The professional development strategies and activities of vocational education and training staff at further education (FE) colleges in the United Kingdom were examined through a mail survey completed by 891 staff members at 108 colleges throughout the United Kingdom (representing 24% of the FE sector). Most respondents (92%) stated that their…

The School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994 requires that all young people, including young people with disabilities and out-of-school youth, have equal opportunities to participate in the activities funded by it. Local intermediary organizations that provide a critical convening role and offer services to core education and business partners can…

This document contains the text of the Nurse Reinvestment Act, which amends the Public Health Service Act to address the increasing shortage of registered nurses by instituting a series of policies to improve nurse recruitment and nurse retention. Title I details two initiatives to boost recruitment of nurses. The first initiative includes the…

This paper explores the value of encouraging adults in the United Kingdom to participate in learning in science through extensive consultations with practitioners in the field of science education. Data were also collected through a literature review and a brief survey to collect views regarding adults' participation in learning opportunities in…

This document, which replaces the 1985 national guidelines for emergency medical technician (EMT) continuing education (CE), presents guidelines for designing, implementing, and evaluating CE for EMTs. The introduction explains the process used to develop the revised guidelines. Section 1 discusses the following competency assurance principles…

The future of low-wage jobs is examined through a case study of firm restructuring in the retail industry. The study confirms that the retailing sector has come to be dominated by the Wal-Mart model, which emphasizes an efficient technology-driven inventory management system and a human resource approach that includes the following elements:…

The business press abounds with examples of innovative companies that have created high-quality jobs; however, low-wage, deskilled jobs filled by contingent workers are equally prevalent. More than one in six U.S. workers currently hold retail jobs. The effect of globalization of trade on the retail industry is unclear. The most significant…

Curriculum reform in vocational education and training (VET) in Central and Eastern Europe was examined through case studies of VET in 10 countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, and Slovenia. Special attention was paid to the following: each country's VET system; curriculum…

Taiwan's commercial high schools are 3-year institutions that students enter after successfully passing a rigorous vocational, technical, or commercial school admission examination. Although commercial high schools date from the early days of Japanese occupation in 1895, the modern-day Chinese commercial high school did not come into being until…

The methods used by Australian farm managers to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to manage their businesses were examined. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 85 farm owners/managers from South Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania, and New South Wales. The farmers interviewed identified a wide range of…

On October 27, 2004, the National Education Association (NEA) joined with the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) to host "Moving from Research to Practice: A Summit on Indian Students." Over 100 American Indian and Alaska Native education practitioners and researchers from Alaska to Mississippi gathered to share their knowledge…

Historically, lack of access to educational opportunities has been a constant and unfortunate reality for many African Americans. As a result of tracking and ability grouping many African American students lack the necessary accoutrement for persistence in the sciences. Some critical factors for the persistence and success of African American…

This document details Wisconsin's state plan for implementation of activities mandated by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 and funded by a grant from the National School-to-Work Opportunities Act. The plan is divided into 23 sections dealing with the following topics: geographical areas; local support/expansion of school-to-work…

This booklet describes British efforts to develop a world-class, highly skilled work force. The booklet examines the following topics: Britain's training framework (the National and Scottish Vocational Qualification system and national targets for foundation and lifetime learning and training); strategies for developing a flexible qualification…

This annual report defines three broad areas in which the Southern Education Foundation supports research. The first looks to what kinds of teachers will be needed in the future; the second asks how our best thinking can be translated into effective action; and the third asks how seamless education can be. Programs subsumed under education and…