"Economic competitiveness" is at the top of national, regional and global political and economic agendas. Several countries in all regions of the world have established policies and institutions devoted to economic competitiveness, including in developing and transition countries. This leads to the question of how to define national economic…

In Spring 2007, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded funds to the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) to undertake an analysis of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Philadelphia, and to make recommendations on how CTE and other forms of career-connected education could better align with Philadelphia standards for college and career…

Between 1968 and 1973 the Taiwanese government undertook the most extensive expansion on record of the public junior high school system in Taiwan. This study analyzes the effects of the 1968 education reform and subsequent high school expansion on gender disparities in employment generally, as well in different sectors and classes of employment.…

Ontario's 24 colleges drive economic growth and social prosperity in the province. Rapidly evolving technologies continue to change the nature of work in every industry sector and the requirements placed on workers at every level. As a result, Ontario must increasingly rely on a workforce with the skills and education to translate change into…

Reviews vocational education's role in private-sector retraining programs, reducing unemployment, attracting new industries, and developing human resources. Briefly discusses recent federal initiatives toward economic development and their relationship to vocational education. (LRA)

The current school reform movement has been plagued by three false assumptions. The first of these postulates that more academic requirements will strengthen the minds of students, improve their reasoning, prepare them for a rapidly changing economy, and make the U.S. economy more competitive. Although it is true that the workers of the future…

This report analyzes the difficulties encountered in the transformation of education in the Czech Republic and identifies change in policies and structures that could stimulate further reform in the needed directions. The book contains two parts with 15 chapters. Part 1 describes the development of education since the political change as rapid and…

From its earliest development, distance education has promised inexpensive, egalitarian, high quality mass education. An examination of the literature about distance education in developing nations indicates that the gulf between what distance education is promising to achieve in these nations and what it is actually achieving is wide and will…

This report, which presents various economic and demographic data about Hawaii, is intended to assist persons responsible for the short-term planning of vocational-technical education programs in the state. The report is organized in terms of a series of potentially relevant concerns that should be considered during the educational planning…

In most countries of the Asia-Pacific region, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) are considered essential to economic development. As a result of growing awareness of the need to adapt TVET to meet the rapidly changing national, regional, and global economic requirements, TVET is in a period of transition and reorientation…

Three evaluations analyzed program characteristics and participant results in work force education and coordination in Washington State. The Employment Security Department's evaluation of Job Training Partnership Act Titles II and III looked for an association between participant characteristics and the type of training they receive and between…

Battelle Memorial Institute conducted outcome, net impact, and cost-benefit evaluations of six workforce training programs in Washington State for occupations that do not require a bachelor's degree: postsecondary workforce training at community and technical colleges; adult basic skills education at community and technical colleges; Job Training…

This study analyzes the gaps between supply and demand for workforce training in Washington State and recommends strategies for reducing the gaps. Using data from state and national surveys, supply and demand is analyzed in three categories: youth, adults, and adults with barriers to employment, from the perspectives of both employers and…

The explosive technological advances of recent years have created a need to incorporate technical education into curricula at all levels from elementary through and including higher education. This in turn has led to the necessity of articulation among the various levels of technical education, including articulation between postsecondary…

During the past 5 years, groundbreaking studies of adult literacy and literacy education have been conducted that can help policymakers and practitioners shape the next generation of adult literacy work in the United States. Among the topics examined in those studies were the following: relationship between literacy and economic well-being;…