Training interventions can be evaluated by calculating return on investment (ROI) and cost-benefit analysis. The four-level model proposed by Kirkpatrick is the dominant evaluation model used. Calculating ROI has been a critical issue for trainers and executives, but only a few organizations have implemented the process that is considered as…

This document reports on a Congressional hearing on assistance to workers dislocated or unemployed due to the serious economic deterioration impacting the country, partly due to the events of September 11, 2001. Testimony includes statements of United States Representatives John Boehner and George Miller; Michael Hannah, representing Local 13358,…

A study investigated job search literacies for a small sample of Western Australian youth currently seeking employment. Participants were 10 females and 4 males aged 15-24. The research design involved the presentation of job search information and exercises to develop literacy competencies in a participative workshop format. Participants…

Successful welfare reform requires quickly moving welfare recipients into jobs. Components to this challenge include the following: a poor fit between where jobs are located and where many welfare recipients live; recipients who lack experience and skills and do not know how to seek, find, or qualify for jobs; childcare and transportation needs;…

This paper provides an overview of teaching as a gendered profession in Finland, focusing on recent research on teachers and their professional development. Currently, women are better educated than men in Finland, but they still do not achieve employment positions and salaries equal to those of men. Though there tend to be more female than male…

As part of its Jobs Initiative (JI) program in six metropolitan areas Denver, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Seattle the Annie E. Casey Foundation sought to develop and test a method for establishing benchmarks for workforce development agencies. Data collected from 10 projects in the JI from April through March, 2000,…

This monograph on the vocational education and training (VET) system in Spain is one of a series on VET systems in the European Union Member States. Chapter 1 provides this background information: political and administrative structures, population, Spanish economy, and employment. Chapter 2 describes the current education system. Chapter 3 covers…

This guide is a set of materials developed for use in adult education settings such as English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes, community-based organizations, and parent groups for the purpose of helping immigrant parents see themselves as active participants in their children's learning. These materials are intended to meet the following…

Lifeprints is a four-level program that helps adult English- as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students gain the English language skills they need to participate effectively at work and in their communities. This multimedia kit contains the first level in the series. Level one is divided into six units: "Welcome to English Class"; "Personal Information";…

This study investigated factors leading to employment and unemployment for young people living in urban and rural areas in Scotland. Surveys and interviews were conducted with 817 youths, 40 rural employers, and 25 professionals from across Scotland. Findings include: (1) long-term youth unemployment was less common in rural than in urban areas,…

An evaluation was conducted to assess progress in implementing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 (which sought to streamline the delivery of employment and training services) during its first full year ending in June 2001. Data were gathered through contact with 12 national associations representing state and local implementers, visits to…

A benefit-cost analysis of the Job Corps program compared groups randomly assigned to either enroll in the program or to constitute a control group that did not enroll. Youth who participated in the study were those found eligible for Job Corps nationwide between November 1994 and February 1996. Interviews with participants and the assignment of…

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) evaluated the feasibility of individual learning accounts (ILAs) as an approach to workforce development. Thirteen federal agencies volunteered to participate in the initiative. Together, they conducted a total of 17 pilot tests. Some pilot tests included all employees in the agency. Others targeted…

This curriculum was developed to train the frontline supervisors (FLS) in human service agencies to become active in their organizations and at their individual sites in the recruitment, retention, and training of direct support professionals. It is based on research-based competencies for frontline supervisors that were developed following a…

This report describes activities of the National Council on Disability (NCD) during fiscal year 2001. Activities were focused around NCD's four strategic goals: (1) to enhance the lives of people with disabilities of all ages and backgrounds through the development of policy recommendations; (2) to educate the public and elected officials on…