American schools are working to adopt school-to-work programs, spurred by the 1990 Vocational and Applied Technology Act, the 1992 Workforce Readiness Act, and President Bill Clinton's proposed School-to-Work Opportunities Act. Currently, non-college-bound high school graduates are ill-prepared. Like other industrialized countries, the United…

Comparison of continuing training in France and Germany finds that, in France, more talented workers are selected for training but training does not produce significant wage effects. In Germany, selection operates differently: continuing training is given to a greater number of employees and has an effect on career advancement. (SK)

The German Central Office for Continuing Training in the Crafts Sector develops continuing training for small businesses and works on teacher training. The focus is on quality assurance through continuing updates of concepts and development of new instructional media. (SK)

Demands for workforce flexibility and lifelong learning can endanger or marginalize older workers, whose access to training and promotion opportunities may be limited. A marked change in employer attitudes toward older workers is needed. (SK)

Work-integrated learning has the advantages of greater efficiency, lower costs, just-in-time utility, and improved access. Taylorist work structures hinder its realization, and unemployed people are excluded. Informal learning-by-doing is achieving prominence alongside traditional formal training methods. (SK)

Interviews with 15 participants in New Deal, a British training program for unemployed 18-24 year-olds, revealed overall skepticism about government training programs, distrust and disillusionment, little support for what the government identified as different about New Deal, and low expectations of long-term employment outcomes of the program.…

Competency-based training is not a singular model; it embeds radically different conceptions of competence, depending on whether delivery and assessment of training incorporate industry standards. Models that maintain a tension between the outcomes and processes of education and training, rather than a focus solely on outcomes, are most…

German, British, and European Commission models of vocational training were compared with the situation in France. Rethinking of the link between training and employment may be necessary in a context in which occupational mobility is less clear cut than it used to be. (SK)

Reform of the Spanish vocational-training system under 1990 legislation has created a flexible, responsive initial training subsystem. The continuing-training subsystem has only begun to operate and may be hindered by employer suspicion of certification. (SK)

Describes a model of organizational listening competency (developed in a 10-year study) that applies directly to the workplace. Describes how it provides a basis for assessing listening ability largely through the observations of coworkers, and emphasizes two effective behaviors: accuracy (confirming the message sent) and support (affirming the…

Economic globalization is having ill effects on employment, wages, and job quality. Training is not a panacea for these problems, and adult educators should not allow themselves to be manipulated by the rhetoric. They should inform themselves, stimulate public debate, and propose alternatives. (SK)

A literature review found that business spending on vocational education and training varied by size, specialty, and location. Business interest in return on investment differed from government goals for encouraging training investment and may not be aligned with long-term national goals for laborforce development. (SK)

Gives an overview of contextual learning theories and characteristics of work-based learning. Presents a case study of the use of real work processes for systematic onsite apprentices training in Germany to demonstrate applications. (SK)

Discusses the success of the Leonardo da Vinci program, a European laboratory of innovation in vocational training, a priority focus of investment in human resources and intelligence, and a way to mobilize innovative forces beyond national boundaries. Trends identified by the program focus on new information and communication technologies. (JOW)

Women Working Technical is a six-month training course to place women in entry-level jobs in electronics. It was designed for women who are displaced homemakers, single parents, and/or recipients of public assistance. (JOW)