In the European Union, youth unemployment can often be linked to lack of practical experience and a theoretical knowledge of tasks required for a job. Ideas and methods used in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, the Irish Republic, Belgium, and Spain suggest ways to ease the transition from school to work. (JOW)

Argues that all organizations include experiences and activities that can be described as teaching and learning, but despite being as intrinsic to and as firmly embedded in organization as learning, teaching has been ignored as an organizational process and needs attention in its own right. (Author/MKR)

Setting up apprenticeships for high school students is a realistic option. Well-conducted apprenticeships enhance the prospects of providing contextual learning and can become an important step in tech prep. (Author)

First-line supervisors are in a position to create learning opportunities for co-op students by providing access to varied and challenging experiences, encouraging reflective observation, and helping students make the connection between the job and their school courses. (JOW)

Woodworking is a therapeutic, recreational, leisure-time activity, but it does not prepare students for useful careers. Industrial arts/technology teachers are too often preoccupied with developing student skills rather than teaching concepts. (JOW)

The A+ Certification Program, a process used in the microcomputer industry, involves a set of competency standards for service professionals who become certified through written examinations. It may point the way for a powerful, elegant new school-to-work model that encompasses school-to-work strategies, standards, and certification. (JOW)

Makes these rebuttal points: (1) the study was of managers in learning organizations, not organizational learning; (2) the study took an integrating rather than instrumental view of work and learning; (3) the conceptual framework was an expression of management behavior, not a model of learning processes; and (4) the learning context does need…

Drawing on recent work extending Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development and activity theory, the article proposes that apprenticeship be reconceptualized as a more inclusive social theory of learning. Suggests the need for new criteria for reflexive learning. (SK)

This article traces the historical shifts in usage of the term vocation as a significant keyword wherein a range of different connotations and assumptions about the nature of work and the relationship between the domain of work and the practice of adult education are negotiated and contested. The aim of this article is to establish a wider…

This paper aims at problematizing the context of power relations and politics while engaging in work-based learning (WBL). The author uses Foucault's ideas on power/knowledge, ethics and subjectivity to show that he has something to say of particular relevance and importance to those engaged in WBL. Foucauldian ideas make possible an interrogation…

It is no secret that America is at risk of losing its place as a world leader in education. Some 88 million adults in America need help with their English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic skills, yet the nation is currently providing services to only 3 million people. The Commission on Adult Literacy calls for bold change at the state and…

This comprehensive professional handbook will help transition specialists, general and special educators, school psychologists, and administrators support youth and young adults in setting goals and achieving positive outcomes across employment, education, and community settings. Through up-to-date research and in-depth analyses of five successful…

In 2006, there were an estimated 181,000 low-income children in the province, with British Columbia (BC) reporting the highest before-tax child poverty rate (21.9%) in Canada (15.8%) for the fifth year in a row. This was the news in the "2008 Child Poverty Report Card" recently released by the First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy…

To help explain why some young people move from recreational drug use to substance abuse, twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with young people who had experienced problematic substance use. The data were supplemented by statistical data on 111 young people. The researchers found a variety of "structural" factors that help explain…

Background: Few studies have investigated transition programs and outcomes for young adults with disabilities as viewed from the parent perspective. The current Australian study provided a voice for parents to report on the experiences of and outcomes for young adults following their recent transition from school into post-school life. Method: A…