This discussion draft reviews trends in Canada's apprenticeship system over the last 20 years and then examines prospects for labor market conditions for Canada's total economy and for the construction sector to the year 2005. The apprenticeship system has a number of serious weaknesses, including the following: (1) the stagnation in new…

Since the 1960s, the United States has participated actively in international projects that are designed to provide key information about the performance of the U.S. education system compared to other countries. These projects include the Indicators of National Education Systems (INES) at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development…

This report is designed to describe how the U.S. education system compares with the education systems in the Group of Eight, or G8, countries. These countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, are among the world's most economically developed. Comparative Indicators of…

A discussion of the economics of higher education in developed and developing countries looks at these issues: increasing costs, spending in comparison with level of development, public subsidization, access, proportion of spending on salaries, higher education as investment, funding sources, cost reduction, and strategies for shifting cost…

This report provides information on trends over the years 1995-98 in the realm of contracts of training in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia's trade industries. Section 1 introduces the report. Section 2 provides a general overview of trends in apprentice and trainee numbers over the period for the major trade occupation…

Educational issues across the different member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are compared in this report. The OECD is made up of 26 developed countries. The indicators used in this analysis cover the years 1985 to 1991, a 7-year time series to study trends in policy. The indicators in this report…

This report compared educational trends in economically developed countries over time. The countries examined are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an organization of 29 countries dedicated to promoting economic growth and development around the world. In the United States, the 11 years included in this…

A recent compilation of educational indicators from 20 industrialized countries in North America, the Pacific, Europe, and Scandinavia shows rates and trends in college enrollment and graduation, education-related earning power for men and women, and public spending on education. Educational attainment rates are charted for the 20 nations. (MSE)

Worldwide educational indicators are presented in tables and graphs by region. The indicators are selected to highlight the International Literacy Year and Education for All, two programs of particular importance to the United Nations. Data are presented for the school years beginning in 1970, 1975, 1980, and select years up to 1987. The terms…

This study provides an overview of expenditures for education and training by educational institutions in Australia, 1991-2001. The study used newly available data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and administrative data from the main sectors' reports on the size and trends in public and private education expenditures. It analyzed…

This report examines the financing of the two components of France's vocational education and training (VET) system. They are initial vocational training (IVT), which includes upper secondary and short forms of higher education, and continuing vocational training (CVT), which aims to help workers adapt to changes in working techniques and…

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…

Research funded by the Flexible Learning Advisory Group during 2000-2002 on issues related to online learning and delivery in vocational education and training in Australia was consolidated. Key findings included the following: (1) most students who experienced online learning did so in a conventional class, using face-to-face and other strategies…