The author reports on a survey of 64 human resources managers. Forty-eight percent of the respondents indicated that their organizations had some type of retraining program. Topics covered include (1) retraining topics, (2) employee types, (3) program content, (4) trainee scheduling, (5) completion rates, (6) payment, and (7) program success. (CH)

To provide information on the relationship of automation to changing occupational patterns and related worker displacements, examples of automation and technological change in industry are given. Some summary findings are: (1) Technological advancements cause some jobs to disappear and also cause some new jobs to appear, (2) Many workers dispaced…

Research on the effects of numerical control (NC) machining on the skills of machinists presents mixed results. Interviews with a small group of machinists experienced in both conventional and NC matching suggest seven major factors that affect whether NC automation changes the overall skill level. The deskilling hypothesis is not supported by…

The authors critically examine the analysis by Hull, Friedman, and Roger finding that deskilling and heightened alienation are not necessarily the outcomes of increased technology. The authors suggest that the outcome of technological change be approached as an indeterminate process shaped by prevailing relations between workers and management.…

HRD is extensively concerned with human capital investment, but only focuses on how skills and knowledge become obsolete to a limited extent. In this paper we look at the speed of obsolescence. Using data from a survey among Dutch public sector employees, we find that the yearly rate of skills obsolescence is 2.6%. Subsequent analyses show that…

This article asserts that displacement in the future will be less severe than is currently believed, especially if certain measures are instituted, such as continuous retraining of active workers in generalizable skills, advance notice of plant closings, and job clubs, among others. (JB)

Foreign countries find industrialized construction accelerates building and reduces costs but creates problems as well. (Editor)

The growth of science has had impact on education through specialization and immediacy of scientific information. Some studies are reviewed to support this position and to provide projected consequences in curricula and lifelong education due to this scientific growth. (Author/TS)

Discusses the educational imperatives of current and projected skilled labor needs in Canada and how they should be met. (JOW)

Information is presented on existing retraining programs for women in chemistry, listed alphabetically by state. Data are included on a few institutions that do not have special programs in chemistry but do stress retraining for women. Included are 11 colleges and universities, with a brief description of the program offered, information on…

The author suggests that technical colleges expand their efforts to provide support, motivation, and retraining for dislocated workers. In addition to technical skills, he suggests that dislocated workers should study the social sciences to strengthen intellectual skills that will be useful in goal setting and decision making. (CH)

Suggests ways that the Job Training Partnership Act can serve as a local labor force development tool. Besides assisting "hardcore unemployed," education can take a proactive role, keeping up with the technology and needs of business and industry. In return, business and industry must support education with state-of-the-art machinery and…