This chapter examines three distinct approaches to lifelong learning to illustrate workforce and societal development efforts in Europe, Singapore, and the United States. The case studies bring to the fore various complex issues, including, in the case of Europe, ensuring more equitable access to workforce development initiatives for all.…

In this second annual summary of the their work, the Investing in Community Initiative provides practical advice for community leaders and policymakers around four critical issues. First, how should local needs be defined? Chapter 1 argues that data about local economies can show whether communities are best served by creating new jobs,…

This description of the difficulties encountered in achieving cooperation among local agencies to provide vocational training in a Spanish district highlights the need for collaborating parties to listen to each other and the importance of understanding the environment in which agencies operate. (SK)

This issue paper presents three very different views of the roles that government, job training, and economic development programs play within society. The paper is meant to stimulate discussion among training and employment and community and economic development professionals; it focuses on job retention and emphasizes the role of counties in the…

This issue paper, meant to stimulate discussion within the employment and training community, offers three different perspectives on improving conditions in rural areas. However, all of these perspectives share common themes: a belief in the ability of rural areas to recover economically, a commitment to ensuring that this occurs, and the use of…

This issue paper, intended to stimulate discussion within the employment and training community, was developed in response to the Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance Act (EDWAAA), the recently passed amendments to the Title III dislocated worker program of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). The fact sheets and option paper…

This volume contains the following 19 papers delivered at a national conference on the design of assessment of vocational education: "The National Assessment of Vocational Education: An Introduction" (Gilbert T. Sewall); "Vocational Education--Opportunity and Challenge: Perspectives on the National Assessment of Vocational…