This book describes and advocates "smart training," an approach to on-the-job training that helps employees gain competence and empowers them to act to satisfy customers. The book is organized in 16 chapters grouped into 4 parts. Part 1 outlines the basics of smart training, including its performance base, the need for initial analysis,…

At least 154 programs administered by 14 federal departments and agencies provide about $25 billion in employment training assistance. Faced with stiff global competition, corporate restructuring, and continuing federal budget constraints, the federal government can no longer afford to invest in a system that may waste resources and may not help…

In policy debates, the U.S. education and training (ET) system is often blamed for the nation's eroding position in the world economy. Long-term international analysis reveals little evidence of deindustrialization or falling labor productivity. However, other industrial countries have caught up. Most economic research directly concerned with ET…

In the opinion of international and German experts, development policy in the 1990s should be focused on human beings. People in less-developed nations must take their political and economic fate into their own hands. The objective of personnel cooperation is to turn passive recipients of aid into active protagonists of their own development.…

The current displaced worker initiative towers over the 30-year effort to bring the economically disadvantaged into the mainstream of the labor market. The Congressional Budget Office defines displacement as all workers 18 years of age and older who lose full-time employment due to slack work, job abolition, or plant closure. Major displaced…

This training resource book is designed to be used by employees of the Department of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), for on-the-job training to become certified rehabilitation counselors. The workbook is part of a training program that offers the following: (1) an overview of the programs administered by the Office of…

After briefly summarizing major policy concerns and different perspectives on the relationship between training and work, this report discusses three main modes of vocational training: school-based training, apprenticeship, and training of employees. The goals and ideologies connected with these modes and the national systems that exemplify them…

One legacy of the United States' emphasis on individualism is a system of vocational education disconnected from employers. Collaboration is an attempt to replace hostility with closer relations between the public and private sectors. The movement for partnerships comes as the "system" of work-related education and training is becoming…

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a transfer-of-training model and a method for applying it. A literature review investigated the theory and practice of transfer of training. In the first phase of the research, a transfer-of-training model was developed using the principles of general systems theory, the various steps of a…

A study was conducted to provide much-needed, in-depth qualitative information and direction regarding the experiences, attitudes, value systems, and aspirations of various segments of the Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) recipients. Eight focus groups, each composed of 8 to 10 persons, were conducted in May 1990 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Discussion…

This booklet is part of the "Getting to Grips with..." series, which is intended for the general reader who wants to understand important trends in vocational education and training. It is designed to provide the reader with an understanding of the main practical aspects of on-the-job training. The booklet is in two parts. The first…

A project coordinated through Job Training Partnership Act programs and local educational organizations in Clermont and Warren Counties of Ohio attempted to identify persons in the clerical field who were unemployed or whose employment opportunities were limited by a lack of technological skills. A commercially developed assessment was used with…

A study in Georgia evaluated the pre-program to post-program changes in employment, earnings, and welfare dependency for the 6,693 Title II-A adults that occurred between application and participant follow-up 13 weeks after leaving the state's Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) program during the 1989-90 program year. Findings revealed…

Today, the United States incarcerates more people per capita and imposes longer sentences than any other country in the world. In 1966, there were less than 1,000 people in Arizona's only prison. Now, the state operates eight prison complexes housing 15,000 inmates annually. Given that the majority of imprisoned people are going to be released,…

The Dislocated Worker Assistance Center (DWAC) at Joliet Junior College (Illinois) is a comprehensive employment and training program for individuals with established work records who have lost their jobs because of layoff, plant closure, or changes in technology in the workplace. The DWAC was elected to serve as the National Demonstration Center…