Using questionnaire data collected in 2000 from 524 senior general high school students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, researchers explored the gap between national development goals and student educational interests. They analyzed the relationship between available curriculum and student perceptions of the curriculum's ability to prepare them for the…

The federal policy shift from skills training and toward work first strategies has come about, in part, from a misconception that "training does not work." A more comprehensive look at existing research reveals the documented effectiveness of skills training. A growing number of studies have shown skills training can increase earnings;…

In response to an initial soundings paper issued by the United Kingdom's Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) presented its views on ways of enhancing the United Kingdom's existing vocational qualifications system. Selected points of the position that LSDA presented are as follows: (1) the time…

States have used variants of these three approaches to structure the welfare to-work component of welfare reform for single mothers: (1) put education or training first; (2) place job searching first; and (3) create a flexible program that allows staff and participants choice in the initial and subsequent activities. Research on these program…

There is dissonance between the lives of adult students in rural Nepal in a subsistence-level agrarian community and their participation in school. The concept of "transfer" has several shortcomings from the standpoint of understanding relations between mathematical reasoning in the classroom and in the workplace. It is more helpful to…

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Jobs Initiative is a six-city workforce initiative aimed at helping disadvantaged adults earn their way out of poverty. Between 1995 and 2002, the initiative enrolled more than 17,000 adults and placed 8,090 people in jobs. Most Jobs Initiative participants were working 18 months after enrollment in the program, and…

First-generation immigrants play a crucial role in the U.S. economy, but despite their pivotal role many immigrant workers confront enormous challenges in the labor force. The immigrant population increased from 19.8 million in 1990 to 31.1 million in 2000, comprising 11.1% of the U.S. population and 12.4% of the nation's workforce. Immigrants are…

A study investigated the extent of e-learning learning supported by information and communication technologies (ICT) methods in vocational education and training (VET) in the European Union (EU). The survey conducted via the Internet received 653 replies from organizations in the EU. Just over 80 percent of respondents were suppliers or users of…

A study conducted qualitative interviews with 12 newly qualified pedagogues from 3 different training colleges in 3 different locations in Denmark. The project was launched because the formerly more specialized training program was being replaced by one standard education program that would be a general education in which students would gain a…

A comparative analysis of human resources development and management in the subsidiaries of three multinational companies (Xerox, Glaxo Wellcome, and AXA Nordstern Colonia) was conducted in these three European Union (EU) member states: Austria, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Case studies were used, focusing on competence needs and…

A study assessed the first two years of a three-year initiative to test the potential of extending sectoral employment strategies among 10 organizations, most of which were new to the sectoral employment field. Five organizations increasing low-income workers' access to good jobs were ARCH; PhAME; Training, Inc.; WIRE-Net; and Project QUEST. Five…

These case studies and analytic essays are intended to give the reader a richer understanding of when and how top managers succeed or fail in their efforts to use performance management (PM) systems to improve the functioning of federal, state, and local government in the United States (U.S.). The question mark in the title is intended to remind…

This report presents findings from a Cairo conference on vocational education and training (VET) standards. It focuses on four European Training Foundation documents. Chapter 1 introduces an international model for development of standards and explains how to identify employment requirements based on labor market analysis and a questionnaire (and…

The success of work-centered welfare programs depends on clients connecting to the workforce and sustaining employment. Engaging employers in welfare and workforce development policies and programs is critical to achieving positive labor market outcomes for clients. Employer involvement in welfare-to-work activities can benefit public agencies,…

Since thousands of the men who entered military service during World War II were illiterate, the Army developed an "Army Reader," a four-part series featuring Private Pete, that led learners through literacy levels 1-4. Part 1 introduced Private Pete and talked about the things the men experienced when they entered the Army. Part 2…