Reviews three applications of distance learning available to Johnson & Johnson employees. The Learning Council, a corporate interdivisional enterprise, uses distance learning to meet the learning needs of all divisions of ETHICON Endo-Surgery (EES), a Johnson & Johnson Company. Lists considerations for other organizations interested in…

Transfer involves disembodying knowledge and transferring it for use in different contexts. Vocational knowledge arises in communities of practice, and difficulties arise in transferring it from one distinct community, such as a workplace, to another, such as a classroom. (SK)

The Big Picture Company is an education nonprofit that is looking for ways to improve high school education nationwide. Their approach to career exploration and preparation is work-based learning, which means no vocational classes are held on the school site. (JOW)

Describes Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a national program that has formed partnerships among public schools, institutions of higher education, and industry to increase the quality and quantity of students graduating from engineering and engineering technology institutions. (Author)

Employment and earnings increased in nonmetro areas during the 1990s, but less than in urban areas. The metro-nonmetro earnings gap reached a historical high in 1998 as businesses that used advanced technologies avoided rural locations where professional and skilled workers were in short supply. Metro and nonmetro employment and income data by…

Offers a first-hand account of a faculty internship at a major international public relations firm. Discusses the internship host and the intern's duties; faculty internship advantages and benefits; and faculty internship disadvantages and limitations. Considers 10 experiential realizations stemming from the author's internship experience. (SR)

Analysis of labor statistics and employer surveys indicated that the unemployment rate for university graduates in Nigeria may be 22 percent and that their prospects for employment have worsened over time. Employers believe that graduates are poorly trained and unproductive, their skills have deteriorated over the last decade, and shortcomings are…

Responses from more than 1,100 Portuguese doctoral students and Ph.D. graduates in science and technology indicated that 79% preferred jobs in academia; 70% wanted primarily research and development (R&D), but only 45% wanted industrial R&D. They generally feel overqualified for most jobs in industry and anticipate a difficult adjustment…

Using Delaware Valley College's 100-year-old "Employment Program" as a model, makes a case for mandatory experiential learning curriculum-wide. Revels how other colleges can successfully integrate such a component into their academic programs. Argues that experiential learning empowers students by equipping them with the skills and abilities…

Our increasingly uniform schooling system needlessly brands many youngsters as failures. We are embracing standardized tests just when the new economy is eliminating standardized jobs. Computers, the Internet, and digital commerce have exploded the old job categories into various new niches, creating multitudinous employment opportunities. (MLH)

Suggests that partnerships between high schools and private high-tech companies are one way to ensure that students are learning skills that are relevant to today's workplace. Provides examples of partnerships that are working together to train tomorrow's technical work force. (JOW)

Intended to assist special educators as they help students in the transition from school to work, this article describes vocational education and vocational rehabilitation programs. Issues discussed include the referral process, eligibility, range of services and curricula available, preparation of students for entry into vocational education and…

In the late 1980s, a committee of Pasco County, Florida, administrators, teachers, and community members began exploring how schools might change to enable students to graduate successfully and become productive citizens. The committee is now transforming schools through an interactive process of continuous study, design, professional development,…

To understand the dynamics of moving from fragmented work units to an integrated whole, a recent study examined the work cultures of 28 schools involved in major change efforts. This paper presents findings from three participating high schools that represent different phases (fragmentation, differentiation, and integration) of the development…

Jeremy Rifkin argues that machines are mainly responsible for growing unemployment and should be countered by having people do volunteer work. Providing educational services is among the types of work he suggests volunteers should undertake. Education should also prepare people for volunteer work in this proposed "third sector" of employment. (SLD)