Discusses the preparation of foster adolescents for employment. Emphasizes the development of an independent-living plan that includes employment as a subgoal, and indicates how foster youths can acquire fundamental work attitudes and skills in day-to-day placement situations. (RJC)

Describes how trainers can promote trainee flexibility and increase the effectiveness of their instruction by using skill related, principle based rules. Highlights include skill performance variables; analyzing skills to derive principles; converting principles into rules; and how to integrate principle based rules into skill instruction. (LRW)

The author describes development of certification standards and an integrated training package for entry-level retail employees. Evaluation methods are discussed. (CH)

Case studies of workplace literacy programs provided by a technical college to a hospital consortium, by a technical college to a high-tech firm, and by an Opportunities Industrialization Center illustrate how vocational institutions can offer customized curricula based on actual workplace situations to diverse business clients. (SK)

Surveyed 45 Japanese corporations to determine common training methods and use of systematic design and development processes. Results indicate that overall there was more internal classroom training than on-the-job training and that only two of the companies had a formal, systematic approach to instruction design and development. (JMV)

Examines Britain's General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) from four perspectives: ideological tensions in government policy and cultural values; relationship between GNVQs and the new managerialism in postcompulsory education; GNVQs, the labor market, and upskilling; and the importance of addressing wider educational issues beyond…

Examines the use of a performance support system (PSS) to enhance user performance on an operational system. Highlights include background information that describes the stimulus for PSS development; discussion of the major PSS components and the technology they require; and discussion of the design of a PSS for a complex database system.…

Comparison of Britain's Training and Enterprise Councils/Local Enterprise Companies with the United States' Private Industry Councils (PICs) shows common problems: inadequate financing, labor market fragmentation, staff turnover, and lack of national strategy. PICs have a clearer mission and greater success in developing partnerships with local…

Three Australian studies identified attributes of workplaces as learning environments: authentic activities, experts, other workers, and task engagement. Limitations of workplace learning included inappropriate knowledge, lack of access to activities, expert reluctance, absence of expertise, opaque knowledge, and problems with instructional media.…

According to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1986-1990, length of training did not affect wages; company training, seminars outside of work, and vocational schools were associated with higher wages. Apprenticeships, business schools, and correspondence courses had no apparent impact on wage levels or change in wages over the…

Soon there will be national occupational standards of competence for managers of outdoor education and recreation centers in the United Kingdom. Charlotte Mason Management Services has mounted a competence-based residential course for outdoor and environmental center managers. Fewer than half the participating managers have had any previous…

This article describes a picture/symbol form for use by students with moderate and severe mental retardation to record their performance at community-based instructional sites. The form was used in a hotel to teach 13 housekeeping tasks to 120 students. The student records completion and level of independence (self, group instruction, or aided by…

Since 1990, all states must implement a Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) for welfare recipients. The 1986 aggregated data indicate a job-placement rate of 60 percent. Estimates of unemployment suggest that JOBS participants would face stiff competition for employment, particularly in the South and nonmetro states. (SV)

Labor market planning techniques must take into account the dynamic nature of economies. A better approach than labor needs forecasting is use of labor market signals developed by monitoring wage and employment changes and evaluating training programs. (SK)

Kentucky employers (249 of 800 surveyed) identified adaptability, teamwork, communication, and problem solving as entry-level and advancement skills. Over 50 percent did no preemployment testing. Responses indicated areas needing change: training focused on workplace basics, accessible training delivery, and preemployment assessment services. (SK)