Nebraska, like most states in the U.S., is facing a critical shortage of skilled and employable workers. Business and industry want to grow in Nebraska and realize the road to ensuring success is a workforce possessing updated knowledge and skills that support the use of new technologies, as well as a necessary work ethic to be a dependable and…

With the rapidly transforming nature of vocational work, it is increasingly challenging for vocational teachers in institutional environments to develop learning that is relevant and sustainable. Although it has been widely observed that new pedagogies are essential in this changing vocational environment, little guidance is emerging for both…

Difficulties in finding, keeping, and ensuring the competence of the direct support workforce in community developmental disability services has long been a challenge for individuals, families, providers, and policy makers. Direct support staff recruitment, retention, and competence are widely reported as one of the most significant barriers to…

This paper presents a critical argument to the profession of career development for the purpose of stimulating reflexive consideration on the myriad influences that impinge upon practitioners. The paper suggests that given the current skills agenda in the Australian economy, it may be timely to reflexively consider career development practice. The…

The human capital emphasis in recent economic planning is leading to new pressures on the post-compulsory education sector where work-readiness is emerging as a major focus. With concerns about the impact of demographic change as the population ages, there is a renewed emphasis on greater productivity from and less wastage of human capital. Hence…

This report examines one promising approach: state and local partnerships with business and industry to train low-wage workers and help them advance. For this analysis, the authors examined partnerships that: (1) Involve an investment of public funds and are managed by a public sector institution (business and industry also typically invest in…

The economic reform policies are being introduced in India in phases since 1990. It demands for competent middle level skilled manpower in country. By keeping this in mind, National Council for Education, Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi, India introduces a revised policy in 1992 and promotes vocational education. Today, several…

The growth of technology has influenced human resource development (HRD) practitioners to embrace technology for both training and non-training interventions. This study examined technology-related articles in Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) publications in order to understand what these articles address and the future needs of…

The role of social setting in adult IT literacy has not been a topic of research in much of the current literature. The purpose of this proposed study is to compare and contrast the extent to which social setting influence adult IT literacy. Participants will receive IT literacy training at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR)…

Despite the obvious fact that high performance can be promoted in many ways, the author of this article assumed for much of his academic life as a student and as a teacher that most students were motivated to learn by grades and not much else. Experiments with pass-fail courses and reports to students of their results seemed to confirm this…

This paper highlights on-going concern in Australia about the contested terrain of skills shortages, particularly as they apply to traditional trades. The paper reports on a school-based study of student career choice that was undertaken for the federal government to inform its deliberations. Drawing on the study, the paper examines key issues…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the level of consideration given to unlearning during human resource development interventions and to identify the methods being used to reinforce training and development. Design/methodology/approach: A self-administered questionnaire was given to a convenience sample of employers in regional…

The International Symposium 2006, titled "Shaping the future: Connecting career development and workforce development," was the third international forum of senior government policy makers, experts in the field of career development and employers. Attended by teams of delegates representing 22 countries and six international organisations, the…

Since the establishment of Australia's first national vocational education and training (VET) system, policy that centres women has diminished, to a present-day national scenario in where "woman" is all but unspeakable in national VET policy forums. This article provides a contextualisation and partial tracking of this erasure, before…

The two parts of this book consider two main facets of nonformal curriculum development: theory and practice. Part I on nonformal curriculum theory has four chapters. Chapter 1 addresses the origins, meaning, purpose, and scope of nonformal education. Chapter 2 examines three major themes in discussions on nonformal education: nonformal education…