The imminent shortage of qualified workers, resulting from demographic changes and technological upgrades, has caused educators and employers to recognize the need to improve and increase their communication in order to achieve their interrelated goals. From the late 1800s, business has exerted influence on the nation's public education system.…

During the next 20 years, more workers will need retraining. This trend is already evident as more adults return to college. Although the adult population of the United States grew 33 percent between 1969 and 1984, the number of people enrolling in adult education courses grew by 79 percent, and job-related courses increased from 25 percent to 43…

This document discusses reasons for the current interest in workplace literacy and describes existing training for the workplace. Among the reasons for the interest in workplace literacy are changing demographics, which are altering the composition of the labor force, and changes such as the demise of the factory model in the workplace itself and…

Many California community colleges are accepting the challenge of their vital role in economic development through contract education (i.e., the process of entering into partnerships with business, government, and industry at the work site to assist employer training). Employer-based education and training is generally contracted in one of six…

Training systems are facing three basic considerations: (1) adjustment to demographic trends such as the population explosion in developing countries, the aging of the work force in developed countries, and the increased participation of women in economic activities; (2) changing patterns of demand, such as lower rates of growth, restructuring of…

This document, one of the results of a 3-year study, provides an overview of training in the United States in terms of who gets trained and how the training itself is organized, structured, and delivered. The findings were developed through a literature review, the work of advisory panels, feedback from 400 experts and practitioners, interviews…

A project of Great Britain's Further Education Unit explored the role adult education colleges can play in facilitating access to the national vocational qualifications (NVQs) for learners with special needs and identifying barriers to NVQs for adults with special needs. The issues surrounding the current and planned changes to the NVQs are that:…

A study described the education and training providers that contributed to preparing and upgrading the Pittsburgh region's work force. Providers were classified as either: (1) formal, secondary providers; (2) formal, postsecondary providers; or (3) informal, postsecondary providers, such as training provided by employers and community-based…

White males represent only 46 percent of the U.S. work force. Within a few years, 75 percent of those entering the labor force will be women and minorities, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The work force is getting smaller as well as changing in nature. To attract and keep the most qualified and productive workers, businesses must make…

A survey instrument, Higher Education Economic Development Survey (HEEDS), designed to measure research administrators' perception of current involvement of state universities and land grant institutions in economic development, was developed and validated. The instrument consists of 56 items concerning presently occurring and normative economic…

This comprehensive report on education and industrial technology in Japan begins with general descriptions of the size of the country, its economy, and the Japanese people and their cultural values. Comparative data are then presented to demonstrate differences between Japanese and American workers. Japan's intense education orientation, both…

A study examined the skills required of human resource development (HRD) specialists in western Texas. To gather data for the study, the researcher administered a survey instrument to 66 employers from the western Texas region who were identified as employing 200 or more persons. Of these individuals, 28 returned usable responses. Based on the…

Connections between higher education and state governments to promote economic development are discussed, including a regional economic development project in New England, and four partnerships between higher education and the state in Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. International examples from France, Great Britain, Russia, and…

The growing interest in human resources development (HRD) is a response to the increasingly competitive business environment which, in turn, has been shaped by such forces as the emergence of global competition, the quickening pace of technological innovation and the reduction of federal regulations in some industries. This monograph seeks to…

Ways that the university must shift its priorities to serve society in the information age are discussed. The book shows that the prevalent emphasis on the quest for new ideas and knowledge is too narrow, that existing knowledge must be interpreted and applied in the real world, and that universities must focus on preparing individuals to apply…