This document includes 16 vocational-technical crosswalk wheels relating the 14 Vocational Technical Education Consortium of States (V-TECS) Career Families to the 16 Career Clusters developed by the U.S. Department of Education. The career clusters are based on the common academic, workplace, and technical knowledge and skills that cut across all…

Women and minorities are underrepresented in technology-related careers for many reasons, including lack of access, level of math and science achievement, and emotional and social attitudes about computer capabilities. Schools and teachers can use the following strategies to attract women and minorities to high-tech careers and prepare them for…

Because of its focus on improving work performance at the individual, group, organizational, and interorganizational levels, the field of human resource development (HRD) is affected by and responds to trends in work, organizations, and the global economy. A literature review reveals that the following themes recur throughout the HRD literature:…

The major needs of career and technical education (CTE) in the year 2000 were assessed. The regional needs-sensing networks of the National Dissemination Center and the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education were used to obtain input from members of the following stakeholder groups: state-level liaisons; representatives of…

This book explores how two nations with widely divergent political economies, Germany and the United States (U.S.), embraced change in four contemporary settings. "Mutual Learning with Trade-Offs" (Kirsten Wever) discusses mutual learning and the distinguishing characteristics of the political economies of Germany and the U.S.…

This book presents many views of the concept of "career," reviewing its past and considering its future in an international context including viewpoints from sociology, psychology, and human resources management. Following an introduction, "Framing the Future of Career" (Richard Young and Audrey Collin), the book contains the following 17…

This document explores the feasibility of loans to support English adults engaging in lifelong learning. The following topics are considered: (1) the policy context (loans in higher education, individual learning accounts, and education maintenance allowances); (2) the need for financial support; (3) attitudes toward loans; (3) financial advice,…

The entry of working welfare mothers into the labor market will have an impact on the wages and employment of low-skilled workers. This impact was examined through a labor market analysis of available statistical data about the U.S. population and employment patterns. The characteristics of workers likely to enter the labor market because of…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined progress in meeting work-focused goals of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The following issues were considered: (1) states' progress in implementing TANF; (2) the status of families who have left welfare; (3) the characteristics of adults currently receiving TANF; (4) states'…

The Girls to Women Initiative was undertaken by a group of Maryland professionals and volunteers to identify and help meet the needs of Maryland's girls and young women in the 21st century. The professionals and volunteers researched and held conferences examining gender-specific issues concerning health and lifestyle, family life, education, and…

This document contains three papers on distance learning and human resource development (HRD). "An Exploration of Perceived Differences in Teaching Roles between On-Site and On-line Instruction" (James J. Kirk) reports on a study in which 144 online instructors at selected institutions across the United States were asked to share their…

A national evaluation of school-to-work (STW) implementation was conducted by collecting data on four broad issues: states' efforts to promote the changes envisioned by the School to Work Opportunities Act (STWOA); impacts of local STW partnerships on school and workplace opportunities available to students and creation of coherent STW systems;…

Wisconsin's Youth Apprenticeship Program in printing (YAP) features the following elements: competency-based curriculum and assessment systems; 2-year, part-time paid training and work experiences at one or more printing companies; work-based mentoring; technical college instruction in printing technology and some academic courses; integrated…

Despite 6 years of economic growth, California's workforce investment system faces the following challenges: (1) meeting the needs of workers who do not earn enough to bring their families significantly above the poverty level; (2) meeting the needs of employers who face continuing shortages of workers with needed skills; and (3) meeting the needs…

This document contains 32 papers from a conference on balance and perspectives in comparative vocational education and training (VET) research in Europe. Selected papers are as follows: "On the Path to Vocational Training Research with a European Dimension" (Oliver Lubke, Klaus Schedler, Alphonse de Vadder); "The Val Duchesse Social…