This volume is the first in a new series of comparative studies carried out by EURYDICE (Education Information Network in the European Community) and is intended to provide in-depth analyses of specific issues of major interest for political decisionmakers and educational cooperation at the European level. The volume is organized into three…

This report examines the human resources development and training dimensions of the gradual, but inexorable, shift towards knowledge-, skill-, and service-based economies and societies, and the stupendous growth of the information and communications technology sectors. Its four chapters explore the following: (1) globalization, technological…

This study is part of a regional study in industrial South Wales on the determinants of participation and non-participation in post-compulsory education and training, with special reference to processes of change in the patterns of these determinants over time and to variations between geographical areas. The study combines analysis of secondary…

Both technology and education are strongly emphasized in Taiwan. Recent educational measures have focused on establishing a more comprehensive compulsory educational system and have included efforts to develop a more pluralistic and refined program of technical and vocational education. Taiwan's national curriculum for 1996-1998 included craft…

A project in Europe is working to improve the quality of work, promote equal opportunities, combat exclusion and poverty; promote lasting economic growth and a European Union economic policy; and promote sustainable development and quality of life. In order to achieve these goals, three main objectives for vocational education and training (VET)…

This project aimed to develop a more comprehensive conceptual framework of school-to-work transitions in different national contexts and apply this framework to the empirical analysis of transition processes across European countries. It drew on these two data sources: European Community Labor Force Survey and integrated databases on national…

Adult participation in the United Kingdom in 2001 was examined through interviews with a weighted sample of 6,310 adults over age 17 across Great Britain with a boosted sample in Wales. The following were among the key findings: (1) for the first time in 20 years, there was a marked upswing in adults' participation in learning from the previous…

In the communicative approach, English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners use scripted and unscripted language. In practice, scripted language is typically over-utilized at the expense of unscripted language. This study explores the characteristics of scripted and unscripted language in 11 beginner-level EFL students in a Japanese junior high…

A study at Germany's FernUniversitat sent a questionnaire to 300 enrolled distance education students (mostly adult, mostly part-time) who labeled themselves as severely disabled or chronically ill (about 2 percent of students), asking them about the types of their disabilities and their attitudes toward computer-assisted learning and online…

Dual diagnosis of comorbid substance abuse and mental disorder is currently presenting great difficulties across Australia's health and community service sectors. Historically, mental health professionals have received relatively little formal education or training in substance abuse issues. A new curriculum on dual diagnosis was developed and…

A research study was conducted to identify barriers to enrollment in and expansion of apprenticeships and traineeships in the western region of Melbourne, Australia. Data were collected through conducting six focus groups (a total of 180 tenth- and twelfth-grade students) from six schools in three Local Government Areas; surveying 400 local…

Performance level assessment (PLA) is a type of supplementary evidence system for competency-based assessment that is being pilot tested at five technical and further education (TAFE) institutes throughout Queensland, Australia. The PLA system uses the following three levels of performance: competency achieved; competency achieved with credit; and…

A research project chronicling the nature and extent of the structured staff development undertaken by teachers and trainers employed at public and private providers of vocational education and training (VET) in Australia was one component of a larger study that examined the changing role of staff development for VET teachers and trainers. Data…

A study examined individual student, institutional, and environmental factors influencing student non-completions and determined strategies that Western Australia's Central TAFE (technical and further education) might introduce to improve student retention. After completing a multivariate analysis of module completion rates, further data for a…

Structural change in the economy has seen the emergence of human resource skills as an important intangible input to the value-adding process. The fastest growing sectors of the economy employ workers with high levels of skill. This has led to the development of a lifelong learning policy agenda that argues lifelong learning is the key to economic…