This book contains seven papers from a conference on lifelong learning and creation of a new training culture for Australia. "Promoting a Training Culture in Industry" (Chris Robinson) discusses the extent to which a training culture exists in Australia. The results of a 1997 survey of Australian employers' satisfaction with vocational…

The first of the four papers in this symposium, "Re-conceptualizing Marsick and Watkins' Model of Informal and Incidental Learning in the Workplace" (Maria Cseh, Karen E. Watkins, Victoria J. Marsick) describes the use of a revised model to encompass the learning perspectives of small business owner-managers who work in the volatile…

A Canadian study of the school-to-work transition followed students enrolled in grade 11 in 1990 (n=177), 1992 (n=172), and 1994 (n=347) in Seven Oaks School Division's three high schools. Based largely on questions from the Statistics Canada (SC) School Leavers Survey and SC Graduates Study (1997), the telephone survey focused on these elements:…

Research on quality assurance (QA) in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia over the past 6 years was reviewed. Three factors responsible for growing interest in QA were identified: close connections with industry sectors that have gained from the introduction of QA measures; the more competitive training market that has been…

This booklet examines the role of museums and libraries in providing adult education, both as informal individual learning as well as structured learning activities for groups of learners. The booklet presents an overview of how museums and libraries offer different types of educational opportunities for adults. Most museums have pedagogical…

Australia's personal and other services industry is the sixth smallest of the 17 industry divisions in numbers employed. The industry, a collection of quite diverse businesses and services in the public and private sectors, has three subdivisions: personal services, other services, and private households employing staff. The employment level has…

This study sought to better understand the academic and social aspirations of undergraduate women in Guam and Japan. A survey question examined whether significant differences existed between Guamanian and Japanese undergraduate women in status aspirations and occupational ethics and in their life course selection. The questionnaire's five…

The use of demand-side financing mechanisms and vouchers for postcompulsory secondary-level education was examined through case studies of funding practices in the following countries: Austria; France; the United Kingdom; the United States; and Wallonia (the French community of Belgium). Different models of voucher use were identified in the…

This document is intended to assist practitioners who are designing and organizing an initial information and communication technology (ICT) experience for adult learners. Section 1 presents an overview of the initial ICT learning experience. The concept of transferable skills is discussed in the context of ICT in Section 2. Section 3 explains new…

Data derived from "Raising Quality and Achievement" development projects, started in 1999 in more than 80 colleges in England led to conclusions about successful strategies to raise achievement and improve retention and about the meaning of college improvement. The projects were described in the form of case studies. A number of…

Since little research existed about services for online learners in Australia, a national study was conducted to explore the expectations and experiences of online learners in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. Online learners enrolled with various Registered Training Organizations (RTOs) from the VET sector were contacted for…

A 2-year project examined the effectiveness of courses for returning workers in enabling women to make a sustained return to paid employment in the following countries: France; Spain; Ireland; and the United Kingdom. In each country, a short foundation-level program and a longer accredited return-to-work program were selected for evaluation.…

A case study of pathways development at Victoria University of Technology (VUT) examined the relationship among research, policy, and practice. VUT implemented the Personalized Access and Study (PAS) policy to make education available to and meet the learning needs of VUT's students and region. The policy had two components--personalized access…

Since independence, the government of Botswana has allowed only the use of English in government circles, excluding the other 26 languages represented in the country and allowing only limited use of the national language, Setswana. Since 1995, however, restrictions have been relaxed and non-government organizations are developing the use of other…

The possibility of using the concept of social capital as an analytical tool for exploring lifelong learning and community development was examined. The following were among the topics considered: (1) differences between definitions of the concept of social capital that are based on collective benefit and those that define social capital as a…