This publication presents results of a year-long research program initiated by the National Commission for Employment Policy to research and discuss the employment effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It contains the letter to the President in which the Commission endorses NAFTA because of its positive employment-creating…

This book examines predominantly rural regions of the United States that lag behind the rest of the country in income, employment, access to services, and measures of education and health. Case studies of nine regions examine historical background; current economic and social conditions (including demography, educational attainment, and…

On October 14, 1993, the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges adopted a new mission and goals statement reemphasizing workforce preparedness and literacy. This renewed focus has made it more important that measures of successful workplace training be developed. Two measures of workforce outcomes are employment rates and median salary…

The Ohio State Literacy Survey, which assessed Ohio adults' literacy skills according to their performance on tasks reflecting the materials/demands encountered in daily life, was administered to a sample of 1,568 persons aged 16 years or older who were randomly selected from Ohio's approximately 8.3 million adults. Each participant received…

This report describes national demographic and work force trends that have important implications for institutions and presents recommended management strategies for the 1990s. Among the trends predicted for the next 10 years are the following: (1) a continuing reduction in the traditional 18-24 year-old college-going population; (2) the…

Recent changes in the structure of wages and in employer-provided benefits made available to young workers were examined. Changes in the wage structure and in benefits were compared by educational level. Data from the Youth, Young Men, and Young Women's cohorts of the National Longitudinal Surveys provided information on a sample of young men and…

A study identified the gaps between supply and demand for training in Washington State and recommended strategies for reducing them. The study considered the perspectives of both employers and workers and separately analyzed the needs of three groups: youth, adults, and adults with barriers to employment. The study found the following: (1) there…

This publication presents a portrait of transitions from initial education to working life in the United States. Section I details the distribution of students at two basic levels: K-12 and tertiary education. It introduces a recurring concern--the distribution of students by ethnicity and socioeconomic status--and details the declining importance…

A research project studied 4 selected matched samples of 160 youths each, aged 16-19 years, from 2 towns in England and 2 in Germany in order to compare the youths' experience of job training and the school-to-work transition. Two expanding towns--Swindon, England, and Paderborn, Germany--were paired, as were Liverpool and Bremen. Whereas…

This report presents findings on the early work experiences of youth with disabilities, part of a 5-year study on the transition of youth with disabilities from secondary school to early adulthood. The study examined trends in students' career development by comparing employment characteristics 2 and 4 years after leaving secondary school.…

The State/Local Cooperative Labor Market Information Program has been developed to meet the needs of California's business community and work force. The program aims to improve the match between employers' needs for skilled labor and the skills of the state's workers. The program is a partnership composed of the state Employment Development…

A survey involving 1,024 secondary pupils and 22 career educators from schools throughout the United Kingdom collected information on pupils' perceptions of entering the hotel and catering industry as a career. The research looked in detail at the job expectations of pupils, the status they associated with hotel and catering and nonhotel and…

In fall 1992, a survey was sent to students who graduated from Westchester Community College (WCC) in late summer 1991, fall 1991, or spring 1992. The survey sought to collect information on graduates' demographic, educational, and work-related characteristics. This document contains the executive summary and the results of the survey. Of the 883…

A recent report from Rand, a think tank in California, titled "The Trend in Inequality among Families, Individuals, and Workers in the United States" by Lynn A. Karoly confirms that the gap between the haves and have-nots is widening and that the middle class in the United States is shrinking. Latinos have been particularly hard hit.…

This pamphlet examines the development and activities of WomenVenture's business development program in the context of facilitation of self-employment as a means to women's economic self-sufficiency. The following topics are discussed: women in the work force, women in poverty, self-employment and low-income women, formation of the Women's…