Alternance training and employment policy should improve youth employment prospects in the European community in three ways. It should enhance young people's employability, improve youth's motivation and clarify vocational options, and better prepare youth to adapt to abrupt changes in job content. Because alternance training is concerned with…

Higher education in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) is addressed in six papers written between the years 1981 and 1985. The papers are as follows: (1) "Changing the Pattern of Higher Education Systems: An Account of Access and Structural Policies in the Federal Republic of Germany in Comparative Perspective;" (2) "The…

A study investigated the feasibility of developing school-related packages to assist secondary school students in their movement through secondary school, into and through postsecondary occupational preparatory programs, and ultimately into the world of work. Three phases occurred simultaneously. The first determined the approach to be…

This guide for Private Industry Council (PIC) officers, members, and staff is written to assist in planning and overseeing effective programs for youth at risk in the local labor market using resources allocated under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Section I takes a broad view of the problem of building effective employability…

This report represents actual business and industry practices to support schools as reported by business and industry representatives, teachers, state and local administrators, and professional and trade organizations. These efforts are divided into (1) direct services to students, (2) skill enrichment for teachers, (3) contributions, and (4)…

Data for this paper were taken from a study in progress on the life histories of women labeled mentally retarded and were derived from 25 hours of in-depth interviews with two women aged 32 and 19 who also have cerebral palsy. Both of these women experienced special education classes throughout their educational careers. Gender issues in the…

The effects of school factors on occupational attainment of black students were studied based on data from the 1972 National Longitudinal Study (NLS) and its 1980 followup and the 1980 High School and Beyond (HSB) study and its 1982 followup. The sample sizes were as follows: 319 NLS females, 167 NLS males, 324 HSB females, and 259 HSB males.…

Created by the Project Literacy U.S. (PLUS) organization to combat adult illiteracy, this guide offers suggestions for enhancing local adult literacy programs or establishing new ones. Following an introduction to the problem of illiteracy and a call for a national effort to alleviate it, the guide focuses on how to begin a literacy program,…

These three essays are intended to provide an overview of southern efforts to help increased numbers of young persons make a successful transition from school to work with a future. The first paper, "Smoothing the Path from School to Work: A Promising Venture in Structural Change in a Southern State," by Peter B. Edelman and Myrtis H.…

A guide for educators seeking to reform programs and teaching methods at established medical schools is presented. Focused on practical problems, attention is directed to an innovative curricular track and the ideas, experiences, and discussions presented during a conference attended by educators at eight institutions that have used the track…

Every high school student should not only be provided with appropriate academic instruction but with supervised work experience as well. For the past 70 years, the number of students in cooperative education programs has grown steadily. Despite these steady gains, the best estimates place no more than 10 percent of all vocational education…

This final report details the activities of a project called VECTOR (Vocational Education, Community Transition, Occupational Relations). VECTOR sought to increase the employability of severely to mildly mentally handicapped students (aged 18-21) in transition from school to work in the greater Minneapolis, Minnesota, area. VECTOR's objectives…

Many youth face the following educational and economic barriers to success: (1) increased high school dropout rates; (2) adolescent pregnancy; (3) chronic unemployment; (4) poverty; (5) drug abuse; (6) suicide; and (7) crime and delinquency. The Atlantic Community College (New Jersey) Youth Corps Program, a successful conservation and service…

Vocational education appeared in China around 1870. Modern vocational schools were established in the Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. A system of vocational schools was set up in 1902. A number of senior vocational schools were set up between 1937 and 1945, but the foundation of vocational-technical education was very weak. Since the founding of the…

For this joint effort among three Cabinet Agencies, studies by a variety of organizations were reviewed and 134 business leaders and 34 education leaders in many communities throughout the United States were interviewed to determine what businesses find lacking among new entrants into the labor force and what employers' work force needs will be in…