstracted" skills (typewriting, correspondence) and theory are taught in schools out of their practical context and can become obsolete because of technological change. Some types of…

A systems approach to changing labor market performance requires a substantial and enduring commitment to the task of change. A systems reform framework has been developed that is based on a dual-customer approach, with a focus on improving labor market outcomes for both low-income people and their employers. The objective is to change the labor…

This first volume of a two-volume publication provides an analytical overview of main questions emerging from recent European research and development projects related to the learning organization. Chapter 1 provides context for the European learning organization challenge and presents four main messages arising from the learning organization…

The informal learning practices of bank branch workers were examined in a study of a major Canadian bank. The study included ethnographic fieldwork and secondary analysis of a national survey of branch workers' learning practices during the introduction of a new financial services software system. Activity theory was used to examine workers'…

This paper explores educational stratification of unemployment in early labor market career; its institutional embeddedness in specific education and employment systems; and youth unemployment in France (F), the United Kingdom (UK), and West Germany (G), which greatly differ relative to major institutional characteristics of education systems and…

In 1997, a skills task force began a 2-year process of gathering input from English employers and post-16 education and training practitioners and formulating a national skills agenda. The agenda's goals included instilling a culture of lifelong learning in the United Kingdom, better anticipating the evolving skill requirements of employment, and…

The following papers are included: "Editorial" (Heribert Hinzen); "Skills and Literacy Training for Better Livelihoods: A Review of Approaches and Experiences" (John Oxenham, Abdoul Hamid Diallo, Anne Ruhweza Katahoire, Anna Petkova-Mwangi, Oumar Sall); "'Learning to Read Woke Me Up!': Motivations, and Constraints, in…

This publication describes resources and processes that are a catalyst for discussion and action for local workforce investment partners--employers, training providers, and workers--to plan and implement regional career ladder programs. Section 1 discusses career ladders and uses. Section 2 describes how to build an industry career ladder or…

This report presents the second phase of a 4-year study commissioned by the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) to examine the dynamics of Vocational Education and Training (VET). Ten case studies, most involving rural or indigenous communities, are presented, each illustrating an aspect of VET. Twenty-six findings and implications for…

This Community Perspective Series document includes statements about young people in the new economy of Toronto made by three participants in the October 2000 annual general meeting of the Toronto Training Board. "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the New Economy" (Olivia Chow) suggests that training programs available to young people are…

This document, which lists the middle school content competencies for the Work and Family Studies curriculum within Family and Consumer Sciences in Ohio, is intended to help middle school students develop self-responsibility and competence dealing with the practical problems of early adolescence. (Career awareness and career choice options are…

This document profiles 10 European programs that exemplify good practice in building skills and qualifications among employees of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The programs profiled are as follows: (1) TRICTSME (a program providing World Wide Web-based information and communication technologies training for SMEs in manufacturing); (2)…

Generic skills--skills that apply across a variety of jobs and life contexts--are taking on increased importance in Australia and internationally. There is a high demand for generic skills in the workplace because employers seek to ensure business success by recruiting and retaining employees who have a variety of skills and personal attributes as…

The following are expectations about employer-provided training: (1) the incentive to provide general training arises largely because of transaction costs in the labor market, despite adding value to a worker's productivity when working for a range of employers; (2)employers sponsor training in specific skills since they are likely to reap the…

This final report describes activities of the 4-year federally-funded Minnesota DeafBlind Assistance Project in meeting the following objectives: (1) provide technical assistance throughout the state; (2) deliver training to improve transitions from school to adult life for youth with deaf-blindness; (3) develop and implement procedures to locate…