Innovation has become an increasingly important concept for Australian businesses in enabling them to continue to compete in an international market, but where does vocational education and training (VET) sit in this? To date, VET has been largely overlooked by the National Innovation and Science Agenda as a potential contributor in this field.…

What are the capabilities necessary to meet 21st century challenges? Much of the literature on 21st century skills focuses on skills necessary to meet those challenges associated with future work in a globalised world. The result is a limited characterisation of those capabilities necessary to address 21st century social, health and particularly…

The Distar and Open Court reading programs illustrate contrasting definitions and emphases of reading instruction that are part of a larger concern--how children are expected to use their literacy skills. Both programs teach phonics, but they define phonics in different ways. Each relies on teacher-directed group instruction, but Open Court was…

Eastfield Community College (ECC) of Texas' Dallas Community College District obtained funding to examine the current skill standards for the job training of telecommunication manufacturing production specialists. Together with the firm Partners in Profound Knowledge (PPK), ECC documented and compared the skill standards required for…

A study examined curriculum policies and practices within technical and further education (TAFE) in Australia. To isolate and explain differences in patterns of curriculum development (CD) within the TAFE sector, researchers administered a set of three-tiered questionnaire information-gathering sheets to curriculum developers and project managers…

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, developed an undergraduate-level engineering curriculum that balances national interests with those of employers and academics. The curriculum was based on materials posted at the Internet sites of universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Malaysia…

This document is a practical guide that demonstrates how human resource (HR) professionals can use performance measurement to link HR to organizational strategy and business objectives, and thereby raise the profile of HR within their organization. The following are among the topics examined: (1) the strategic context of measurement (the role…

A study examined whether Australia's technical and further education (TAFE) institutes are currently learning organizations or on the road to becoming learning organizations. Data were collected through a literature review and a questionnaire administered to staff at two dual-sector universities, two metropolitan TAFE institutes, and two…

In Australia and elsewhere, four approaches have been used to determine whether stocks of vocational education and training (VET) skills are adequate to meet industry needs. The four methods are as follows: (1) the manpower requirements approach; (2) the international, national, and industry comparisons approach; (3) the labor market analysis…

New apprenticeships were introduced to Australia in January 1998 to provide practical training opportunities to a wider range of people than the traditional trade-based apprenticeship system did. The effect of the new apprenticeship initiative on the type of employment-based training being undertaken in Australia was studied by analyzing data from…

A proposal has been made that calls for the development and use of training indicators to improve planning for vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. The idea behind the proposal is to develop indicators to inform policymakers and providers in Australia about changes in the nature of training demand flowing from demographic changes…

This book, which is directed toward tutors and learners in women's studies and community-based adult education programs who wish to cross the boundaries between arts, social science, and natural science, explores the relationship between research, feminism, and adult education. The book begins with a preface that provides background information on…

This book contains 13 papers on transformations in the nature of work that affect the learning and skill requirements of jobs and individuals and ways those requirements can be met. The following papers are included: "The Significance of Workplace Learning for a 'Learning Society'" (Karen Evans, Helen Rainbird); "Learning Careers:…

Data drawn from 3 cycles of data collection for the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) were analyzed to identify the levels and distributions of literacy skills in the adult populations of 20 countries. The following were among the main conclusions: (1) in 14 of the countries, at least 15% of all adults have literacy skills at only the…

The generic skills needed for the new economy were identified through a review of research studies. First, the development of sets of key competencies/key skills in Great Britain, the United States, and Australia were examined. The U.S. model, which involves a broader, more flexible, and more holistic set of generic skills, was contrasted with the…