The competing demands of the workplace and the home have intensified over the last 25 years as the nation has experienced dramatic social and economic changes affecting businesses, employees, and families. In 1993, Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide a national policy that supports families in their efforts to strike…

This document contains two papers from a symposium on human resource development (HRD) in Europe moderated by Wim Nijhof at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "HRD Roles in Germany" (Linda E. Odenthal, Wim J. Nijhof) reports on a German study based on a study of the job profiles of HRD practitioners in the…

This document contains four papers presented at a symposium on practitioner states moderated by Kay Bull at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD). "The Effect of Locus of Control and Performance-Contingent Incentives on Productivity and Job Satisfaction in Self-Managing Teams" (Bonnie E. Garson, Douglas…

This report summarizes staff recommendations of the Illinois Board of Higher Education concerning budget recommendations for higher education operations and grants for fiscal year 1998. The report also includes recommendations for state appropriated revolving funds, locally held university income funds, and other appropriated funds. Specific…

The study looks at the role of immigrants in the workforce, status of English language learning in vocational and workforce education, and ways the system can enhance opportunity and productivity for limited-English-proficient adults. It begins by examining characteristics of the current immigrant workforce and future labor requirements. The…

External, employment, and personal factors which influence teacher decisions to stay, leave, or transfer from teaching assignments are discussed, with emphasis on special education teachers. Factors attributed to teacher attrition in urban and rural environments also are briefly reviewed, along with attrition of related services professionals.…

This paper presents implications of the path analysis procedures used to interpret data from a study of urban special education teachers' perceptions of working conditions. The analysis looked at a broad range of factors that could affect teacher plans to leave the field. An overall finding emerging from the analysis was that the same fundamental…

Iowa's Job Retraining Program was evaluated through a review of operations, surveys/interviews with community college staff, and survey responses from 43% of the business participants. Resulting recommendations were as follows: (1) retaining the program in the Department of Economic Development rather than transferring it to the state's 15…

These seven papers offer a menu of alternative approaches to apprenticeships and suggests the advantages and disadvantages of each. "Apprenticeship Learning: Principles for Connecting Schools and Work Places" (James Rosenbaum) indicates how fundamental changes in the global economy virtually require improved education of all youth and why teachers…

In March 1994, a study was conducted to determine the perspectives of Illinois community college graduates regarding their preparation for employment, their continuing education goals, and their satisfaction with their major and college services. A total of 6,245 occupational program graduates, including graduates of agriculture; conservation and…

The 18-month Skills Today for Advancement Tomorrow (STAT) program, a partnership among St. Louis Community College, the St. Louis Public Schools' Adult Basic Education Program, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri, had the following objectives: (1) provide counseling and training for 370 current Blue Cross and Blue Shield workers; (2)…

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority was established to develop a consistent approach to the recognition of academic and vocational qualifications. The National Qualifications Framework was designed following surveys of a number of sectors: universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, private training firms, schools, businesses, unions,…

In 1991, the Washington State Board for Community College Education conducted a study to determine the strengths and shortcomings of Washington community colleges' efforts to provide upgrading and retraining for employed workers. Data were derived from four separate studies conducted in 1990, including a survey of 1,151 employed students at eight…

The following are the papers presented at a research-to-practice conference: "Influence of Age on Students Perceptions of College Experience" (Bishop-Clark, Lynch); "Impact of Education on Adult Students" (Cupp); "Identifying Critical Factors of Quality" (Lund, Brown); "It's Never Too Late" (Rosenberg et al.); "Adult Vocational Student Dropout and…

This 3-year follow-up report describes actions taken by the Illinois Council on Vocational Education (ICoVE) during 1989, 1990, and 1991. It addresses the 31 suggestions and 23 recommendations of 5 technical reports (spanning 1987 and 1988) related to coordination. Recommendations from 1987-88 and follow-up actions are reported on the following…