In England, vocational education and training (VET) does not exist as an institutionalized system as in Europe, where specialist institutions are tied to vocational qualifications, the labor market, and long-term objectives. Education has purposes other than to provide a skilled work force for the economy. However, the relationship between…

The learning organization has been promoted as providing a viable blueprint for an integrated approach to training and development. According to the literature on employer provision of lifelong learning opportunities in the United Kingdom (U.K.), relatively few U.K. work organizations have or are about to become learning organizations.…

The influence of skills and education on work choices of Muscogee (Creek) women was examined in an ethnographic study during which 16 Muscogee women with educational levels ranging from an eighth grade boarding school education to a master's degree participated in multiple personal guided interviews. Only two of the women were not high school…

This document is comprised of volume 13 of the Harvard Education Letter, published bimonthly and addressing current issues in elementary and secondary education. Articles in the six issues of this volume include: (1) January-February --"Making Detracking Work" (Lynn and Wheelock), "Developing a Culture of High Expectations for…

Australian young people take five major transition pathways when they reach the end of compulsory schooling: compulsory to postcompulsory school, school-to-university/higher-education, school-to-vocational education and training, apprenticeship/traineeship, and school-to-work. In 1997, 97.2 percent were retained to Year 10; in Year 11, 84.4…

This document contains eight papers from a conference on higher education and the challenge of lifelong learning. "Lifelong Learning" (Garret Fitzgerald) explores issues related to ensuring that all adults have access to lifelong learning. "Lifelong Learning and Higher Education: The International Context" (Alan Wagner)…

The national and European-level studies of the factors that ensure the success of young people's vocational integration and that offer protection against unemployment were reviewed. The research established that, in most national statistical reports, information on the occupational progress of school-leavers and those emerging from initial…

This digest summarizes changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the reauthorization and amendments of 1997, Public Law 105-17. These changes include: participation of students with disabilities in state and district-wide assessment programs, development and review of the individualized education program (IEP), enhanced…

This document contains four symposium papers on work force development. "Effects of Two Different Learning Paths on School-to-Work Transition" (Esther Van Der Schoot) discusses a Dutch study documenting that the following items make a difference in the school-to-work transition: learning path, curriculum characteristics, individual…

Australia's retailing sector is the largest single industry of employment, with more than 1.2 million workers. It is characterized by high levels of part-time and casual employment; a young work force, including many young people still in full-time education; and employment widely distributed geographically. Over the past 10 years, employment has…

It is a myth that skills alone ensure employment. Other keys to workplace success include continuous learning, emotional intelligence, networking, flexibility, and commitment to business objectives. Although academic degrees, skill certifications, and other documentation of accomplishments provide access to employment, they are significant only at…

This report examines the human resources development and training dimensions of the gradual, but inexorable, shift towards knowledge-, skill-, and service-based economies and societies, and the stupendous growth of the information and communications technology sectors. Its four chapters explore the following: (1) globalization, technological…

This study is part of a regional study in industrial South Wales on the determinants of participation and non-participation in post-compulsory education and training, with special reference to processes of change in the patterns of these determinants over time and to variations between geographical areas. The study combines analysis of secondary…

This document, which is intended for staff of state occupational information coordinating committees (SOICCs) and career information delivery systems (CIDS), examines the pros and cons of career information hotlines and their use in selected states. "Foreword--Career Information on Call" (Juliette N. Lester) provides a brief overview of…

This document of skill standards for the food service cluster serves as a guide to workforce preparation program providers in defining content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. These 41 occupational skill standards describe what people should know and be able to do in an…