Developing competence in the workforce for a changing economy is a challenge to a nations education system. This study examines what education and training systems have been made available to the workforce. For this study, in 1998, 31,736 employees were surveyed from 401 firms in 12 counties across China: four in two eastern provinces, four in two…

The prospects of world economic development are determined by the character of countries' transition to the new stage of development of productive forces: from industrial production, which was dominated by large-scale mechanized machine-driven production, to postindustrial production, which will be dominated by nonmaterial production--the sphere…

This article presents an interview with Emily Stover DeRocco, Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. In this interview, the assistant secretary answers probing questions about the Community College Initiative, the workforce system, and the training funds directed through the workforce system.

This article features Ohio's Miami Valley Career Technology Center. The author discusses how MVCTC is connecting secondary education with apprenticeship and postsecondary training. MVCTC needed support from its partners in both non-union and union companies to get the school to apprenticeship program under way. The Associated Builders and…

Arkansas Northeastern College, formerly Mississippi County Community College, has been in the business of providing training in the Northeast Arkansas region for over 15 years. Prior to 1996, adjunct trainers or faculty provided the training. In 1996, Mississippi County Community College's (MCCC) training director, Robin Myers (now president of…

This article argues that discourse analysis can be utilized in conjunction with other forms of analysis to develop a more critical teaching and research agenda for Human Resource Development (HRD); in particular this article suggests that the introduction of a discourse analysis perspective can support and facilitate the development of critically…

A random effects ordered response model of training is estimated to analyze the existence of training tracks and time varying coefficients in training frequency. Two waves of a Dutch panel survey of workers are used covering the period 1992-1996. The amount of training received by workers increased during the period 1994-1996 compared to…

Situated learning theory provides a rich conceptual framework for analysing the processes by which apprentices become (full) participants in a community of practice. This article uses case study evidence from the UK's Modern Apprenticeship programme to show how this framework can be developed by identifying features of expansive and restrictive…

Internationally, governments are keen to identify and enact policies to encourage increased contributions from enterprises for the skill development of their employees. However, the goals for these policies often remain unclear and the means of securing these purposes are vexed. Drawing on a review of international literature and interviews with…

The authors of this article were involved in designing and delivering a vocational education and training (VET) program for employees of a large Australian government agency. Learning partnerships were included as an integral part of this program and research was conducted to determine whether learning partnerships could be used effectively in…

The focus in recent studies of workplace learning has been on "communities of practice" and the ways that learning is shaped by such communities. In the process, there has been a downplaying of the importance of broader institutional arrangements, including the impact of organisational structures and management practice, as well as…

MDC's mission is to help organizations and communities close the gaps that separate people from opportunity. The organization has been working to create positive change in disadvantaged communities for 40 years--by conducting research and demonstrating effective programs at the community level. MDC focuses on three areas: education, economic and…

Interactive digital media, or video games, are a powerful new medium. They offer immersive experiences in which players solve problems. Players learn more than just facts--ways of seeing and understanding problems so that they "become" different kinds of people. "Serious games" coming from business strategy, advergaming, and entertainment gaming…

As part of a project funded by the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER) and the Desert Knowledge CRC (DKCRC), the "Growing the desert" research team have conducted a broad-ranging analysis of the role of formal and non-formal training opportunities that lead to employment and enterprise opportunities in the…

The use, learning and transfer of workplace numeracy skills, as well as current understandings of the term numeracy, are examined in this study. It also highlights the importance of numeracy as an essential workplace skill. The report challenges the training system and training organisations to provide numeracy training which makes links directly…