Many people have studied and written about Switzerland's youth apprenticeship system, and there are good reasons to do so. The Swiss economy has been called the most innovative in the world. Switzerland's students significantly outperform U.S. students in scholastic achievement. Its youth unemployment rate is lower than in the United States.…

As the free college debate continues to gain momentum in states across the country, advocates' and policymakers' growing success in reframing access to college as a guaranteed benefit raises the question: Should federal or state governments do more to ensure that guarantee includes access to quality job training programs more generally, and if so,…

This Fast Fact #20 describes ways that Transition Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID programs) engage with state vocational rehabilitation agencies to provide pre-employment transition services to students with intellectual disability enrolled in colleges and universities.

This study examines the emerging relationship between microcredentials and qualification systems. Information gathered through an online survey among European VET providers, national authorities, employee and employer organisations was complemented by in-depth country case studies and interviews with Cedefop's ReferNet network. Questions of…

Adult basic education students manage adult responsibilities and obligations and personal goals related to school. They commit their time and limited resources and thus are investors in their own learning. As investors, their voices matter. When one countywide adult basic education program implemented a systemic plan to ask students upon entry…

Public data and accountability are key to an inclusive economic recovery. We need data on how different workers and businesses are faring in the recovery, so we can hold policymakers accountable to equitable outcomes for those most impacted. Disparities and inequities in skills training programs can only be eliminated if there is high-quality…

Two-generation human capital programs seek to promote the education of parents and children simultaneously. This study examines relations between family participation in Career"Advance," which recruits parents of Head Start children into a workforce training program, and children's Head Start attendance. The sample included 293 children…

This paper discusses a practical, multidisciplinary approach used to embed employability skills in a new postgraduate (PGT) Engineering course at the University of Bath. Informed by relevant professional bodies, key transferable skills were identified and embedded in the curriculum with discipline-specific content. Students worked on a series of…

In 1998, Sturrock and Else introduced the Play Cycle which has been integrated into both playwork theory and practice. An online survey with 157 responses found that playworkers' understanding Play Cycle varied to how they were first introduced to the theory. In addition, understandings of the six elements of the Play Cycle were significantly…

Background and Context: Non-traditional training grounds such as coding boot camps that attract a higher proportion of women are important sites for understanding how to broaden participation in computing. Objective: This work aims to help us better understand the women choosing boot camps and their pathways through these camps and into the…

In many rural areas, the local college is the center of the community: It is the primary source of education and job training for residents; a cultural hub offering arts and sporting events; a hotspot for broadband internet access; and, sometimes, the area's largest employer. When a rural region has few other large institutions, the local college…

Positive youth development (PYD) is a strengths-based approach used by programs to support the development of young people's skills, nurture their interests and values, seek and incorporate their input, and connect them to positive adults and useful resources. PYD and racial equity practices are complementary, and a focus on racial equity is…

The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted and accelerated two trends that were already occurring in the American workplace: First, the demand for new skills and competencies, including digital skills, from workers at every level. Second, the growing importance of investing in upskilling strategies that can help two groups of workers: Those who are…

Despite existing legislation and provision of post-secondary transition plans to bridge the gap between secondary school and the workplace for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), workplace sites in rural central Ohio have continued to have a hiring rate of individuals with ID that is lower than the national average. The focal point of…

There is a growing urgency to equip transition-age students with intellectual and developmental disabilities for competitive, integrated employment. Prior research demonstrates the positive effects of job coaching, yet no known training exists for educators to learn how to provide appropriate employment-related supports to promote student…