The food and beverage industry is of overwhelming strategic importance to the Irish economy. It is also one of the fastest changing sectors. Recent trends in this largely indigenous industry in recent years include the following: globalization, large and accelerating capital outlay, company consolidation, added value product, enhanced quality…

Originally designed to serve 400 employees, the Mott Community College (MCC) Workplace Literacy Project provided instruction in basic workplace skills to 566 employees from 20 companies. The cost was 2 percent lower than projected. All participants were assessed and counseled on the basis of the assessment tests. Individualized training plans were…

Small and mid-sized businesses must change their production and service delivery methods if they are to remain competitive in a global economy. According to businesspersons, service providers, and employees who participated in 18 focus groups in 10 cities throughout the United States, businesses are being forced to change their ways of doing…

The U.S. workplace needs to be transformed. Corporations should replace an approach to production and service that pits labor against management with an approach that unites management and labor in the pursuit of enhanced quality, enhanced responsiveness to the customer, and enhanced productivity. Human resource development is critical to this…

The Corpus Christi Literacy Council (CCLC) is an independent, non-profit educational organization operating through joint partnership and grant activities with Del Mar College (DMC) and community and government organizations in the Corpus Christi (Texas) area. The major purposes of the council are to establish comprehensive reading programs for…

This report contains 10 articles, written by national and state leaders in the adult literacy field, that pose challenges confronting the adult literacy system. The articles provide a framework for states to use in beginning the process of achieving a literate citizenry and work force. Titles and authors are as follows: "Building State Literacy…

This report summarizes the conclusions and outcomes of a meeting on Post-Secondary Colleges in the Small States of the Commonwealth, organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat. The report describes the current trend towards the establishment and development of postsecondary colleges in the small states of the Commonwealth, explores the reasons for…

During fiscal year (FY) 1989, the Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB) in Singapore offered full-time training at seven levels for secondary school leavers. The board's intake of 9,333 participants was 8% below the FY 1988 intake, a fact that was attributed to fewer primary school leavers. The introduction of the Revised Vocational…

This user's guide for professionals using Project Lifelong Learning staff development modules is designed to accompany the documentary on lifelong learning in the workplace, one of three half-hour television documentary programs intended for broadcast and for general public discussion activities. It introduces the project, the purpose of which is…

This document contains samples of work specific curricula for the basic level (I) and advanced level (II) of the safety section of the Auburn University (Alabama) Demonstration project in adult education. The samples consist of instructor manuals and student books. Content of each instructor manual--one for level I and another for level…

Japan's economic success is clear evidence that purposeful investments in the educational quality of the work force pay major dividends in terms of enhanced productivity and increased competitiveness. The key elements of the Japanese system are, in fact, less than 40 years old. The current recession is a reminder of the transitory nature of…

This report is designed as a companion to a three-volume report that describes how education and industry skill standards systems operate in the United States. It provides an overview of international efforts to develop processes and systems to "harmonize" the recognition of an individual's competencies and skills across national…

In spring 1998, the Arizona Department of Commerce's Office of Workforce Development Policy commissioned a statewide opinion poll to assess public attitudes toward the state's plan for economic development, as it is being implemented through the Governor's Strategic Partnership for Economic Development (GSPED). More than 2,000 Arizonans…

This report analyzes the role of the Task Force on Labour Market Issues of the Council of Ontario Universities in meeting industry skill needs, focusing particularly on three sectors: biotechnology, culture, and software/information technology. Also included are the findings of an earlier study on the skill needs and training requirements in the…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on human resource development (HRD) issues in Asia. "The Japanese Human Resource Development System" (Kiyoe Harada) provides a comprehensive model of the Japanese HRD system based on the current state of the art, including management practices and issues and trends in Japanese HRD.…