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…

This book represents one result of the international conference on "Lifelong Learning as an Affordable Investment," held December 6-8, 2000 in Ottawa, Canada. It examines the economic and financial issues that arise in implementing lifelong learning and considers how the public and private sectors are actually addressing or might address…

A pilot study on the hotel, catering, and tourism sector was conducted in the Burgundy region of France, Northwest region of the Czech Republic, and Podravje region of Slovenia. Three main kinds of factors of change were brought out. The first, evoked in Slovenia and the Czech Republic, concerned the opening of borders. Typical trends were…

A project evaluated the quality assurance (QA) processes put in place by the English National Board from 1998. The Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) represented a shift of emphasis in audit activity from approval/validation of programs to continuous annual monitoring and review. The evaluation used a mixture of methods, including survey and case…

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…

Noting that there are an estimated 1.2 billion 10- to 19-year-olds in the world, this report examines the challenges faced by adolescents in both developing and developed nations. The report describes adolescence as a complex transition during which youth take on new responsibilities and experiment with independence. The importance of the…

Work-based learning (WBL) is one response of education and training institutions to criticisms they have failed to adapt to changing economic times and the changing nature of work. Formal educational institutions are challenged by the perception that they are inadequate to the task of preparing the present and future work force with the necessary…

Intended for outreach workers, community development workers, tutors, managers, and coordinators, this guide focuses on how laptop computers are and could be used innovatively and resourcefully for basic skills, outreach, and widening participation generally. Chapter 1 introduces aims and management of the Laptop Initiative for Adult and Community…

This paper uses direct measures of literacy skill levels provided by the International Adult Literacy Survey to estimate the return to literacy skills. Using a very simple human capital earnings equation and standard ordinary least squares regression, it tested estimates of the return to literacy skills for their robustness to alternative scalings…

In the 1960s, German industry experienced a greater need for labor. Recruitment agreements for "guestworkers" were concluded with a number of Mediterranean countries, with the opinion at the time being that temporary immigration would be in the interests of all involved: German firms would get cheap labor, the "guestworkers"…

Two research projects focused on use of casual markers (graders) for correcting and grading distance education (DE) students' work. A Charles Sturt University project convened focus groups of DE students, casual DE markers, and lecturers who "managed" markers to uncover concerns. University of South Australia research focused on pedagogical issues…

The pedagogical functions of simple World Wide Web-based discussions during work-based learning periods in vocational education were examined in a study of a secondary-level work-based practical nursing program in Finland. The students (age range, 16 to 43 years) participated in 17 Web discussion groups during their 120-week practical nursing…

Data from longitudinal school leavers' surveys in France and Ireland were compared to determine types of transition pathways leading to unsuccessful conclusions. Focus was on outcomes of the transition process for school leavers unemployed five years after leaving and for employed young people whose earnings did not allow them to be financially…

This report brings together the latest available statistics to record national achievements in child survival, health, nutrition, education, family planning, and progress for women. Each section contains a commentary and a presentation of related statistics. Following an introduction by UNICEF executive director Carol Bellamy, the commentaries…

This monograph, which describes the vocational education and training (VET) system in the United Kingdom, is a step towards updating and extending the series on VET in the member states of the European Community. Chapter 1 provides background information on: political and administrative structure; population; the economy and labor force;…