This presentation was made to a breakout session at the 2011 Skills Australia and Industry Skills Councils joint conference, "Putting Skills at the Heart of Economy". The paper addresses the challenge of measurement in workforce development planning and discusses the role of the various players in the labour and training…

This article briefly defines rightsizing the workforce and discusses the rightsizing dilemma in relation to the current economic downturn in the United States, its disparate effects on citizens, and implications for potential shifting roles for vocational psychologists. Next, the discussion will highlight disenfranchised or marginalized groups…

This paper aims to provide metro, state, and national policy makers with a better sense of the specific problems facing metropolitan labor markets. First, the analysis examines trends in the demand for educated labor and how a gap between education supply and demand is related to unemployment. Next, it attempts to distinguish between cyclical and…

In this paper we will briefly review recent trends in employment outcomes for disadvantaged youth, focusing specifically on those who have become "disconnected" from school and the labor market, and why these trends have occurred. We then review a range of policy prescriptions that might improve those outcomes. These policies include: 1)…

This article addresses the discourse on career and technical education (CTE) from a multiperspectival approach to challenge the persisting academic-vocational divide. The author illustrates the paradoxical rhetoric in CTE, then shares a personal experience, and draws on ethnographic research to reveal a different understanding of enabling human…

This study is a series of the empirical study, the Excellence of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions, which has investigated the association between four premise factors (competent teachers, relevant curricula, effective leadership, and school-industry linkages) and school performance. The purpose of the study is to…

This article discusses how to overcome the language and cultural issues of using existing online videos in classroom discussions with nonnative English-speaking groups of students, through student-produced videos given as an authentic educational assignment. Implementation of the assignment and the use of student-produced videos in classroom…

In spite of advances in the understanding of the effects of the immersion experience on language and cultural development in the last three decades, many questions in study abroad (SA) research remain unanswered. The present article offers a close examination of the field as it is today with an eye toward future trends and gaps in the literature.…

This paper aims at seeking recommendations for the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) policy from the industry to ensure learners graduating from ODL system are employable and are at par with those who have graduated from conventional system. Survey from total 97 employers spread over 7 industry sectors indicated that policy intervention is required…

Large-scale efforts to address the need for data sharing and communication have surfaced in recent years. While these efforts have expanded data sharing and data use opportunities for educational institutions at all levels, the comprehensive educational and workforce data across California that are necessary to effectively inform efforts aimed at…

The purpose of this study is to better understand college students' experiences of working while in college with the awareness of potential differences based on students' socio-economic status. Working while in college is a prevalent and necessary activity for most students, and this study aims to examine students' decisions to work, and the…

This short description examines vocational education and training (VET) in Bulgaria. The overall aim is to help build bridges between VET systems, encourage learner and teacher mobility across Europe, and foster the understanding that Bulgaria's VET is first rate. Four sections focus on: (1) External factors influencing VET (demographics, economy…

This Handbook provides a wide-ranging frame of reference for researching adult and lifelong education and learning. With contributions from scores of established and newer scholars from six continents, the volume covers a diverse range of geopolitical and social territories across the world. Drawing on the multiple heritages that underpin research…

National and state policymakers are considering whether to expand or establish work requirements for safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. During this process, policymakers should take into account what safety net program recipients need to meet those requirements and place themselves on a…

This report specifically looks at young people and their school-to-work transition patterns in Moldova. The European Training Foundation (ETF) initiated a mapping of the youth employment situation and policies in the six Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries in 2017. The aim is to support the countries' institutions and stakeholders in developing…