Technological literacy has become an indispensable part of general culture. Vocational education must simultaneously provide students with the special and general qualifications required to achieve increased productivity and flexibility. The concept of technological capabilities is based on the pillars of general technology, technical systems, and…

This module presents a real-world context in which mathematics skills are used as part of a daily routine. The context is the textile production area of machine operations, and the module aims to help students understand the significance of mathematics skills in interpreting charts and graphs. Materials in the module, most of which are designed…

This issue focuses on the various forms that secondary technical and vocational education takes in different European Community Member States. "The Future for Skilled Workers" is an interview with Burkart Lutz, a German researcher. Other articles are as follows: "Contradictions in Technical and Vocational Education: The…

The Secretary of Special Education of Puerto Rico has been searching for ways to offer appropriate special education services for young people between 13 and 21 years of age whose educational level does not allow them to benefit from current prevocational or vocational services. At present groups are being organized to offer services for…

This publication provides information on the Alabama Transition Initiative for students with disabilities, including papers presented at two statewide transition conferences. Conference papers include: (1) "Pell City School System's Community Transition Team Model" (Deloris Frasier); (2) "Alabama's MH/MR Service Coordinators in…

Work-based learning (WBL) differs from work experiences gained in regular youth jobs because WBL is intentionally structured to promote learning by linking work with school. Five main purposes of WBL have been identified: enhancing students' motivation and academic achievement; increasing personal and social competence related to work in general;…

In this 23-minute videotape, a panel of 13 women and men of various racial and ethic backgrounds who are enrolled in a high school equivalency program in Bloomfield, Connecticut, share their thoughts about participation in adult education. In the first part of the tape, the panel members explain why they decided to return to school (desire to make…

A project was conducted to prepare unemployed or underemployed adults to enter the work force by continuing and expanding an adult education and career enhancement program that embraces the National Education Goals and contains all the elements of a school-to-work model. Staff were recruited and trained, a curriculum integrating work-based and…

This publication presents a portrait of transitions from initial education to working life in the United States. Section I details the distribution of students at two basic levels: K-12 and tertiary education. It introduces a recurring concern--the distribution of students by ethnicity and socioeconomic status--and details the declining importance…

This volume analyzes the literature in the field of education and work and establishes an institutional and intellectual cartography for three countries. It examines the multiple connections between education and work, through an analysis of the literature on the transition from school to work, on vocational training, and on the labor market. It…

Service learning contextualizes student learning and provides an environment in which students can acquire organizational, team, problem-solving, and other skills and attitudes necessary for future work and learning. Although service learning has been classified as a form of work-based learning, students participating in service learning receive…

This paper explores the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) influence on higher education policy development in Canada and examines the impact its free-market philosophy exacts on more traditional aesthetic, humanistic, and moral educational objectives. The OECD is an international body whose primary objective is to…

This brief discusses the transition of high school students with disabilities to adult life. Federal law provisions that require a transition plan for all students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are reviewed and a checklist is provided that outlines positive transition planning practices that can be used for self-evaluation and…

In the 1995 National Household Education Survey, adults were asked about six types of adult education activities: English as a second language, basic skills education, postsecondary credential programs, apprenticeships, work-related courses, and personal development courses. About 22 percent of adults reported participating in work-related…

In summer 1997, the National Employer Survey (NES-II) was administered as a telephone survey to 6,971 private employers with more than 20 employees. The response rate was 78%. Two versions of the survey--one for manufacturing establishments and one for nonmanufacturing industries--were used. According to the NES-II, roughly 25% of establishments…