A study identified the environmental and personal factors that promote or hinder the development of entrepreneurship in the informal sector in South Africa. A developmental perspective of informal businesses set forth in the literature supported the global approach chosen for the research. Information was acquired through indepth interviews with…

This paper, which is intended as a guide for local government managers responsible for economic development policies, begins with a discussion of typical goals and practices of local economic development programs. Examined next are examples of local government involvement in economic development efforts through policies/activities such as the…

This publication reports the development of the vocational-technical resource consortia in Ohio and identifies the operational procedures associated with successful programs. Five exemplary consortia were studied in some depth; however, data were obtained from all of the 23 consortia in the state. The research indicates that the consortium is an…

Designed for use by postsecondary educators involved in teaching displaced workers, this guidebook provides an in-depth look at successful upgrading and retraining programs in colleges in diverse situations across the country. The rationale for a human resource emphasis in economic development and the role of the two-year college in economic…

This document contains materials for use in conducting a 1-hour presentation on school-to-work (STW) programs in New York State for area employers in order to elicit their support for the state's STW initiative and encourage them to share information about the initiative with others in their communities. The document begins with nine tips for…

This document details the purposes and principles of community audits and presents guidelines for designing and conducting a community audit to assess a local community's workforce development needs and resources. Section 1 presents an overview of the U.S. Department of Labor's Community Audit Project and explains the following key steps in…

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…

This handbook is designed to help Maine's citizens and business persons understand why work force development is important in Maine and how Maine's new work force development system will be organized to enable the state to implement the Workforce Investment Act. The following are among the topics discussed throughout the handbook: (1) the…

When deciding how to compete in the new global economy, employers can opt for "low-road" strategies such as low wages and no job security. Alternatively, they can choose the "high road" and compete by offering quality goods and services, innovation, and value. Fourteen successful "high-road" partnerships were examined…