This report provides an updated statistical overview of vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning in European countries. These country statistical snapshots illustrate progress on indicators selected for their policy relevance and contribution to Europe 2020 objectives. The indicators take 2010 as the baseline year and present…

Is the United States getting it wrong when it comes to educating tomorrow's innovators in critical fields? It has been known for years that the only way to compete globally in information technology, engineering, nanotechnology, robotics and other fields is to give students the best educational opportunities possible. But do individuals have a…

Defined as the skills development component of education, vocational education can and should become the mortar that cements together a unified educational experience for the individual that will culminate in meaningful and productive results. The relentless advance of technology gives us the key to new, more versatile, vocational education. The…

A study examined how the occupational structure of the Australian labor market evolved and how individuals fared in the process. It identified issues in defining skill and knowledge and followed Elias and McKnight (2001) in stating that sufficient evidence showed a very high correlation between job-required cognitive ability and ordinal skill…

Work and adjustment to work are vital components of a smoothly functioning society. Currently, a growing imbalance between the collective level of educational attainment of American workers and the skill/knowledge requirements of existing jobs has created the potential for widespread social and economic problems in this country. Overeducation…

Leading-edge firms (LEFs)--at the forefront of their industry in terms of growth or market share--may influence skill development through diffusion of technology, products, or practices and use of market power to set standards or change customer businesses. Study of LEFs can identify the type and mix of skills needed in the industry. LEFs are…

The largest public community college in Michigan, Macomb Community College (MCC), is located in the county that is most closely tied to Michigan's automobile industry. Because of recent high unemployment in the automobile industry, MCC must now expand its occupational offerings to meet the needs of displaced workers who must either gain new skills…

This document reports a study of the possibility of making indicators of demand and supply of high skilled labor based on the Labor Force Survey (LFS), a data source available in all European countries. Part 1 is a summary of a pilot study of three countries: United Kingdom (UK), Netherlands, and Norway. It concludes LFS is a limited data source…

A series of roundtable discussions, designed to bring together employers and educators in small and informal sessions to discuss youth employment and related issues, was held in Birmingham, Hartford, Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago. The discussions yielded policy implications in five major areas. These are access to the private sector,…

The energy manpower research project was established to review the process used to identify skills needed in emerging energy sources and to discover any new occupations for which additional post-high school, vocational/technical training would be needed. A supplemental part of the project was the development of a solar energy instructional module.…

In order to develop conclusions about future policy aimed at addressing the challenge of workers at risk because of low skills, the NEWSKILLS project combined scientific analysis with consultation with social partner representatives, policy analysis, and field work in firms. Population proportions in International Standard Classification of…

This paper argues that the military plays an extremely important role in youth labor markets by providing not only jobs but also experience and training which can later be transferred to the civilian labor market. Following the introduction, section II examines the military's demand for labor; its fluctuations due to secular, cyclical, and…

This report presents evidence regarding skill shortages in the electrotechnology trades in Australia that was gathered by an industry-led working group. The report provides data concerning the following aspects of the problem: (1) the demand for skills in the electrotechnology trades (employment levels, growth, and prospects); (2) the supply of…

The demand for and supply of skills in the automotive repairs and service trades in Australia were examined to identify skill shortages in the industry. Special attention was paid to the following items: (1) the industry's demand for skills (employment levels; growth; and prospects); (2) the supply of skills to the industry's existing work force…

Cyclical and structural issues in engineering skills formation in Great Britain were studied through a review of recent employment patterns, income patterns, employment projections, recent trends in education and training, and recent developments in technology and work organization. The review focused on the following issues: (1) the extent and…