Community colleges, which are public, two-year institutions of higher education, have become a major provider of education and training that directly leads to a job in a particular occupation. To help community colleges build capacity to provide job training, the federal government has funded several grant programs over the past 15 years. Recent…

Policymakers at the state and federal levels have expressed concern over the emerging "skills gap"--the mismatch between the job skills employers are looking for and the skills that applicants in the labor market possess. The skills gap is most acute for middle-skilled jobs; that is, jobs that require training beyond high school but less…

Mondale discusses the current state and future trends of youth employment, focusing on the recommendations of the Task Force on Youth Employment. Included in the discussion are minority unemployment rates, private industry cooperation, and the increasing importance of education in two areas--basic skills and career preparation. (SK)

This paper reviews the sections of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) that provide for using competencies gained by youth as evaluation tools. The paper discusses the types of competencies that youths should gain by such programs and how they should be measured, as an alternative to traditional program-based evaluation. The paper is organized…

Sweden and Denmark are becoming aware that the "at risk" group of unemployed young people present a double-edged risk in that they are economically and socially disadvantaged and constitute a risk for society at large. Sweden and Denmark differ in their responses to the problem. (BRR)

IN 1966, THE NATION'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPPED BELOW 4 PERCENT, A 13-YEAR LOW. THE TOTAL PRODUCTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES WAS $58 MILLION MORE THAN IN 1965, AND THE AFTER-TAX INCOME OF AMERICAN FAMILIES INCREASED, AFTER ALLOWING FOR PRICE INCREASES, BY 3.5 PERCENT. THIS PROGRESS RESULTED FROM BUSINESS AND LABOR ACHIEVEMENTS, GRADUALLY IMPROVING…

The issues of harmonization and autonomy as they affect vocational education and manpower policy development and the implementation of program service delivery are analyzed. Some of the background issues that have affected the relationship of vocational education and manpower, in particular the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), are…

A strategic planning process for work force development has been proposed as the best way to improve the coordination of Utah's many employment and training programs. At both the state and federal level, it is widely recognized that employment and training issues have not been addressed in a very coherent way. Both the federal and state…

This book reports on a project that addressed the question of what the federal government's role in postsecondary education ought to be. An executive summary concludes that federal policy should have three major objectives: fostering high-quality training, improving existing federal programs, and encouraging systemic reform. Chapter 1 is an…

The 1990 Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act established an accountability system for vocational education based on "outcomes" such as academic skill gains, job placement, and program completion. Current congressional proposals for workforce training differ in the emphasis they place on individuals,…

This report and the database on which it is based provide an overview of five federal and state education and training programs: secondary vocational education, postsecondary vocational education, the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), welfare-to-work programs, and state-funded job training. Section 1 describes the study methods, namely…

The subject of career education is a vast and complex one. For example, it often emphasizes alternative educational programs for high school and junior high students that may involve substituting work for academic experience in industrial settings outside the schools. Or it may encompass recurrent or lifelong education programs for adults that…

This report provides a national overview of programs and practices relating to vocational education opportunities for older persons as reflected in current literature, a review of state plans, and a survey of state programmatic efforts. In addition to providing a basis for further project development efforts, the report is intended as a resource…

Research conducted by the General Accounting Office (GAO) indicates that the current system of multiple employment training programs requires major overhaul to reduce costs, streamline the bureaucracy, and improve results. The current system of 163 different federal employment training programs wastes resources and confuses and frustrates clients,…

This case study describes the vocational education system and job training programs, especially those funded through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, in an unnamed metropolitan area of California. The data were collected as part of another larger national study of state and local response to the Perkins Act. Information was collected…