Prairie State 2000 began as an Illinois initiative to guarantee dislocated workers access to training funds from a pool of employer and employee contributions. Although its rationale was sound and the need was great, it was beset with a number of difficulties: there was no real market for the training, its grants and loans were not worth the cost…

Until recently in Egyptian society, girls--from the point when their schooling ends to marriage--existed in a social void. In Maqattam, the situation is changing as a unique intervention has begun to define alternative expectations and opportunities for adolescent girls, providing them with a bridge between childhood and marriage and childbearing.…

Designed for public policy makers and their counterparts in business and education, this monograph focuses on the role of community colleges in the economic development process. This study shows two-year community, junior, and technical colleges can play a greater active role in this process than ever before. Section 1 argues that economic…

To keep pace with changing skills, today's industrial workers are in need of three distinct kinds of competencies: vocational, technical, and multifunctional. France has chosen to focus on technical skills and upgrade the level of vocational education. All three skills are necessary to production, and no one is more important than the other. This…

This report on a seminar on adult literacy and public policy aims to make available for discussion current significant issues in the relationship between literacy and the economy, including matters that extend well beyond the institutional boundaries of the economy. This document summarizes a presentation by Jarl Bengtsson, Head of the Centre for…

Many California community colleges are accepting the challenge of their vital role in economic development through contract education (i.e., the process of entering into partnerships with business, government, and industry at the work site to assist employer training). Employer-based education and training is generally contracted in one of six…

Analysis of recent developments in vocational education and training in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe brings out certain common problems. On the economic level, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania are undergoing a profound crisis. Consequences for training have included the closing of many company schools or workshops, absence of…

This annual serial issue contains seven articles on technology and higher education at institutions in Maryland. "A Faculty Development Model for the Virtual Campus" (Diane E. Davies) describes a seminar that helps instructors at the University of Maryland University College adapt to on-line teaching and learning. "The Maryland…

In the new environment of increased international trade and investment flows, human resources represent the key competitive edge of this interconnected global economy. The share the United States has of worldwide output is shrinking. This issue explores data that provide a snapshot of how globalization is affecting the economy and changing its…

These four issues of volume 1 (1991) contain brief reports on published research of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE). In Issue 1 are these eight articles: "Twelve Exemplary High Schools: Preparing Vocational Students for College"; "High School Vocational Education Withering Away?"; "Separate…

These abstracts summarize 73 research projects that were conducted in Australia during 1982 and 1983 to investigate various issues related to youth employment and unemployment. Included among the topics addressed in the individual research projects are the following: economic developments, education and rural communities; employment (changing…

To help families leave public assistance and escape poverty, the public sector must invest in career advancement strategies that enable parents to access jobs with family-supporting wages, benefits, and opportunities for career advancement. Welfare time limits have made career advancement more important than ever. The following services promote…