In the United States, education-to-career pathways are undergoing a rapid evolution Shortages of skilled workers in many industries have prompted renewed attention to strengthening existing education-to-career pathways, as well as innovating new ones. At the same time, the notion that bachelor's degree programs should serve as the default pathway…

Increasingly, companies are dropping four-year degree requirements in job postings, favoring skill-based requirements--such as communication and writing--instead. These types of nonacademic "soft skills" are viewed as essential for employment--employers consistently cite these abilities as among the most valuable in job applicants, yet…

Next Steps at Vanderbilt, an inclusive postsecondary education program at Vanderbilt University, aims to equip students with skills and experiences to gain competitive employment. Next Steps has two primary goals: (1) Increase opportunities for students to gain targeted skills in career fields of interest; and (2) Create new career development…

Nearly every high-priority item in national, federal, state, and local discussions about education--and policy proposals across the political spectrum--requires high-quality longitudinal data to inform its design, implementation, and evaluation. This factsheet shares Data Quality Campaign's (DQC's) analysis of what "Data for Action 2011:…

To address key policy and programmatic questions and help improve student and system performance, states must work to link data across the early childhood, postsecondary and workforce (P-20/workforce) spectrum and share this information with appropriate stakeholders. This issue brief highlights current efforts in California, Florida, Indiana, and…

Discusses the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, federal legislation that promises up to $300 million for education programs that give all students better access to postsecondary education and better jobs after high school. Offers principles to assist in obtaining some of the funding. (JOW)

The paper describes the development and implications of Chapter 688 in Massachusetts which which provides for a 2-year transitional process to plan for habilitative services for severely disabled young adults who will lose their entitlement to special education upon graduating or reaching the age of 22. The law requires an individualized…

Degrees in technical and further education (TAFE) are relatively new, but are likely to grow as a consequence of government policies that both seek to increase the percentage of Australians holding a bachelor degree and create a more unified tertiary education sector. There are ten TAFE institutes authorised to offer higher education in five…

Professional Orientation Works is a program developed and implemented in 1993 at Vladimir State Technical University in Russia to provide a structured career path and improve technical education outcomes. Three components (prehigher, higher, and posthigher education) provide career exploration for high school students, development of professional…

Discusses the backgrounds and the work of four men who, working together in the Commissioner of Education's office, developed the model for public vocational education in Massachusetts during the early twentieth century. The men discussed are Charles Allen, Charles Prosser, David Snedden (the Commissioner of Education), and Rufus Stimson. (CH)

Discusses the changes in education and training that have taken place in several African countries during the past 25 years. Focuses on types of programs that several they can identify with in their recent history; presents policy issues as propositions. (JOW)

Project WorkAbility is a California program serving special education secondary and postsecondary students. The model design for WorkAbility is based on well-known transition models and contains components common to those models. The design views transition as both a process and a product, supports interagency cooperation and collaboration, and…

This document reports the proceedings of a research forum on vocational training. Following an introduction that outlines the course of the meetings, the following 13 papers are included in the proceedings: "Report by the National Employment Office (ONEM)" (Belgium); "Training Research and Development" (National Manpower…

The author discusses cooperative education: how it is viewed by private enterprise and where it fits into higher education's framework. The cooperative education program at California Polytechnic State University is examined: faculty responsibility, rationale for the program's existence, and reasons for the program's importance. (CT)

This publication presents two hearings on how to establish and maintain a streamlined, top quality, and efficient system of work force preparation in the United States and the role of the federal government in developing such a system. Testimony consists of statements and prepared statements, letters, and supplemental materials from individuals…