Data from 15 United Kingdom organizations highlighted best practices in developing entry workers: direct managers play a key role, coaching in learning by doing is essential, and networking with peers is valuable. Development is influenced by a mix of factors: mentoring, personnel practices, attitude, organizational culture, peer group, and…

This article examines the Finnish recession and its impacts including changing demand for qualifications in the labor market and the need for new strategies, for both individuals and organizations, for the transition from education to work. (JB)

Preparation for the transition from school to work has often relied on rational approaches that include planning strategies and information provision. Proposes alternative programs with a developmental focus that address personal, social, and career development. (Author/LKS)

The inadequacy of current information exchange between higher education and the labor market in the Czech Republic is discussed, focusing on how the structure of higher education affects this situation. Proposed higher education legislation that reflects new expectations about the match between higher education and labor requirements is also…

Examines the concept of "basic needs" as applied to the context of personal development, focusing on the basic need for education. Discusses the validity of this need on the basis of results from studies of the relationship between education and employment and between education and productivity. (41 citations) (MAB)

Charged to reconsider what indicators would capture and convey important truths about education and learning, the National Center for Education Statistics' Special Study Panel on Education Indicators wrote a 1991 report that rejected most conventional notions of indicators. Instead, they focused on learner outcomes, institutional quality, school…

French schooling is characterized by rising levels of educational participation and perpetuation of class and gender inequalities. After exploring this issue, this paper considers the character of contemporary French youth (aged 18 to 24) and selected aspects of youth culture as these illustrate change and continuity in class and gender divisions.…

For economic reasons, the traditional model of higher education in the United States will have to yield to a more heterogeneous, fluid, and competency-based model. Higher education and industry must work together in a coordinated, comprehensive way to prepare students to be effective participants in the economy. (MSE)

The report "Workplace Basics: the Skills Employers Want" was based on interviews with hundreds of employers, who identified seven groups of desirable skills: reading, writing, and computation; listening and speaking; learning to learn, problem-solving and creative thinking; personal management; teamwork; and leadership and organizational…

Part-time faculty bring real-world vocational expertise to community colleges. They can be better integrated into the teaching process with effective frames of reference for course objectives, specific expectations, and standards of measurement for teaching effectiveness. (SK)

School boards should focus on knowledge, skills, and attitudes students need to function in tomorrow's world, instead of determining what education programs the community wants and can afford. Results-oriented evaluation is a house of sand, because students come from varied backgrounds and most results are caused by the system originating them.…

Summarizes the contents of 13 national commission reports from the 1960s to the 1990s, highlighting recent trends in course and graduation requirements, grade inflation, achievement test scores, international comparisons, functional illiteracy figures, and school demography. An education policy that invests in human capital and productivity and…

Describes problems with vocational and technical education in China. Asserts that (1) school density is too high and size is too low; (2) the establishment of specializations is irrational; (3) the ratio of students to relevant employment is low; (4) teaching materials for the specializations are inadequate; and (5) teacher training and employment…

Twenty-three leaders in education, business, and government give their opinions on vocational education leadership, standards, business-education links, tech prep, misguided reforms, and integration of vocational and academic education. (SK)

A study investigated relationships between university characteristics and job offers, employment status, job attitudes, and job performance of newly hired college graduates in accounting. Results indicate little correlation between institutional characteristics and job attitudes or performance, some correlation with number of job offers, more with…