Questions about work and learning have arisen from the growing emphasis on learning throughout life and beyond formal educational settings. Technical and further education and technological universities are seen as being in crisis, partly as a consequence of the emergence of new knowledge discourses that have disturbed traditional ideas about what…

This report compared educational trends in economically developed countries over time. The countries examined are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an organization of 29 countries dedicated to promoting economic growth and development around the world. In the United States, the 11 years included in this…

As part of a larger research project on workplace learning, a study examined learning at work as it is experienced among product planners in Finland. The study focused on three questions: (1) What kind of experience do employees interpret as learning? (2) What kind of meanings do employees give their action and learning individually and together?…

This guide provides all the ingredients a speaker needs to give an interactive, informative presentation about careers in the trades and the apprenticeship system of training in Alberta. It is designed specifically for those who work or have worked in a trade, who have been asked to present information about careers in the trades, and who need…

A study explored the mechanisms used by adults in Australia and Korea to keep their skills current or to enhance their range of skills. Data were gathered through recent research reports and unpublished unemployment and training data. The study identified areas of the vocational education and training systems in the two countries that are…

To explore options to establish Federal Individual Training Accounts (ITAs), a study reviewed Pennsylvania's Individual Learning Accounts, Cedar Company's Individual Learning Accounts, ITAs under the Workforce Investment Act, and the United Kingdom's Individual Learning Accounts. ITAs were defined as a base amount of resources--dollars or…

This book analyzes vocational education and training (VET) systems in seven advanced industrial countries (AICs) to determine institutional arrangements for skills creation most promising in attaining the learning society. The AICs are France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States, and Sweden. Chapter 1 discusses special problems of…

This innovative session used two "key moments" to interpret an action research case study of the ongoing reorganization of the Belgian Tax Ministry. Both the research and the session used a social constructivist framework. The reorganization consisted of these phases: contracting, exploratory, in-depth, advisory, implementation of the…

Aimed at anyone who wants to know how to teach adults, this guide aims to build confidence, offer practical advice, and give the real-life flavor of helping fellow adults develop. Chapter 1 addresses adult learners: mindsets, motivation, and learning (learning cycle, learning styles, relevance, reinforcement and practice, experience, learning to…

Using data of an 18-country employer survey and facts of company case studies of the EMERGENCE project, a project illustrated diffusion of eWork in 3 these Central European countries: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland. Mainstream views of the transforming economies and various practices of generic business services were studied. Establishments…

A major weakness in the funding base for skill development in Australia arises from a declining investment in training by key stakeholders--employers. Australia is spending less on training and creating fewer high skill jobs than comparable countries and forcing individuals to take greater financial responsibility for their own development. Forces…

The occupational pathways of a representative national sample of Australian school leavers were examined over a 7-year period after leaving school. The study was based on the initial vocational interests of male (n=1436) and female (n=1273) high school pupils and formed part of the longitudinal 1970 Youth in Transition study, a national…

This issue of the quarterly Education International focuses on vocational education and training (VET). The editorial, "Education and the Wealth of Nations" (Fred van Leeuwen), focuses on provision of quality education for all. "Education International's (EI's) First Joint Worldwide Action on Education Issues" (Elie Jouen) describes the Global…

A study was conducted to determine whether Vocational Education and Training in Schools programs, and in particular, structured workplace learning (SWL) programs in Australia were successful in leading students to employment or further education. A total of 8,249 school leavers who left school in 1999 (15 percent of total school leavers) and had…

More adults are attending college in Finland, so that now approximately one-third of university students, including one-fourth of undergraduates are aged 30 years or over. A study using national data and adult history accounts found these three reasons connected with the change of the age structure in universities: studying for a second university…