Explores reasons so few handicapped men and women have been helped through the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA). Discusses methods of combating the problem and describes experiments being conducted to improve future employment services to the handicapped. (LAS)

Linkages between the labor market and educational institutions are often less than optimal because institutions have too few business/industry contacts, supply and demand are mismatched, or curriculum development takes too long. International comparisons may contribute to understanding of vocational education and training configurations and…

School-to-work (STW) transition in the United States remains at an incubation stage despite the impetus of the School to Work Opportunities Act. Promising reforms such as cooperative vocational education and High Schools that Work need continued support if a comprehensive STW system is to be realized. (SK)

A comparison of German vocational students receiving company-based and noncompany-based training found that noncompany-based trainees had relatively poor employment prospects. Possible causes were lack of real-world work experience, differences in occupational structure of training and trainees' entrance qualifications, and employer reluctance to…

In a study of secondary and postsecondary auto mechanics programs, some certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, students completed the Test of Cognitive Skills and the auto mechanics certification test. Students in certified programs had higher auto mechanics knowledge scores. (SK)

Fidelity Institutional Retirement Services Company reorganized, automated, and reengineered all systems related to service delivery. They created a model for the development of associates called Service Delivery University and committed each associate to 80 hours of development per year. (JOW)

A study of open and flexible learning (OFL) in three Training and Enterprise Councils in Britain showed that OFL reduced unit costs 10-50%; learner qualifications and employment rates significantly improved; and the local learning infrastructure was strengthened by widening networks of training providers. The type of client for whom OFL is most…

Suggests that the European Community's LEONARDO and SOCRATES programs do not go far enough in ensuring women equal opportunities and access to education and training. (SK)

Analyzes the weaknesses of current structural options in Germany that allow older workers to keep on working. Points out that data do not indicate older workers are reluctant to participate in training. Suggests that management of competency development is unsuitable for the further employment of older adults. (Contains 56 references and 36…

Addresses the skills debate in hospitality in four key areas: the nature of work and skills in hospitality, considering skills in terms of personal attributes, job requirements, and work settings; deskilling within the hospitality workplace; the technical/generic skills debate; and the education/training process in hospitality. Concludes that…

Meta-analysis was conducted on 31 evaluations of 15 government-sponsored training programs for disadvantaged groups, 1964-1998. Earnings effects were largest for women, modest for men, and negligible for youth. Skills training increased earnings; basic education was not effective. No evidence was found that more expensive programs performed…

Analysis of the German situation shows gradual erosion of the traditional relationship between career progression and further training. Diagonal career patterns are needed to replace traditional vertical paths in new, less-hierarchical organizational structures. (SK)

Discussions of knowledge workers are gender blind and ignore or devalue women's work. A more useful conception of the worker as cyborg illuminates questions of ownership of skills and knowledge and the blurring of boundaries between humans and technologies. (SK)

Responses from 97 of 500 British employers identified minimum and preferred qualifications for new employees. A substantial number specified no minimum level. Most do not value National Vocational Qualifications and favor academic qualifications for higher-status occupations. Those who specified minimum qualifications were more likely to train…

Measures the relative influence of engaging in various learning activities--spanning the "life-wide" spectrum of learning--on economic and social benefits. Finds that relationship between formal education and economic and social outcomes is complex, with confounding effects, indicating that different types of learning activities taken…