In the mid-1960s, as part of the "War on Poverty," the armed services accepted up to 100,000 personnel per year who would have been rejected had not standards for reading and mathematics abilities been lowered. Over 80 percent of these persons completed their tour of duty and more than 90 percent were rated above average in their…

Employers were surveyed to obtain their opinions as to the quality of the Cornell University undergraduate program in applied economics and business management. In addition, employers were asked to recommend modifications in the program to enable students to meet the challenges of the future. Survey instruments were mailed to recruiters in 173…

An assessment was made of the impact of vocational education in North Dakota by surveying 1984 vocational graduates concerning how their vocational training affected their employability, whether they were employed in their area of training, and how they would evaluate their vocational experiences. Data were collected through a mail survey of 800…

The 18 papers presented at the conference reported in this document are grouped into four major sections. The first section, on the nature of open learning, includes "How Open Is Open Learning?" (H. Temple); "Open Learning and Community" (I. Cunningham); "Are We Really Open--With Our Learners and Ourselves?" (W. J. K.…

This paper describes the Community Transition Center (CTC) model, being tested in six districts in rural Wisconsin. The model is a way of conceptualizing and organizing the employment-related needs of mainstreamed mildly handicapped youths who are exiting secondary schools. The model emphasizes the role of secondary school transition programming,…

Among the suggestions that have been put forward to increase the collaboration between the business sector and educational institutions as a means for accomplishing program improvement are supporting the existing system where the schools are generally healthy, fostering innovative change, and working for major structural reforms in the system.…

This conference report contains the following papers: "Keynote Address" (Fukuyama); "Predictions Regarding the Nature and Significance of Vocational Guidance during the 21st Century in the United States" (Hoyt); "The Changing Workforce and Vocational Guidance" (Inaba); "The 6th International Conference on…

A globally competitive Mississippi must be built through investment in the education, training, and skills of its people. Recommendations for improving the system involve (1) a human resource and economic development strategy built on a partnership between the state and communities and (2) a state-level human capital strategy board. Critical…

A German Marshall Fund tour of education and training systems in Denmark, Sweden, and West Germany generated ideas that Oregon could use to evaluate and improve its own educational systems and programs. Four principles define the European model: (1) government policy and programs promote employment; (2) business and labor are powerful partners in…

This packet contains handbooks for vocational education teachers/counselors and for employers, outlining the Douglas County (Oregon) Business and Industry Internship Program. The employer packet describes the internship program, explains the payment plan, describes the application and site identification process, provides a list of suggestions for…

The U.S. economy is undergoing a transition that may rival the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution. The general directions are clear: an ever smaller share of the nation's work force is employed in the manufacturing sector; service sector industries are the source of most new jobs; and some "high tech" industries have had explosive…

The project designed and developed a videodisc package that provides both assessment and related instruction programs for job-related mathematics problem solving, using simulations to provide direct access to vocational situations. The materials are intended to meet the needs of youth and young adults with mild mental handicaps in transition from…

This paper was prepared to provide background information for use by a committee on adult literacy, composed of superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, teachers, school board members, curriculum specialists, business leaders, individuals from higher education, legislators, and legislative staff. The purpose was to highlight…

In order to provide information for the 1989-90 program review at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) and to fulfill American Bar Association accreditation guidelines, a long-term, follow-up study was conducted of all Legal Tech program alumni who graduated between 1984 and 1988. A telephone survey generated usable responses from 106 (73%) of the…

In an effort to evaluate how well William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) prepares its students to transfer into baccalaureate degree programs, a survey was conducted of all 841 transfer-oriented students who reached 48 or more semester hours during the 1986-87 academic year. Students were asked about their current status, their evaluation of WRHC,…