A study obtained early information on the effects of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 on states' efforts to develop and implement effective systems of school-to-work transition. Systems in eight states were studied: California, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. State leaders understood the need…

Presenting summarized transcripts of sessions at the Michigan Department of Education's second Curriculum Integration Workshop held in Traverse City, Michigan from July 15-18, 1996, this proceedings describes the state's project to integrate academic curricula into vocational programs at the community college level. Following an overview of the…

Too often the phrase "school-to-work transition" is interpreted to mean that all young people should follow the same path directly from the classroom to the workplace. The Academy of Educational Development's National Institute for Work and Learning (AED/NIWL) undertook a 4-year study of school-to-work transition education reform. The…

Based on statistical research and interviews with students, educators, and employers, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the education and training of the mid-skilled labor force comprised of individuals having at least a high school diploma but less than a baccalaureate degree. Following prefatory materials, chapter 1 highlights the…

Columbus State Community College (CSCC) in Ohio has developed a process and model for assuring that technical programs and individual course outcomes meet the needs of the industries being served. Initially undertaken as part of a project with Honda of America to provide two new technology programs, the process included surveys of representative…

As California's community colleges move into the 21st century, they face the challenges of providing access to affordable, high quality education and becoming sources of economic renewal for the communities they serve. To the measure that they address these issues, the colleges will become key assets for solving the economic and social problems of…

This book, which is intended for new training professionals and others asked to provide training, lists the critical elements of training and details an eight-step process for providing training in the workplace. The book begins with a brief introduction explaining the purposes of training and why it has become so important. The next eight…

This report is part of the Investing in People Project, in which states worked to develop and implement work force preparation and training strategies to meet the challenge of a competitive global economy. The choices that states, firms, and individuals must make in order to enjoy a high standard of living are discussed. In order to achieve a high…

The rapid growth since the 1980s of the use of total quality workforce methods in U.S. companies has contributed to the movement for integrating academic and vocational/technical education. This integration seeks to improve the intellectual capabilities of students through applied and contextual learning and thus make them more capable of adapting…

Chile lacks a sufficiently trained work force of forestry professionals to support the economic growth. Chile's basic economic comparative advantages have been availability and low cost of land, high growth speed of species used in plantations, and a low-cost labor force. Economic development has brought a rise in labor costs and consequently a…

These two papers were presented at a "town forum" on human resource development (HRD) moderated by Martin Mulder at the 1996 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference. "Human Resource Development with Integrity" (Ronald L. Jacobs) reflects on the conference theme and offers two definitions of integrity as applied to HRD. The second paper,…

In response to large numbers of returning adult students, Wisconsin's technical college system has placed an increased emphasis on school-to-work transition and innovative forms of distance education (DE). DE began in Europe at least 150 years ago through correspondence programs, expanded to include radio programs in the 1920s and 1930s, and moved…

In December 1987, Motorola's MOS 5 Microprocessor Manufacturing Facility and Merex Corporation began a joint workplace literacy training project. MOS 5 had three basic objectives: to assess the level of the work materials, to assess the skill level of the work force, and to close the gap between the two. Merex designed an educational program to…

In 1991, the Northwest Area Health Education Center in North Carolina conducted a needs assessment of area hospitals, revealing that Respiratory Care (RC) departments in Catawba and Alexander counties would require 29 technicians and therapists within 3 years. A survey of area high school students identified 44 students interested in RC. In…

This paper highlights the centrality and importance of quality guidance and counseling programs in national efforts to implement educational reform. Such reform is essential for excellence in the initial preparation and skill development of youth and adults to ensure the country's competitive position in world markets and to improve work role…