To address the findings of the Kirby Review (that early school leaving is motivated by a desire for work and lack of interest in school), a new qualification, the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) was introduced on a trial basis in 2002. The Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE (NMIT) Youth Unit offers programs at three northern…

This issue comprises seven articles that share ways Equipped for the Future's (EFF's) partners are using EFF to help adults build the skills they need to be successful in the workforce. "Building and Certifying Work Readiness" discusses the Work Readiness Credential being developed that will define, measure, and certify that individuals…

A four-step approach to implementing a training program and measuring results for government agencies was developed in response to an executive order to federal agencies to provide effective training and performance measures in their annual budgets. Step one is the analysis of established goals to identify training requirements. Suggested…

This paper discusses the policy dimensions to increase the nation's educational capital by providing at least two years of education beyond high school for almost every young and working-age adult who is motivated and able to benefit. It focuses on creating multiple pathways resulting from collaborative efforts across educational sectors or…

Adult and continuing education developed as ad hoc responses to concrete and partial needs. The fact that adult education has gained a broader mission and become regarded as encompassing political and citizenship education, vocational training, general adult education and access courses, and leisure courses presents an ambiguous challenge to the…

In autumn 2001, the United Kingdom's (UK's) government published the following key documents concerning workforce development: (1) "In Demand: Adult Skills in the 21st Century"; (2) "The UK Productivity Challenge"; and (3) "Building a Stronger, Fairer Britain in an Uncertain World." Key positions and policies included…

Since 1997, policymakers in the United Kingdom and Europe have devoted extensive effort to devising policies and programs to reconnect young people with learning and work. In April 2001, England's government launched the Connexions Service, which is designed to meet young people's needs through a comprehensive, coherent, and holistic system of…

An intrinsic part of the transition to a modern market economy in Hungary has been the restructuring of the vocational education and training (VET) system. A positive side effect of the socioeconomic transition is the emergence of human resources development (HRD). The transition process has been successful in the school-based education system,…

This report on vocational education and training (VET) in Poland has nine chapters. Chapter 1 presents the socioeconomic situation; explains reasons for different rates of development in particular regions; and presents trends in job creation and rise and fall in unemployment. Chapter 2 deals with changes in the VET field in these areas: VET's…

Three presentations are provided from Symposium 32, Core Directions in HRD (Human Resource Development), of the Academy of HRD 2000 Conference Proceedings. "Exploring the Convergence of Political and Managerial Cultures in the Dominican Republic: Implications for Management Development and Training" (Max U. Montesino) reports a survey of…

The proportion of individuals with little training varies greatly among European countries. Throughout Europe, nonparticipation in the labor market and unemployment seem relatively synonymous. Three degrees of labor market openness with regard to individuals with low levels of training are apparent throughout Europe: (1) in Portugal, skill…

The first of the three papers in this symposium, "Scaling the Walls of Academic Silos: The Birth of a Cross-disciplinary Academic HRD [Human Resource Development] Program" (Ann K. Brooks, Kathleen Edwards, Alison Davis-Blake), describes and analyzes how one HRD program transcended the walls of the graduate school of business and a college of…

The first of the four papers in this symposium, "Examination of Critical Issues for Development and Implementation of Online Instruction" (Scott D. Johnson, Nilda Palma-Rivas, Chanidprapa Suriya, Steve Downey), reports on a descriptive and exploratory study that examined several critical issues affecting the development of online…

The first of the four papers in this symposium, "Trust and Distrust at Work: Normative and Dyad-exchange Influences on Performance" (C. Ken Weidner, II), proposes a theoretical framework for exploring and understanding trust and distrust in organizations. "Work Culture Adjustment: A Critical Ingredient to Organizational Change"…

A study examined processes of state training authorities, group training companies (GTCs), training colleges, and employers to ensure that apprentices/trainees (A/Ts) who are suspended or terminated due to lack of work have access to on-the-job training. Data on apprenticeship and traineeship commencements and cancellations were collected from…