This monograph includes eight articles that examine self-employment as a goal for vocational rehabilitation closure for rural disabled people. Articles cover the changing labor market and increasing opportunities for self-employment; an account of how home-based employment allowed a disabled worker to become self-sufficient; policies and practices…

This document contains a final report, evaluation, and curriculum materials from a project conducted at the RJR Nabisco plant in Indianapolis to upgrade the literacy and numeracy skills of the workers to facilitate technological changes to production lines. As the final report explains, although the goal of the project was to recruit and test 150…

This two-part report presents quantitative and qualitative data from a 1994 national study of community college participation in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program, a transitional welfare-to-work program. Following a preface, an executive summary reviews the study methodology, indicating that 277 colleges out of 1,170 surveyed…

In January 1995, Illinois' McHenry County College began development of an occupational initiative to prepare individuals for functioning in the "high performance workplace" of today's technological and informational society. The initiative, "Academy for High Performance," was designed to integrate general education with an…

This paper focuses on the application of total quality management (TQM) in human resources development. It analyzes writings of five leading total quality authors from which four basic principles, or pillars, are derived as the basis for the application of total quality within the instructional setting. The pillars are: (1) customer satisfaction;…

A four-stage feminist research project investigating European Social Fund (ESF)-funded vocational training for unemployed women used the grounded theory approach. Stage 1 involved the formation of the research questions and design. Steps included the ontological, epistemological, and methodological positioning of the researcher. Stage 2 was the…

This book addresses the goal of radically repositioning training from a peripheral role in the organization to that of a provider of bottom-line results, return on investment, and driver of performance. Each of five parts, and their respective chapters, begins with a changing mindset model that implies a shared perception, by both the individual…

These four papers are from a symposium that was facilitated by Nancy Dixon at the 1995 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD). "Reliability Testing of Multirater Feedback" (Wim J. Nijhof, Anne Jager) focuses on testing the reliability and validity of the multirater feedback system. Findings are reported that conclude that…

These five papers are from a symposium that was facilitated by Elwood F. Holton, III at the 1995 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD). "HRD Alignment: A Systemic Assessment of HRD in Organizations" (Richard J. Torraco) describes the HRD alignment model as a model for evaluation that offers a systemwide perspective on HRD…

These five papers are from a symposium that was facilitated by Darlene Russ-Eft at the 1995 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD). "The Setting of Goals for Skill Acquisition" (Howard J. Klein, Peg Thoms) reports a study of hospital managers that found that goal manipulation did not lead to significant main…

With respect to the educational attainment of students and skill levels of the labor force, America cannot compete well on an international stage. Comparative international examinations reveal that American students know less than their counterparts in other advanced industrial countries. To help improve students' skill and educational levels, the…

Literacy teachers might find social theories instructive in understanding how literacy skills and job market preparation have become a literacy for control. To educate students to the best of their abilities, teachers must move beyond the unquestioned authority of the text, the canon, and the power relations that are constructed in status quo…

This study, conducted for the Maryland legislature, evaluated the current method for financing graduate medical education in hospital rates, particularly whether the costs of graduate education at the state's two academic medical centers are too high. The study involved discussions with the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC),…

These essays represent a plateau in the fight for Chicana voices to be heard, and they display the range of scholarship Chicanas are producing. The first section contains statements given at the plenary session on Chicana feminism, and the second section analyzes the position of Chicanas in the workplace. Section 3 considers research and data on…

Case studies of 15 leading employers in the United Kingdom were conducted to examine their career development practices. Employees, line managers, executives, and human resources professionals in the finance, energy, high technology, manufacturing, service, and public service sectors were interviewed regarding the career development practices and…