A workplace basic skills project for the metal casting industry was established jointly by Central Alabama Community College and Robinson Foundry, Inc. Evaluation of the project was made through a commercial test of hourly workers' general literacy level gains, instructor-developed pre- and posttests of mastery of the industrial process and…

This document is composed of a performance report, a teacher's handbook, and an evaluation report of a workplace literacy program to prepare drivers for the Commercial Drivers' License examination. The performance report addresses actual accomplishments of five objectives. It identifies the number and characteristics of project participants who…

The New Chance Demonstration, which operated at 16 locations in 10 states in 1989-1992, offered comprehensive education, training, and assistance to teenage mothers who had dropped out of high school. The demonstration, which was designed to increase the young mothers' well-being and long-term self-sufficiency, was subjected to an interim…

This case study describes the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Intern Program, which utilizes an alternative route to teacher certification in order to meet the teacher recruitment and training needs of a large urban multicultural school district. Findings suggest that between 1984 and 1990 the program recruited 1,100 new teachers to…

Colleges and universities throughout the United States are faced with the new mission of offering comprehensive educational programs designed to strengthen the employment skills of mature adults. In the coming decades, as the number of young people entering the labor force decreases by an expected one-third, the number of available workers aged…

This book contains eight papers examining vocational expertise and how best to develop it. The first paper, "Vocational Expertise" (John Stevenson), presents five approaches to developing it. The role of context in patterning cognition is considered in "Authenticity in Workplace Learning Settings" (Stephen Billett). In…

The national policies on preparing youth for the work force in the United States and Finland were compared through a retrospective review of past policy decisions. Qualitative data were gathered by analyzing key policy documents and by conducting focus group interviews with reform stakeholders within three Finnish experimental school divisions and…

Approximately 4,000 randomly selected Oregon employers were surveyed regarding their training practices and work organization. More than 43% of employers surveyed responded. Among the key survey findings were the following: most Oregon employers initially recruit locally; applicants for jobs in high performance organizations are often rejected…

In 1992, questionnaires regarding the training and work organization practices were mailed to a random sample of 4,000 Oregon employers, and focus groups were held with 100 Oregon managers/employers. The main findings from the completed questionnaires (43% response rate) were as follows: most Oregon employers do not plan for training or treat it…

In an effort to meet the training needs of the British Columbia (BC) labor force, Open College (OC), in Burnaby, has focused future activities on market-driven, employer-centered training programs utilizing advanced technologies and traditional on-site instructional methods. Designed to ensure that these courses and programs reflect actual labor…

The United States has no coherent strategy for helping noncollege-bound students develop the competence for middle-level jobs. The need for more emphasis on the needs of noncollege-bound students became apparent during the 1980s as less-educated workers began encountering more wage and employment difficulties and as occupations requiring…

These training standards for general machinists are intended to be used by apprentice/trainees, instructors, and companies in Ontario, Canada, as a blueprint for training or as a prerequisite for accreditation/certification. The training standards identify skills required for this occupation and its related training program. They are designed…

A comprehensive assessment of the literacy proficiencies of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and Employment Service/Unemployment Insurance (ES/UI) participants was conducted by the Department of Labor. The survey responses of a sample of 2,501 JTPA applicants and 3,277 ES/UI participants were scored, weighted, analyzed, and used to develop a…

Many adults in basic literacy programs tend to drop out if they cannot see the program's relevance to the real world. In response to this problem, Odessa College (Odessa, Texas) developed, implemented, and evaluated an innovative program for adult education through technology designed to provide high quality, multimedia literacy education directly…

The Connecticut State Council on Vocational-Technical Education made recommendations to improve education that would help students prepare for the work force. The council evaluated the following: its belief statement; the Connecticut economy; the state's ability to support technical jobs; and education and training for work in Connecticut,…