Many talented minority and women professionals experience considerable frustration during the early stages of their careers as a result of a lack of familiarity with the formal and informal codes of traditional institutional hierarchies. Suggestions for analyzing and coping with traditional hierarchies are outlined for young minority and women…

A student at Empire State College of the State University of New York studying under a mentor like Sharon Villines is likely to get college credit in a wider variety of subject areas than a candidate for a traditional bachelors degree. (MM)

The article describes a program at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in which students have an opportunity for practical experience in 25 on-campus or 8 off-campus work stations. Benefits to the employer and employee are discussed. (CL)

Describes how a number of nonteaching jobs can provide practical benefits to the teacher unable to land a teaching job. (DD)

Students in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, are leaving the school to spend as much as a full semester learning about the adult world. (Author)

A comparison of German vocational students receiving company-based and noncompany-based training found that noncompany-based trainees had relatively poor employment prospects. Possible causes were lack of real-world work experience, differences in occupational structure of training and trainees' entrance qualifications, and employer reluctance to…

Interviews exploring the work experience of 11 boys and 13 girls in British high schools showed that they exhibited different levels of mature judgment and endowed their experience with different meanings. Most believed the placements' primary function was to prepare them for transition to work. The educative potential of work experience remained…

Examines the assessment of work-based learning, noting distinctions between "pure" and "professional" knowledge by offering a genealogy of learning; asserting that the distinction between academic and non-academic learning has become what Dewey termed a false dualism; examining relationships between judgment, activity,…

The Occupational Work Ethic Inventory was completed by 1,201 workers in various businesses and industries. Women were more likely to endorse the work ethic than men. There were few differences by age or educational level and significant differences by occupation and for those workers with 2-8 years of full-time experience. (SK)

A cooperative education program involved student practica in Quebec pulp and paper mills. Using the concept of community of practice and a typology of work experience, data from 175 students indicated that schools and workplaces placed traditional roles regarding theory and practice. Organizational cultures remained separate and opportunities for…

Employers (154 of 1,303 responded) rated 25 entry-worker competencies and new graduates' performance. Eight of the top 10 were "soft" skills; ability and willingness to learn ranked highest. Graduates' performance was satisfactory only in 3 that were not in the top 10. Most employers (79%) felt that prior work experience was important…

Internship programs are traditionally seen as a social responsibility or means of screening potential employees. In a Nova Scotia government agency internship program, the agency benefitted in a different way: from the enthusiasm, fresh perspectives, and technology skills interns brought to the workplace. (SK)

Evaluation of undergraduate placements in two microbusinesses--a printer and a video store--revealed key factors contributing to the efficacy of work experience in small enterprises: preplacement preparation, mentoring for students and employers, and postplacement support for reflection. The need for a learning network of students, teachers, and…

Describes the history and current status of sandwich courses offered by all polytechnics and many colleges and universities in the United Kingdom--in which periods of full-time, academically related employment alternate with periods of formal coursework. Topics include responsibilities for placement, pay, assessment, and international placements.…

More than half of students in higher education in the Netherlands are following work-integrated programs in professional education (applied arts and sciences). Spectacular growth in professional training institutes has occurred because of their responsiveness to employer needs and the demand for greater flexibility and worker retraining. (SK)