Higher education has always aspired to be seen to encourage open access to all types of learner including those with vocational qualifications. The reality of participation rates for such vocational learners is low (about 18%), however the reasons for such levels appear to mainly be reflected in perceptive issues amongst employers, learners and…

There is an increasing blurring of boundaries between Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE), not only in delivery of programmes, but also in progression through programmes. The government has reiterated its commitment to widening participation and the removal of the divide between academic and vocational higher level skills. Further…

Developing vocational education is a necessity for the economic and social development of high-poverty areas in China. But vocational education in impoverished areas lacks social recognition and faces funding shortages, along with difficulties in recruiting students. Vocational high schools themselves also have shortcomings. This article considers…

This report provides the technical details on the modelling aspects of identifying significant drivers for the reasons for using certain types of training and for the choice of training types. The employed data is from the 2005 Survey of Employer Use and Views of the VET system (SEUV). The data has previously been analysed in NCVER (2006). This…

The purpose of this paper is to outline government online training practice. We searched individual research domains of the human-dimensions of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), information and communications technologies (ICT) and instructional design for evidence of either corporate sector or government training practices. We overlapped these…

This newsletter includes vignettes about schools that are effectively integrating academic and career/technical (CT) studies to help more students find meaning in their learning and to motivate students to make great effort to achieve. This is part of a series of newsletters describing best practices for implementing the "High Schools That Work"…

Quality career/technical education and its role in school improvement was a primary theme of the 2008 "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") Staff Development Conference. This newsletter covers crucial topics in quality CTE (career and technical education), including assessing the quality and effectiveness of CT programs, preparing students to succeed…

Describes a major entrepreneurship education effort developed by the North Carolina Division of Vocational Education to stimulate students' thinking about working for themselves. Includes information on staff development, curriculum development, and special projects. (JOW)

This paper is the Office for Civil Rights's (OCR's) "Annual Report to Congress" for fiscal years 2007 and 2008. This report details OCR's accomplishments in enforcing the civil rights laws under which OCR has been granted jurisdiction to address and remedy discrimination. These enforcement efforts include complaint investigation and resolution,…

Describes two programs used by the Ford Motor Company to train manufacturing skilled trades personnel. Programmable Controller Maintenance Training Program for Industrial Technicians and Troubleshooting Strategy Program use simulation and provide improved task performance after training. (JOW)

A description is given of a staff development effort in a vocational-technical school which involved school-based management teams and a series of retreats for the purpose of improving the school's climate and increasing its effectiveness. (JD)

The goal of this project was to provide a personnel development program for state department leaders from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee who hold first-line positions under state directors of vocational education. The inservice program, with seven project objectives, was developed in cooperation with the…

Described is a vocational education model designed to increase cooperative effort for the improvement of vocational personnel. The introductory section discusses the need for a systematic approach to vocational personnel development in Florida, presents the goals of the system, and briefly summarizes the salient features of each component of the…

Discusses the Vocational Interactive Reading Project, a staff development project in which a reading specialist in an area vocational center guides vocational teachers as they integrate literacy practices into their subjects. (SR)

This paper reports on a computer conferencing pilot project initiated by the Consortium for the Development of Professional Materials for Vocational Education and developed at the Center on Education and Training for Employment at Ohio State University. The report provides an introduction to computer conferencing and describes the stages of the…