During the past decade, funding mechanisms for universities and technical education institutions and colleges have undergone massive restructuring in developed and developing countries alike. Governmental support has generally decreased, resulting in greater reliance on fee-based education or creation of privately sponsored engineering/technical…

Progress in integration of state-level welfare and work force development systems in the Midwest was examined through case studies of 10 communities in 7 states. The case studies focused on local-level coordination and/or integration between the welfare and work force development systems. Despite legislative mechanisms to encourage collaboration,…

This report describes apprenticeship system development in Australia and provides a quantitative macro-level analysis of apprenticeship, traineeship, and new apprenticeship trends. Following an introduction (chapter 1), chapters 2-3 trace its European origins and establishment in colonial Australia, development and evolution through the twentieth…

This document contains three papers on informal learning and human resource development. "Workplace Learning Reviewed: Confronting the Rhetoric with Empirical Research" (Rob F. Poell, Ferd J. Van der Krogt) discusses the considerable discrepancy between theory on workplace learning and actual workplace learning-related developments in…

Canadian population trends were examined from a life course perspective to identify needed social policy changes. First, the following principles underpinning the life course perspective were discussed: (1) aging involves biological, psychological, and social processes; (2) human development and aging are lifelong processes; (3) individuals' and…

This guide offers insight, advice, examples, and resources aimed at community education practitioners in the United Kingdom who want to establish sustainable community education and neighborhood renewal programs promoting active citizenship and social change. The following topics are discussed: (1) neighborhoods in crisis; (2) proposed government…

The barriers to male participation in education and training initiatives in Ireland were examined in a qualitative study. The data collection methods were as follows: (1) semi-structured focus groups with a total of 41 men participating in training initiatives at five sites across Ireland; (2) in-depth interviews with 20 of the men; (3) a…

A work group consisting of representatives of public agencies, education, the health care industry, and unions and professional associations was formed to examine education and training issues related to the shortage of health care workers in Washington state. The group concluded that the shortage of available workers in many health care…

The empirical basis for expectations that employer involvement in high school programs contributes to early employment success in today's economy was explored by using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) survey for 1992, when students were sampled in their senior year, and data for 1994, when follow-up interviews with the…

To support schools and colleges across England in implementing Curriculum 2000, England's Learning and Skills Development Agency worked with more than 40 schools and sixth form and further education (FE) colleges to identify the challenges institutions will likely face when preparing for the second year of advanced-level Curriculum 2000 programs…

The future of low-wage jobs is examined through a case study of firm restructuring in the retail industry. The study confirms that the retailing sector has come to be dominated by the Wal-Mart model, which emphasizes an efficient technology-driven inventory management system and a human resource approach that includes the following elements:…

The business press abounds with examples of innovative companies that have created high-quality jobs; however, low-wage, deskilled jobs filled by contingent workers are equally prevalent. More than one in six U.S. workers currently hold retail jobs. The effect of globalization of trade on the retail industry is unclear. The most significant…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on workplace issues that was conducted as part of a conference on human resource development (HRD). "Maximizing Opportunities for the Aging Workforce through Workplace Design" (Virginia W. Kupritz), reports on the second phase of study of the office design features needed to provide…

This document, which is intended as a primer for adult continuing education, contains 11 chapters examining the philosophical foundations of adult and continuing education. The chapter titles and authors are as follows: "Progressivism and Adult Continuing Education" (Michael Day); "Progressivism: An Anthology" (Andrea Reeve);…

This two-volume document reports on a study of globalization and Australia's training market. Volume 1 begins by examining debate on globalization and industry training in Australia. Discussed next is the study methodology, which involved field studies of the metals and engineering industry in South West Sydney and the Hunter and the information…