The BEST (Building Exemplary Systems for Training) Initiative was evaluated in meeting the following goals for youth workers: (1) increase and strengthen training opportunities at the local level; (2) help communities develop professional development systems; (3) build local capacity to make training accessible and supported by youth-serving…

Based on advice and information from Peace Corps volunteers, staff, and experts, this manual provides creative, innovative ideas for activities for youth that are founded on development principles. Part 1 provides information about these different kinds of youth a volunteer may encounter in the community: in-school, out-of-school, differently…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the Wisconsin FACETS program, a program that provides parent information and training services for underserved parents and caretakers of infants, toddlers, children, and young adults with disabilities who live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The goals of the program are provided, along with a…

A study explored questions on changing skill requirements of small firms in the services sector that are internationalizing their activities. These seven European Union (EU) member states were involved: Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The services sector accounted for a significant part of the EU…

Work requirements in welfare reform proposed by the George W. Bush administration would impose much tougher work requirements on welfare recipients. Seventy percent of all adults would be required to work 40 hours per week, versus the 50 percent who are required to work 30 hours per week currently. In addition, states would be given little leeway…

This paper discusses a study that investigated whether competencies identified by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) could be used to document job skills of students with mild disabilities. Participants in the study were 17 teachers, job coaches, and parents associated with a high school special education department…

This document presents case studies of 10 cooperative research centers (CRCs) across Australia and their relationships with the vocational education and training (VET) sector. The CRCs profiled in the case studies are as follows: Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Rice Production; Cast Alloy and Solidification Technology Co-operative…

This brief reviews the key findings of the 1998 national survey conducted by the American Association of Community Colleges to examine the effect of welfare reform on community colleges, and compares them with a similar survey from fall 1997. It includes some background information on welfare policy, a profile of the welfare population served by…

This book provides a detailed analysis of the development of education and training systems in Asia and the relationship with the process of economic growth. Focus is on four impoverished agrarian economies--Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan--that were transformed in little more than a generation into East Asian "tigers":…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on designing effective human resource development (HRD) programs that was conducted as part of a conference on HRD. "Leveraging System Factors for Increased Training Effectiveness" (David Ripley) is a conceptual paper that critiques current training design models and the lack of…

This document contains four issues of a quarterly annotated bibliography of documents and projects in progress from Australia's VOCED database that are available through Australia's National Vocational Education and Training Clearinghouse Information Network. Introductory materials include the following: national, state, territory, and polytechnic…

Current practice in postliteracy (PL) instruction was reviewed. In all cases, PL programs were considered programs of further learning. Some PL programs were concentrating on further developing literacy skills, whereas others were concentrating on skill training, group formation, or further education based on nonformal curricula. Although adult…

This document contains four symposium papers on managers, learning, and human resource development (HRD). "Expatriate Managers and HRD: The Missing Link" (Teresa M. Palmer, Iris I. Varner) reviews the literature on selection, training, retention, and organizational strategy related to expatriate assignments and presents a model that ties…

These four papers are from a symposium on human resource development (HRD) in the United Kingdom. "HRD and Psychological Contracts: A Case Study of Lifelong Learning" (Graeme Martin, Judy Pate, Jim McGoldrick) explores the influence of a lifelong learning program on employee perceptions of their psychological contracts in a longitudinal…

Since the introduction of one-stop employment systems, many states have attempted to merge traditional employment and training services to provide consolidated programs and easier customer access to services. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA), passed in 1998, requires the formation of locally based one-stop service delivery systems to deliver…