To build a better Future Farmers of America program, vocational agriculture teachers should stress supervised occupational experience programs (SOEP) by (1) requiring every student to have an SOEP, (2) making SOEP an integral part of instruction, and (3) making sure that the SOEP instruction includes the development of occupational goals. (LRA)

Traces the development of vocational education programs through the manual training movement of the 1880s, the creation of the Commission on National Aid to Vocational Education in 1914, and the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917. Discusses five key values intrinsic to the vocational education movement and why current programs have not met their promise.…

Discusses arguments for and against school-based vocational education; describes an independent Experience Based Career Education Project (EBCE) which can operate within a school curriculum or in a separate training facility. (DR)

The article describes a model career exploration program, the Professional Career Exploration Program for Minority and/or Low Income Gifted and Talented Students, which was created as a tenth-grade community exploration program. Sections address the multistage process used to identify disadvantaged gifted students, the inclass seminars for student…

The growth of and potential for cooperative education for graduate students is addressed. It is suggested that the majority of such programs in the future will have few participants, will not be closely tied to the curriculum designed, will be largely student-instigated, and will be flexible and informal. (Author/LBH)

Describes changes and improvements in a geography internship program at San Diego State University since its inception in 1969. The program, which integrates unpaid work experience with classroom study, has increased the variety of available jobs, developed guidelines for intern supervisors, places 300 percent more students in jobs, and requires…

One of the biggest changes in the Job Corps program has been the conversion of many single-sex centers to coeducational facilities. Interviews with program administrators at the national and center levels indicate that "coeding," the catchword for the conversion, is both popular and effective. (WL)

Examines the effect on earnings of variations among individuals in postschool human investment (namely, in work experience after the completion of schooling). Data from the Johns Hopkins Retrospective Life History Survey are analyzed to make possible a reformulation of Becker and Chiswick's econometric model to allow for additional variations…

Describes the Oshkosh (Wisconsin) Public Schools agribusiness program, a secondary level program which emphasizes career exploration and on-the-job training experience; eight statements describe why the program has been successful. (HD)

This study examines the relationship between five dimensions of alienation from work--powerlessness, normlessness, meaninglessness, self-evaluative involvement, and instrumental work orientation--and the work-related behavior of effort, performance, absenteeism, and tardiness. The results show that the five dimensions of alienation are empirically…

Interviews with teachers in 13 British schools in which students participated in the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative showed that learning from work experience is not valued in the formal curriculum. Teachers did consider that it enriched the social development of students of average or below average ability. (SK)

A study examining the impacts of camp on staff interviewed 29 former seasonal camp staff. All respondents reported positive benefits in their personal and professional lives and the strong influence of camp in shaping career choices. Reflections on camp fell into three categories: uniqueness of camp, making memories for kids, and freedom. (TD)

Examination of nine federally funded projects identified as national models in assisting the career development of college students with learning disabilities resulted in recommendations in key areas: agency collaboration, business/industry outreach, advisory boards, career assessment, career-technical education, internships, cooperative…

Using data from the manufacturing sector of Iran, examines the existence of hierarchical structure in data used and the advantages of employing multilevel modeling in human capital analysis of earnings differentials. Finds that (1) data used are dominated by a hierarchical structure and (2) the amount of education and experience is significantly…

The Contextual Career Education model stresses participant decision making, responsibility, and acquisition of work-related skills for urban youth in a real-life context. George Washington University's program provides work experience, career education classes, and a computer lab, which allows career exploration and computer skills training. (SK)