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The colleges and universities in Taiwan are confronted with the following two problems: (1) The average youth (aged 15-29) unemployment rate is more than double the overall unemployment rate; and (2) Mainly affected by the low birth rate, the admission and vacancy rates of colleges and universities have increased, and fierce competition exists among colleges and universities. This paper aims to answer the following two questions raised in Taiwan: (1) Does students' participation in the study opportunities created by university-industry cooperation really help the success rate of future employment? (2) In addition to cultivating cross-discipline talents, how can universities maintain their sustainable competitiveness? Based on a literature review and working experience, the author positively states that internship experience can improve students' employment rates, earnings, and job satisfaction after graduation. After that, several successful internship experiences and governmental promoting measures in Taiwan are mentioned. Four key success factors of internship are also described as follows: a clear structure, meaningful roles, paid internship, and a supportive environment. In terms of the second question, the author argues that the following measures should be taken: (1) Frequent inventory and analysis of the sources and quality distribution of students recruited by every academic unit; (2) Timely analysis of the resource allocation, financial revenue, and expenditure of academic units; (3) Appoint teachers based on expertise, and promote 360-degree feedback in the evaluation of teaching; (4) Strengthen the cultivation of STEM professionals; (5) Develop students' core foundations and transformative competencies; and (6) Appropriately manage world university rankings as needed.

The role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), as a stakeholder of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, is gaining more and more importance in the development and dissemination of youth entrepreneurship. However, there is a lack of research in both national and international literature on the role of NGOs in entrepreneurship in general and youth entrepreneurship in particular. In this direction, this study has been prepared to determine the roles and problems of various institutions, especially NGOs, working in support and dissemination of young entrepreneurship. A quantitative research method was adopted in the study and a questionnaire form was developed using the literature. The questionnaire form was applied to the representatives of different institutions working on youth entrepreneurship in Turkey. For this, snowball sampling method was used and a sample group of 100 people was reached. The results of the study confirm the problems both in the execution of activities and in cooperation. However, it has been determined that the willingness and ability to offer suggestions for solving these problems is high. In particular, the need for platforms to harmonize the young entrepreneurship activities of institutions and to act as an umbrella/roof on this issue was particularly emphasized. [For the full proceedings, see ED630948.]

In Tunisia, the problem of the professional integration of higher education graduates has persisted since the 1990s. A survey was developed among graduates to determine the indicators and determinants of unemployment among young graduates as part of the quality support program initiated by the World Bank. In this context, we compared the graduates' perceptions of agricultural engineers and licensed students in economic and managerial sciences about the entrepreneurial skills needed for employment and their evaluation of the corresponding academic programs. The survey analysis result indicates that unemployment affects girls much more, especially undergraduates. Significant gender differences were observed both in waiting time to get the first job and in remuneration, mainly for agronomic engineers. Engineer perceptions for entrepreneurship skills were significantly higher, revealing poor academic performances in this issue. Reform of the studying program integrating entrepreneurship, technology, critical thinking, and soft skills is an urgent issue to enhance the attractiveness of the agronomic institutes and increase youth engagement in the agronomic pathway. [For the full proceedings, see ED630893.]

The American Association for Adult Continuing Education Conference Theme Adaptability, Flexibility, and Sustainability--Adult Education in Dynamic Times is a reflection of the association's global commitment to Transforming Lives and Communities across the spectrum. For the past three years, the American Association has worked to codify and disseminate the contributions of its members through the continuing development, growth, and advancement of the research and practices that are being conducted in the field of adult education. This issue represents the American Association for Adult Education organization's continuing commitment to introduce, generate, challenge, encourage, and provide our members with ongoing research and practices from across the educational and professional spectrum, regions, and around the world. A total of 27 presentations are highlighted in the third issue of the AAACE Proceedings. [For the 2021 proceedings, see ED618709.]

South Africa must embark upon the third epoch of education policy after the failures of the first two epochs: the 1953-1994 ("apartheid") era and the 1994-2021 era (the dawn of democracy and the dismantling of apartheid structures). There were not enough education opportunities to guide all the children of the country to maturity and acceptance of their civilian responsibilities. This paper examines the reasons why the education policies of the first two epochs failed and contributed to a poor, unequal and ineffective school education system. The paper also explores the challenges that the education system needs to confront to create a new education system that will support the attainment of the hitherto unfulfilled expectations and dreams that its citizens carried into the democratic era. The education policy of the third epoch must address critical issues to chart the way to an effective education system. There is a need to reorganize (reset) the education system in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A streamlined curriculum needs to focus on the essential skills and knowledge the country needs. The system can no longer ignore the need for the adequate provision of vocational and technical education to alleviate the sharply rising unemployment rate of young people and support the growth of the economy. Quality education policy must function despite the lack of funds for the provision of appropriate and functional infrastructure and competent human resources. [For the complete Volume 20 proceedings, see ED622631.]

The COVID-19 outbreak early 2020 has had a considerable impact on the global labor market. Many businesses closed down, constrained their working hours, reduced their staff, and/or limited their new recruitments. Many employees have been obliged to work remotely and interact digitally. Due to the pandemic, the unemployment rates have gone up to unprecedented rates in all countries. This study investigates the status of unemployment in Saudi Arabia in May 2021 among languages and translation graduates and whether Saudi universities have adapted their curricula to equip languages and translation graduating seniors with the necessary skills needed for the pandemic and post-pandemic job market. Most participating graduates, instructors and administrators in the sample reported lack of jobs for language and translation graduates and that universities have not adapted their curricula nor offered any training courses or seminars in job search techniques and digital and interpersonal skills necessary for the new pandemic job environment. The study recommends that Saudi universities offer online workshops and seminars to train graduating seniors in preparing a CV, writing a letter of purpose and cover letter, filling a job application form, answering online vocational interest surveys, where to look for a job online, joining online business communities, getting ready for job interviews, raising students' awareness of recruitment and job advertisement websites/pages, and training students in effective communication, interpersonal, and digital skills needed for a remote job environment. Students are also advised to do volunteer work and take training courses while waiting to be recruited.

The need for adult education and training (AET) is substantial, as labour markets require advanced skills. We used data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) for Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United States (U.S.) to compare participation in AET by high- and low-skilled adults. Additionally, key informant interviews and document reviews were conducted. We found (a) low-skilled adults are less likely to participate in AET; (b) participation in AET is highest among the working population; and (c) non-formal education is often more acceptable to low-skilled adults. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings of Adult Education in Global Times: An International Research Conference," 2021, pp. 610-613.]

The study was carried out to access the activities of Idia renaissance skill acquisition programme in enhancing livelihood among women in Benin City. The need for the study arose as a result of the rising cases of unemployment, poverty, human trafficking, experienced in Benin City. The study was guided by four research questions and three null hypotheses. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of 150 women, 135 of them were adult learners who were registered in the programme, while 15 of them have graduated and established their businesses. The researcher used the entire population for the study because they were readily accessible and manageable, no sampling was done. The data for this study was obtained using a questionnaire. The findings revealed that IRSAP was effective in providing skills in hair dressing, cosmetology and bead making. It was recommended among others that the Government should expand and extend IRSAP programme to all the 18 local governments in the State. Finally, The State Government should continue to assist the trainees with micro credit loan after learning a skill at the Centre. This will encourage many vulnerable people in our society to enrol in the programme. [For the full proceedings, see ED613257.]

Participation in adult education and training (AET) programs is increasingly important for people of all ages and is necessary to remain competitive in a world experiencing rapid technological advances. Lifelong learning activities are especially important for middle-aged and older adults who intend to work at older ages to ensure they have the skills desired by employers. This study used data from three international surveys conducted between 1994 and 2015 to examine patterns of AET participation for ages 45 to 65 by employment status, comparing the US with Canada, Italy, and Norway. To contextualize these data, we also compared AET participation with employment and unemployment rates in the survey years for each of the countries. In all countries, the 45 to 54 age group participated in AET at higher rates than did the 55 to 65 age group and the employed participated at higher rates than did the unemployed and those not in the labor force.

Participation in adult education and training (AET) programs is increasingly important for people of all ages and is necessary to remain competitive in a world experiencing rapid technological advances. Lifelong learning activities are especially important for middle-aged and older adults who intend to work at older ages to ensure they have the skills desired by employers. This study used data from three international surveys conducted between 1994 and 2015 to examine patterns of AET participation for ages 45 to 65 by employment status, comparing the US with Canada, Italy, and Norway. To contextualize these data, we also compared AET participation with employment and unemployment rates in the survey years for each of the countries. In all countries, the 45 to 54 age group participated in AET at higher rates than did the 55 to 65 age group and the employed participated at higher rates than did the unemployed and those not in the labor force. [For the full proceedings, see ED597456.]

This paper notes that education needs to essentially lead to sustainable development serving two-fold purpose--eradicating the problems of unemployment and poverty; and ensuring equitable distribution of wealth while ensuring the right understanding leading to a peaceful, prosperous and developed world. In its current state, technical education doesn't seem to serve the above two objectives. The paper presents a holistic view of technical education in India. In order to ensure sustainable development for India in the contemporary global scenario, the paper finds technical education to be one of the core competencies that need to be developed. The paper observes that there seems to be no linkage between the "education" being provided in the country and these problems getting solved. In order to provide a real educational solution for all-encompassing development of India, the paper suggests that "what to do" is the real question for technical education than just "how to do". The paper suggests a model for the State (province) of Punjab in India to elaborate on the model of technical education for sustainable development. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]

The level of youth unemployment in Nigeria has always been an issue of concern for Focus Learning Support team, particularly in our interactions with foreign students studying in the UK; and also with our dedication in "Making Education Count for the Youths". This paper examines some of the difficulties experienced by young people in Nigeria when seeking employment opportunities, with a focus on employability skills as a way to overcome these barriers and form a basis for strategies to improve young people's life chances. The paper will also provide a comparison of how employability skills are implemented in schools and colleges in the United Kingdom as compared to Nigerian schools and colleges. Furthermore, this research will present the perceptions and experiences of students on a BTEC Business Vocational course in an inner cities further education college; who attended work experience during their studies. The primary question is to find out whether imbedding work experience programme on their BTEC course has had an impact on their future career choice. Collection of data was done in stages using questionnaires to capture the views of participants. The findings of research clearly confirm the benefits derived from the BTEC students who attended work experience and the link to their future career choices. The findings of this work has therefore created an avenue for the FLS team to carry out further research implementation and imbedding employability skills into the Nigerian education system to support youth employment in the country. [For the complete Volume 14, Number 1 proceedings, see ED568088.]

Individuals living with anxiety disorders often face significant obstacles in their day to day lives. While trying to manage the physical and emotional symptoms associated with these disorders can be a challenge, sufferers also encounter barriers by way of social exclusion from key life domains: family life, relationships, education, employment and community and civic engagement. One of these life domains--employment has the ability to promote social inclusion and social connectedness and can improve health and wellbeing. It is observed that individuals living with mental health disorders are overrepresented in the unemployment population. This paper addresses the challenges anxiety disorder sufferers encounter, the way unemployment acts as a barrier to social inclusion and strategies to promote social inclusion through employment for individuals living with anxiety disorders. [For the complete Volume 13, Number 1 proceedings, see ED568595.]

The labour markets in Mexico are characterised by uncertainty in terms of the lack of work contracts social protection, unemployment, high level of self-employed workers independently and micro-businesses, low income levels, the involuntary part-time working and low levels of unionisation. They all indicate that the labour situation currently reflects many deficiencies in the urban labour markets of Mexico. Over the two last decades, modest periods of growth and crises have taken place within a strategy of neoliberal development that promotes increased exports and foreign economic investment. Rates of unemployment have stayed low, with the exception of the devaluation crisis of 1995, but our labour markets continue to display very marked weaknesses with regard to occupations and jobs with reasonable income and other suitable conditions of work. [For complete volume, see ED567118.]

The 2011 International Pre-Conference of the Commission on International Adult Education (CIAE), American Association for Adult & Continuing (AAACE), was successfully conducted from October 30-November 1, at the Hyatt Regency, Indianapolis, Indiana. This publication presents the papers presented during the proceedings. These are: (1) Adult Education as a Panacea to the Menace of Unemployment in Oyo State, Nigeria (Samuel Adesola); (2) Proverbs as Foundations of Lifelong Learning in Indigenous African Education (Mejai B.M. Avoseh); (3) The Challenges of Raising an Ideal African Family in America (Mejai B. M. Avoseh, Gbenga Fayomi, and Abimbola Simeon-Fayomi); (4) Re-Thinking Faculty Development in Higher Education: Lessons from the Developing World (John M. Dirkx); (5) Intercultural and Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives of Non-Traditional Adult U.S. Students on Globalisation (Emmanuel Jean Francois); (6) Continuing Professional Development for Teachers in Rural Siberia (Wendy Griswold); (7) A 2011 International Shortened Version of the History and Philosophy of Andragogy (John A. Henschke); (8) Transitioning Law Enforcement Training from Teacher Centered to Learner Centered: A Caribbean Context (Yvonne Hunter-Johnson and Waynne B. James); (9) Adult Education Programs and HIV/AIDS Awareness in Sub-Saharan Africa (Alex Kumi-Yeboah and Waynne James); (10) Not so Universal: East Asian Doctoral Students' Perspectives on Critical Reflection at U.S. Universities (Hyun Jung Lee); (11) Girls Follow Me! Issues and Challenges of Non-Formal Mentoring of Female Academics in a Nigerian University (Simeon-Fayomi Bolanle Clara and Fayomi Abimbola Olugbenga); (12) An Analysis of the Literacy Competence and Highest Schooling of Mine Workers in South Africa (Antonie Christoffel Smit and Andile Mji); and (13) Uses for Instruments Designed to Measure Intercultural Sensitivity Competencies: A Comparative View (Melanie L. Wicinski). Individual papers contain tables, figures, footnotes and references. [For the 2010 proceedings, see ED529427.]

One of the most striking features of the modern world is its changing demographic profile. In almost any policy arena, the issue of demographic change (or ageing) sits alongside globalisation, climate change and the knowledge revolution as areas which are transforming societies, including the ways in which we organise and go about our work activities. This significant and worldwide phenomenon motivated an international meeting of a number of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) research agencies, hosted by NCVER in October 2006. This publication is the result of this meeting and contains the presented papers and comments by discussants. What emerges from the papers is a picture of a worldwide trend that touches many aspects of TVET and the labour market, but one which needs to take into account the very different economies and societies of the world. Contributions include: (1) Overview (Tom Karmel and Rupert Maclean); (2) Policy Framework on Retraining for Reskilling of Older Workers through Specialised TVET Programs (T.J. Tesoro Gayondato and Myong Hee Kim with discussant Di Booker); (3) Re-Skilling for All? The Changing Role of TVET in Ageing Societies of Developing Countries (Margarita Pavlova and Rupert Maclean with discussant Meredith Baker); (4) The Changing Context of TVET for the Workforce in India (J.S. Rajput with discussant Bill Martin); (5) The Reform of the Korean TVET System for an Ageing Society (Hong-Geun Chang with discussant Josie Misko); (6) Will We Run Out of Young Men? Implications of the Ageing of the Population for the Trades in Australia (Tom Karmel and Koon Ong with discussant Lynne Bennington); (7) Ageing Labour Force and Retraining of Workers in Korea (Jihee Choi with discussants Phil Loveder and Libby Hicks-Maitland); (8) Technical Entrepreneurship Development for the Aged (Man-Gon Park and Suresh K. Dhameja with discussant Alan Montague); and (9) The Ageing TVET Workforce in Australia: Issues and Challenges (Hugh Guthrie and Phil Loveder with discussant Rupert Maclean). (Papers are referenced and cited individually.)

This publication presents the text from the Productivity Conference that focused on productivity growth--its driving forces, impact, and future. "Introduction" (Elaine L. Chao) covers topics of the three panels. Panel 1, "Is There a Productivity Miracle?" (Kevin Hassett, moderator) examines whether recent productivity gains can be characterized as miracles, and, if so, what caused them and what impact they had on the economy. Kathleen Utgoff gives a summary of how the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures productivity. R. Glenn Hubbard discusses factors leading to more rapid growth of total factor productivity. Steve Oliner presents an optimistic view of future productivity growth. Frank Lichtenberg talks about biomedical innovation and productivity growth. Panel 2, "Productivity and Jobs" (Ben J. Wattenberg, moderator) begins with Martin Baily's comments on acceleration of productivity growth. Jared Bernstein covers the relationship between growth and unemployment and the unemployment rate associated with stable inflation. Edmund Phelps discusses whether the natural rate of unemployment is pulled down by faster productivity growth. Dick Davidson covers these two drivers of productivity improvement: technology and adoption of quality principles and processes. Marilyn Carlson Nelson proposes that productivity improvements are due to a more highly motivated and empowered workforce. Alan Greenspan's address focuses on a significant step up in productivity growth despite difficult adjustments the economy has been undergoing. Panel 3, "The Future of Productivity" (James K. Glassman, moderator) discusses prospects for productivity growth and productivity's impact on worker safety. J.T. Battenberg III proposes that improving health and safety metrics improves productivity and quality. Greg Bentley emphasizes that information technology's productivity contributions are constant and sustainable. Phillip Bond believes the future of productivity hinges on the speed to adopt new technologies. Henrietta Holsman Fore addresses the importance of quality of life for employees. George Halvorson covers productivity in American healthcare. Elaine L. Chao makes closing remarks. (YLB)

This document contains 11 papers from a 2-day meeting on the principles, practice, and effectiveness of Jobrotation, which denotes a European Union program of investing in human capital by giving employees the opportunity to temporarily leave their posts for training without any major disturbance in the production process. The following papers are included: "Foreword: Jobrotation--Employment/Training Rotation--Good Practice in the European Union"; "'Jobrotation' in France: A Pioneering Measure" (Patrick Guilloux); "Jobrotation Development and Dissemination in Europe" (Jens Kruhoffer); "German Experience of Jobrotation: A Case Study" (Monika Kammeier); "Danish Experience of Jobrotation: A Case Study" (Ghita Vejlebo); "Jobrotation Efficiency: Small and Large Companies Compared" (Lizzi Feiler); "Contribution of Mr. Athanasios Papathanasiou, Director of the Technopolis Vocational Training Centre"; "Jobrotation from the Perspective of Enterprises, Employees and Political Decision-Makers--Expectations and Results Illustrated by the Example of 'Jobrotation for the Bremen Region'" (Hubertus Schick); "A Few Danish Comments on the Concept of Jobrotation" (Jorgen Mork); "Jobrotation as a Means of Promoting Innovation and Employment. A Model for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in North Rhine-Westphalia (D)" (Reiner Siebert); and "Synthesis of the Work" (Andre Kirchberger). One paper contains a substantial bibliography. (MN)

This document contains the following five papers, all in both English and Korean, from a workshop on on-the-job training held in Korea in 2001: "Issues in Knowledge and Skills Development: Globalization and the Effective Use of New Technologies" (S. Ian Cummings); "The Knowledge Economy and Vocational Training Policy in Korea" (Chul-Gyun Jung); "A Scheme to Incorporate a Concept of Learning Organization into an Enterprise" (Lee Young Hyun); "Corporate Labor-Employer Partnership for Skills Training" (Ho-Chang Lee); and "Changes in Business Environment and the Building of a Human Resources Development System" (Won-Hee Lee). (KC)

This document contains 19 papers and case studies, in English and Korean, from a conference on national strategies for developing human resources through technical and vocational education and training. The following are representative: "The Need to Innovate and Optimize Resources [Keynote]" (Wataru Iwamoto); "School to Work Transition in Australia" (Katrina Ball); "Main Issues for Effective Transition System from Initial Education to Working Life in Korea" (Hojin Hwang); "School to Work Transition of the Graduates in the Trade Technical-Vocational Institutions in the Philippines" (Renato Sorolla); "Vocational and Technical Education and Training in Vietnam and Issues of School-to-Work Transition" (Hoang Ngoc Vinh); "Effective Reskilling for Adults [Germany]" (Gisela Dybowski);"Adult Reskilling in Korea" (Young-Hyun Lee); "The National Qualification System for Linking Schools and Workplace in Indonesia" (Masriam Bukit); "The National Qualification System for Linking Schools and Workplace" (Annie Bouder); "The Current Status of National Qualification System in Korea" (Jeong-yoon, Cho); "The National Skill Qualification System Framework in Malaysia" (Sahar Darusman); and "National Human Resource Planning: Issues and Problems" (Kioh Jeong). Papers include abstracts, and, in some cases, reference lists. Included are the welcoming remarks, conference program, and participant list. (KC)

This document contains the following seven papers, all in both English and Korean, from a conference on human resources development and school-to-work transitions in the knowledge-based society: "The U.S. Experience as a Knowledge-based Economy in Transition and Its Impact on Industrial and Employment Structures" (Eric Im); "Changes in the Industrial Structure and Employment Patterns in a Knowledge-Based Society in Japan" (Shigemi Yahata); "Human Resource Development Strategies for the Knowledge Economy" (Nigel Haworth); "Strategies and Direction of Human Resources Development in Knowledge-based Economic System: Experience in the UK" (Peter Upton); "Methods of Strengthening Effective Transition from School to Labour Market" (Bent Paulsen); and "Methods of Strengthening Effective Transition from School to the Labour Market in Australia" (Chris Robinson). Each of the papers includes an abstract; some contain lists of references. (KC)

This publication highlights key messages and themes of a conference to discuss critical questions, challenges, and opportunities facing California's welfare and workforce development systems. It is intended as a resource manual that presents the most up-to-date thinking on how policies and services can be designed to better meet the needs of California's working poor. Information on conference day 1 provides an overview of national trends in welfare and workforce development and discusses the current situation in California. Statements, presentations, addresses, and plenary panel explore factors that impact how national and state systems will serve the working poor and hard-to-place clients and the implications of the increased prevalence of the hard-to-place among the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in California--CalWORKs recipients. Information on day 2 provides overviews of presentations on the latest research on proven, effective strategies for serving low-income families and new approaches to explore and test. Nine panels consider strategies that speak to a variety of goals, increasing job retention and career advancement among the working poor, improving the financial standing of low-income families, and helping the hard-to-place move into the workforce. They also discuss how programs affect employment and earnings and broader impacts on family well-being. Information on day 3 provides overviews of four panels and plenary panel on the following: (1) the role of institutional relationships in providing a more comprehensive, more accessible set of services to low-income families and fostering a more effective use of funds and resources; (2) challenges to integrating the welfare and workforce development systems; (3) role of specific institutions--community colleges and Workforce Investment Act One-Stops--in serving the working poor; and (4) how community-focused initiatives create networks and relationships that support employment and self-sufficiency. (YLB)

A 2-day regional seminar was held to raise awareness of the problem of youth unemployment in Southeastern Europe and assist countries in the region to develop their own framework of action and concrete projects. The following were among the topics discussed: ways policymakers can help young people find valid employment opportunities within economic hardship and uncertainty; access to education and training and existing employment policies in Southeastern Europe; successful policies in France, Germany, Ireland, and Portugal; regional and community development strategies; and strategies for building partnerships for employment and vocational training. The discussions resulted in a checklist for policy actions to combat youth and long-term unemployment and lists of individual countries' needs and requirements for donor assistance in the following areas: (1) modernizing the education and training system; (2) developing a modern vocational guidance and professional orientation system; (3) optimizing the education and training network; (4) promoting small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employment; (5) providing short and longer training schemes; (6) creating local centers for young people to work with employment offices, social services, and schools; (7) building capacity in relevant ministries and institutions; and (8) developing partnerships among stakeholders. Priority areas for donor assistance in the individual countries and the seminar participants are listed. (MN)

These proceedings document some of the work and the stories of literacy teachers who work with youth outside the school system and help to paint the educational and policy context of their work. "Professionalism and Passion: A Report on Teachers Working with the Literacy Needs of Unemployed Youth" (Beverley Campbell) introduces the report. The nine presentations are "Introductory Remarks: Unemployed Early School Leavers and the Knowledge Society" (John Wilson); "An Overview of the Situation of Early School Leavers" (Helen MacDonald); "Extending Learning Options for Early School Leavers" (Maureen Ryan); "Creating Links and Sharing Resources: An Overview of Programs at Morrison House" (Barb Lorey); "'Every Now and Then You Get One Over the Line...'" (Jules De Cinque); "Working with Unemployed Young People: The Teacher's Learning" (Lindee Conway); "The NMIT Youth Unit: Diverse Programs and Pedagogical Challenges" (Fran O'Neil); "Youth Forum Workshop Groups: Issues and Challenges" (Jill Sanguinetti); and "The Need for Multi-Media Resources for Young People with Learning Difficulties" (Ron McGlynn). (YLB)

A 2-day conference on vocational training as an instrument to combat unemployment was held to discuss employment policy, vocational training, and decentralization in the context of the European Union's (EU's) accession strategy, current employment initiatives, and experiences of the EU's member states and regions. The conference included papers on the following six topics: (1) the EU's accession strategy; (2) the EU's employment policy and financial instruments developed to implement it; (3) the recent changes in responsibility for employment policy and vocational training in the region of Piedmont; (4) the role of local and regional authorities in employment creation; (5) the importance of human resources in planning education; and (6) the issues involved in regionalization in candidate countries. Workshops were held on the following four topics: (1) decentralization of employment policies at regional and local levels; (2) the role of local and regional authorities in linking education establishments to enterprises; (3) employment initiatives and instruments at the European level and lessons learned; and (4) interventions in favor of disadvantaged groups. The workshops were designed to accomplish the following three objectives: (1) to identify challenges faced by candidate countries; (2) to inform candidate countries about practices and achievements in EU member states; and (3) formulate recommendations regarding developing vocational education and training systems to meet new needs in candidate countries. (MN)

This publication is comprised of 12 position papers from the National Equity Workshop held at the University of Technology Sidney (Australia) at which participants summarized their positions on the way equity should be understood, their views on the strengths and weaknesses of current vocational education and training (VET) policy, and what they saw as the priorities for future research. The papers are prefaced with a summary of the conclusions of the workshop--strengths of current research, weaknesses, and new directions--and participant biographies. The papers are: "Using Statistical Methodologies to Interrogate Large Data-Bases" (Katrina Ball); "Managing Diversity" (Kate Barnett); "Aborginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategic Policy and Research Priorities for VET, 1999" (Tony Dreise); "Equity Outcomes" (Tom Dumbrell); "Equity and VET: An Antilogous Project? A Personal Story of Equity Work in VET" (Elaine Butler); "Regrouping Equity" (Barry Golding, Veronica Volkoff); "Equity: VET for the Good of the Nation" (Ian Falk); "An Overview of Current Equity Research in the National Program" (Jennifer Gibb); "Locality and Community Agency in VET Research" (John McIntyre); "Equity for Training and Employment: Research Questions from a Policy Perspective" (Marion Norton); "Position Paper" (Rachel Robertson); and "Some Observations on Equity in VET" (Kaye Schofield). (YLB)

Sixty plus years after Brown many Black families find equal educational opportunity through homeschooling, which has increased by 61.8% in recent years. Through a Black Feminist Theory lens, homeschooling has been conceived as a form of resistance to the perceived racism experienced by Black families in public schools in this Phenomenological study. Specifically, this study features the voices of single Black mothers who chose to homeschool and who have been ignored in the literature until now. Thus, this work provides a strong counter narrative to the negative images associated with being a single Black mother. Moreover, the single Black parents in this study represent unemployed and employed families and include a Black immigrant as well.

This document contains 15 papers from a research forum on adult, community, and further education (ACFE) in Australia. The following papers are included: "The Prioress, the Wife of Bath and the ACFE Researcher" (Kaye Schofield); "Learning Communities, Researching Communities" (Martin Yarnit); "Young Unemployed People in Adult Community Education Project" (Sue Chamberlain, Ian Hughes); "Older People with Special Needs" (Judith Elsworth); "Working with Adult Learners with Psychiatric Disabilities" (Laurence Kerr); "Not So Naive: The Multi-skilling of Women through Naive Art" (Linden Dean); "Employee Development Programs" (Matt Seeary); "Best Practices for Delivery of ACE [Adult Community Education] Programs to the Koorie Community" (Linda Wilkinson); "Impact Study of Language and Literacy Skills" (Nadia Casarotto, Pam Dickinson); "Rural Workers: Accessing Training and Further Education" (Ann Cliff); "Oracy in a Community Setting" (Elizabeth Taylor, Andrea Murray); "Pathways between ACE and VET [Vocational Education and Training]: Creating Illusions and Shattering Myths" (Allie Clemans, Peter Rushbrook); "Listening from the Heart: Can Research Have Soul?" (John Bottomley); "Good, Better, Best Management Practices in ACE" (Pauline Bennet); and "Getting the ACFE Research Question Right" (Helen Praetz). (MN)

A study worked with three groups of female students to determine whether using the Career Orientation and Planning Profile (COPP) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) would enable adults to make better career choices the second time around. The students were women in the Access to Careers and Training (ACT) program for unemployed or underemployed individuals currently receiving or eligible for Aid to Families with Dependent Children. The three groups were a capital city population of 15, an urban population of 10, and a rural population of 12 ACT participants. The capital city group completed only the COPP, the rural population only the MBTI, and the urban group both. The hypothesis was that one of the three procedures would produce a more complete set of plans and identify a more positive attitude toward job seeking and job finding. Data from the three groups were analyzed by comparing the original career choice to the final choice of each participant. Findings seemed to indicate that the treatment that made the most difference was the COPP by itself. Recommendations were as follows: a training session on how to administer and interpret the COPP; more time for the COPP and MBTI; more appropriate matching of the groups; and development of a program including the COPP and MBTI. (Participant comment and a summary of COPP work with adults are appended.) (YLB)

A study to identify the influence of vocational education on an individual's underemployment analyzed data from a Taiwan labor use survey conducted in May 1993. Data were restricted to 9,415 respondents who were currently employed, aged 20-65, and not in the army; who had participated in general or vocational high school education; and for whom all data were complete. Findings indicated the following: males found full-time employment more easily; male vocational business high school participants were less likely to be underemployed than male general high school participants; younger people were less likely to be underemployed than those above age 40; and married women had a higher probability of being underemployed than single women, whereas married men had a higher probability of becoming fully employed than single men. Living in a region with a high unemployment rate made female and general high school participants more likely to become underemployed. Women or general high school participants who lived in a municipality were more likely to be fully employed than their reference groups who lived in rural areas. The probability of being underemployed was higher for workers in the service sector than those in the industry sector. The probability of being fully employed was higher for workers in a large company. Men or general high school participants who had changed jobs in the last year had a higher probability of becoming underemployed. (Appendixes include 11 references and 5 data tables.) (YLB)

The papers in these proceedings include a number of themes such as enduring and progressive social change, good practice and positive outcomes, and strategies of survival, resistance and subversion. They are: "Achievement, Personal Development, and Positive Outcomes" (Viv Anderson); "Raising Standards" (Paul Armstrong); "Multicultural Education for Adults" (Burjor Avari); " Four Congratulations and a Caveat" (Roseanne Benn); "Issues in the Supervision of Dissertation Research Conducted by Continuing Education and Training Professionals in South East Asia towards a Masters Degree of the University of Sheffield" (Geoff Chivers); "Continuing Education and the Public Understanding of Science" (Martin Counihan); "Silver Lining" (Eileen Daggett); "Conversing Internationally" (Chris Duke); "A Study of the Competence Levels of the Heads of Adult Education in Turkey" (Ahmet Duman); "Vision, Provision, and Television" (Darrel Dymock); "Women's Studies and Adult Education" (Jane Elliott); "Living with Competence" (Paul Garland); "Where Has Schon Led Us?" (Mary Gobbi); "Using a Self-Selected Support Group as a Strategy for Survival" (Christine Hibbert, Antoinette Middling, Frances Scourfield); "Journey through the Looking Glass" (Cheryl Hunt); "Multiplying Visions and Using Similitudes'" (Christine Jarvis); "Experimental Archaeology in Education" (David Johnston); "We're Still Here" (Rennie Johnston); "Holding Up the Mirror" (William Jones); "Participative Environmental Research and the Role of Continuing Education" (David Knight); "Making a Mark" (Carol Lee-Mak, Janice Malcolm); "The Creative Management of Biography" (Danny Mashengele); "From Distance Learning to Computer Supported Cooperative Learning" (David McConnell); "Autobiography in an Academic Context" (Margaret Millar et al.); "Exchanging Places, Trading Learning" (Nod Miller, Miriam Zukas); "Fiftysomething" (Penny Muter, Peter Watson); "Happiness Is a Thing Called Subversion" (Kirit Patel); "Vision, Policy, or Accident?" (Keith Percy); "Discourse and Culture" (Julia Preece); "Democracy and Personal Empowerment" (Ian Roffe, Carolyn Inglis); "German Adult Education in East Germany after Unification" (Marion Sporing); "Starting with Self" (Alistair Thomson); "Telling the Story of the Self/Deconstructing the Self of the Story" (Robin Usher); "Two Cheers for Special Needs Provision in Adult Education" (Peter Watson); "Re-Visioning the Self" (Linden West); "Using Vocational Competences To Develop an Alternative Framework for Modern Language Teaching" (John Wilson, A. Ibarz); "NVQs [National Vocational Qualifications] and Individuals" (Jonathan Winterton, Ruth Winterton); and "Coming of Age" (Alexandra Withnall). (YLB)

This document contains a symposium paper and a conference paper. "Equal Opportunities and European Educational and Vocational Policy" explores the symposium theme of concepts of difference as it relates directly to the European discourse of equal opportunities and its influence on European educational and vocational policy. It outlines the economic roots of European equal opportunities policy and identifies the main structures and processes by which it works: the Action Programs, the Equal Opportunities Unit, and the European Social Fund (ESF). It considers the discourse itself and argues that in its gender exclusivity it is effectively ridden with class and race assumptions and divisions. Finally, the paper considers the European discourse in relation to the similarity/difference debate surrounding the equality of women. "Equal Opportunities and the European Social Fund" explores the linkage between the discourse of equal opportunities and the training policies of ESF. Drawing on research findings, the paper focuses on the ways in which the discourse of equal opportunities influences the ESF's Objective 3 vocational policies for unemployed women. It argues that the discourse of equal opportunities focuses so intently on gender--a gender exclusivity that, combined with a lack of class or race analysis, leads to the ESF's persistent and simplistic emphasis on training unemployed women in nontraditional manual skills. (YLB)

A four-stage feminist research project investigating European Social Fund (ESF)-funded vocational training for unemployed women used the grounded theory approach. Stage 1 involved the formation of the research questions and design. Steps included the ontological, epistemological, and methodological positioning of the researcher. Stage 2 was the case study with the "workers" of an ESF-funded training program in Britain (United Kingdom). A process of inductive coding was used for the analysis of the transcripts of loosely structured interviews. Two categories for considering the achievements of the training project were generated--immediate or future aims and intentions of each group involved. In stage 3, a search of legislative and policy documents was conducted. A benefit of the grounded theory approach was that it directed the research toward analysis of secondary data. Stage 4 was analysis of the labor markets. Again, a benefit of the approach was the way in which the research was directed outwards. Labor market data were analyzed historically, occupationally, and hierarchically to understand the position of women within the labor market and the relevance of the training to past, present, and projected labor market trends. At this stage in grounded theory, it was necessary to consider the entire research process by going back to the data, looking again at the emergent categories from each stage, and identifying the dominant relationship that emerged. The dominant relationship was the discourse of equal opportunities. (YLB)

The growing interaction between education, careers, and the nature of work is explored in this document and examples of this interaction are provided. The implications of these changes are explored in relation to guidance services and career counseling. New developments in career counseling are presented as well as strategies for improving guidance and career development services. A theoretical account of future trends in the nature of work is also included in the document. Contains 24 references. (SR)

This book contains papers, reports, and welcoming speeches from a seminar for European adult education researchers. The following are included: "Background and Thematic Outline for the ESREA (European Society for Research on the Education of Adults) Seminar on Research into Adult Education and the Labor Market" (Olesen); "Welcoming Speech" (Puhar); "Qualification and Work: Basic Concepts and Danish Research" (Olesen); "Labour Market and Adult Education in Slovenia" (Klenovsek); "Report from the Workshop on 'Qualification and Work Process Research'" (Jowitt); "Trends in Employer Funded Training as an Indicator of Changes in Employment" (Gooderham, Hines); "General Qualification in Danish Adult Vocational Training Programmes" (Illeris, Andersen); "The Relationship between Work and the Learning Process in Adult Education" (Hoyrup, Scavenius); "Human Resource Development, Learning and Structural Transition in Working Life" (Kjellberg); "Report from the Workshop on 'Labour Market Policy, (Un)employment and Adult Education'" (Forrester); "Lifelong Learning and Trade Unions: Notes on a Collaborative Research Project" (Forrester); "Education and Training of Work Force and Mobility in the Slovenian Labour Market" (Ivancic); "Qualifying Adult Women for Employment" (Olesen); "Consequences of a Society without Housewives: Young People and Their Relation to the Labour Market" (Simonsen); "Adult Education and Working People: A Critical Reappraisal" (Law); "The Needs for Adult Education in Slovenia" (Spolar); "Report from the Workshop on 'Instruction Methods, Concepts of Teaching, and Teacher Qualification'" (Ivancic); "The Learning Company and Employee Personal Development Schemes" (Jowitt); "Self-Directed Learning in a Work Context" (Larsson); and "How to Bridge the Gap between Education, Work and Life History?" (Meijers). Participants' addresses are included. (KC)

This document presents workshop results and participants' reports from the international conference "Train the Trainers in Information and Communication Technology." The participants consisted of 18 women and one man from Czechoslovakia, Russia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Mongolia, Jordan, Egypt, and the Philippines. Eleven reports were presented covering the situation of women with reference to employment and unemployment, social conditions, legal rights, family obligations, and the situation before and after the change from communist to democratic rule. The reports of the working groups illustrate attempts to identify the areas needing attention and develop practical measures and solutions. Two working groups examined questions aimed at demonstrating the need for the establishment of women's technical training centers and other areas that need development. It was pointed out that advantages women had during the period of communism/socialism no longer exist. Women face high levels of unemployment and for those in the workforce, a drastic reduction in childcare centers; job retraining in the new market economy is mainly offered to men and women with the same qualifications as men are paid less for the same work. Poverty, social insecurity, and conflicts are predicted, with serious consequences for women. Suggestions include the need for the retraining and continuing education of women in the areas of technology, foreign languages, assertive behavior, and enterprise. (Author/AEF)

Four trends will alter the way the education and training system and other human resource agencies will do business. Themes that reflect them are captured in four words: flexibility, quality, diversity, and scope. The reaction to the current economic downturn remains one of flexibility. Flexibility has emerged as the way in which employers look at the work force. Temporary help is the most visible of flexibility practices; others are contracting out, employee leasing, home-based work, and self-employment. Other evidence of a just-in-time work force are hours, compensation practices, and benefits. U.S. companies still in business know about quality and are more and more concerned about the quality of their workers. The message is that quality is tied to survival in the marketplace, work force preparation, the education and training system, and government-business cooperation. The United States is faced with a set of demographic imperatives that spell an increasingly diverse work force: an aging work force, increasing feminization, and a growing minority share. The basic driver transforming the face of industry is the continued shift from goods to services. A new emphasis on downsizing changes temporary situations into permanent reductions in job prospects. These themes provide the challenge: to focus on the future but not to the exclusion of fixing today's problems and to design institutions to meet the challenge in a way that ensures the flexibility so important to growth. (YLB)

This second of three volumes of the 1992 Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL) Conference Papers includes 12 papers from workshops, with a national focus. The "Welcome Speech" (Marie Perrson) is followed by "Literacy: An Ecological View" (David Sless) that shares a view of literacy as an interdependent component in a much larger communicative environment. "The Competency Agenda: What Does It Mean for Adult Literacy and Basic Education?" (Mike Brown) sets out a description of the competency agenda as problematic. "Adult Readers' Problems: How a Language-Based Approach Can Help" (Bill Winser) advocates an approach that suggests that teachers and students need to become more aware of the meaning making powers of language. "A Full-Time Literacy Program for Long-Term Unemployed People" (Marian Norton) describes a program that integrates vocational content into a literacy program. "The Right to Literacy--The Rhetoric, the Romance, the Reality, from Policy to Practice--An Industry/Service-Provider Perspective: Literacy and English Language--Social Justice or Economic Imperative" (Wendy Heath, Anne Learmonth) focuses on issues dealing with the development and implementation of the Literacy, English Language, and Numeracy Program in the State Electricity Commission. "Strategic Management in Language and Literacy: Outcomes or Empires?" (Nicole Gilding) explores tensions in adult literacy and complexities facing managers at state and institutional levels. "What Is There to Read?" (Susanne Bruhn) covers the outcome of the National Library's conference, "The Right to Read.""Participant Observation: A Way of Conducting Research" (Jean Serle) describes this technique. "Numeracy and How We Learn" (Jeannette Thiering) describes workshops for teachers of numeracy or general mathematics. "From Radical Rhetoric to the Sobering Reality of Current Policy Options around Adult Basic Education in South Africa" (Marian Clifford) examines trends in adult basic education policy thinking in South Africa in the light of Australian experiences. "NSW [New South Wales] Inmate Education: Literacy in Action in NSW Correctional Centers" (Brian Noad) provides a model. (YLB)

It is necessary to raise the standards of the education and training response and to demonstrate that European cooperation in education and training can give practical added value to help individuals both to learn and to use their knowledge and experience as part of their personal and professional development wherever they may be in the Economic Community. Of greatest strategic importance is lifelong learning to the individual and to society as a whole; it is urgent that a lifelong learning system be developed in a Europe-wide context. At present, the European education and training systems are not providing large numbers of young people the minimum competencies and qualifications needed to enable them to get into the labor force. The training systems are not fast enough in their response to new skills needs resulting from technological change and sharpening economic competition; social policies tend to remain in a passive "income maintenance" posture that leads to long-term unemployment and dependence on state support. The more positive results of the ad hoc training measures attempted in the 1970s and 1980s must now be incorporated into an organized postcompulsory education and training system. Qualifications derived from education will be increasingly necessary, and more efforts are needed to attract women and girls to enter higher-paid occupations that require longer and higher levels of training. In addition, there needs to be a marked shift of emphasis throughout Europe to put a new high premium on continuing education and training for the adult work force, with a new commitment to providing recurrent opportunities, flexibility, varied access, and mobility. Lifelong education is needed, with flexibility for different types of education at different life stages. (KC)

Both the literature and common beliefs suggest that unemployment increases family stress and child abuse. To test this idea, data were collected on monthly unemployment rate and number of child abuse complaints during 1978-91 in a rural county in the northwestern United States dependent on the lumber industry. Unexpectedly, the data showed that there was a strong negative correlation between unemployment and child abuse. Interviews with 50 families revealed that lumbering activities were usually suspended during the spring thaw, and that this period of anticipated unemployment affected families in positive ways, providing time for leisure activities and parent-child interaction. On the other hand, lumbermen worked long hours during the late summer and families in which child abuse had occurred reported increased job stress and alcohol consumption among men during this time and increased stress for wives from carrying all other responsibilities alone. Suggestions for social-work inverventions during high-stress employment periods include provision of support groups for mothers, parent education, and children's activities. (SV)

How can policy makers and the public judge whether proprietary schools are heroes or villains? A review of six studies on proprietaries and two studies conducted in Minnesota attempted to answer the question. Five of the six studies examined reported that proprietary schools students are more likely to complete a program than public school students. However, proprietary graduates appeared slightly more likely to experience unemployment than public vocational graduates. Mixed research findings seem to indicate that proprietary graduates may earn higher initial wages, but these differences disappear; in some cases, they may end up earning less than community college or vocational school graduates. The Minnesota studies showed that proprietary graduates felt much stronger in cognitive development and leadership ability after their coursework, compared to a cohort of public two-year college students. These results show that proprietary schools cannot be regarded as either heroes or villains. As the number of schools change with shifting demographics and changes in regulatory policy, overall performance will vary. The analysis leads to five conclusions: (1) proprietaries are performing about the same as public institutions; (2) policy makers should fund the creation of more national data sets measuring comprehensive samples; (3) schools should be held accountable for outcome measures; (4) the impact of proprietaries on students' personal development should receive research attention; and (5) research should examine proprietaries in depth. (Two tables provide the following information for the six studies: population, comparison groups, limits, completion, placement and employment, and earnings. A 14-item reference list is included.) (NLA)

A Youth Career Centre in South Alberta has been proposed to fulfill the career development needs of youth. The center should be based on the tenets of career development theory that suggest that five basic processes are necessary to facilitate the career development of youth: initiation, exploration, decision making, preparation, and implementation. Results of a survey of community services for the career development of youth in Calgary showed no single service providing assistance in all basic career planning processes. The following gaps in the service network have been identified: lack of interagency collaboration; need for collaboration between business, schools, and agencies; need for services with mandates to help youth in specific age parameters; lack of consistency in program delivery; service delivery hindered by inadequate funding; service deliverers and educators overwhelmed by the enormous needs of youth in the city; services spread throughout the city and difficult for some youth to access them; career development with an occupational and not a life-planning and life-roles focus; over emphasis on skills development; inadequacy of the system's capacity to deal with dropouts; reactive rather than proactive services; and poorly marketed services. Interviews with Calgary practitioners regarding these gaps and needs resulted in overwhelming support for a centralized, specialized youth career center. The complexities of the problems suggest that services need to be multifaceted. (Contains 32 references.) (YLB)

This paper contains the text of a keynote speech given at a Study Day attended by older persons and government and industry officials in England, along with summaries of discussion and workshop reports. The keynote speech, "Citizenship, Adult Learning, and Old Age" (Jenny Scribbins), emphasizes the need to recognize the educational requirements of older people as important because of the contribution they made to the economy. The paper then goes on to define exactly what older people do that is work, discussing it in several categories; and concludes that for all the kinds of work identified an educational curriculum is needed. In the participant discussion that followed, many curriculum issues were raised that required more detailed discussion, and these issues were identified in the following six workshops: Maximizing Income (Benefits and Pensions); Maximizing Income (Employment); Women's Studies; English for Speakers of Other Languages and Elderly Refugees; Older People as Carers; and Unpaid Work and Volunteering. Finally, a summary report, "Drawing the Strands Together" (Sue Gardener), reflects on the insights that emerged from the conference. Included in the report are the conference program, a flier for the program, a list of participants, the goals for the Study Day, and survey results from four London-area educational centers on course offerings for older adults and their participation in such courses. (KC)

The Defense Department--the nation's largest employer--has announced that it is planning a 20 percent reduction in its work force. The transition is expected to go more smoothly than initially assumed. Because of education and training received in the service, most newly released service personnel should be competitive in the civilian job market. Young men and women who would have joined the military, the so-called "newly qualified," are expected to find jobs in the civilian sector, but with few of the training or education opportunities they would have received if they had been able to join the military. The people most affected by the reduction may be those whom the newly unqualified will displace on the job ladder--those with even less education and few job skills. Resources available to help those newly released from the armed services make the transition to the civilian sector might be made more effective through better ties between higher education and military education and greater use of tools for documenting skills and job competencies acquired in the military. Private industry could benefit by adopting the military's attitude and emphasizing the value of education and training in the workplace. Even at times of major adjustments, employees are better able to cope in the labor market if their last employer had well-integrated training and education programs. Planning for the adjustment is likely to be the most important element in easing the transition for affected workers and their communities. (YLB)

This document contains 13 papers on targeting employment services. The following papers are included: "Targeting Employment Services under the Workforce Investment Act" (Stephen A. Wandner); "Predicting the Exhaustion of Unemployment Compensation" (Robert B. Olsen, Marisa Kelso, Paul T. Decker, Daniel H. Klepinger); "Evaluation of WPRS (Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services) Systems" (Katherine P. Dickinson, Paul T. Decker, Suzanne D. Kreutzer); "A Panel Discussion on the WPRS System" (Pete Fleming, Al Jaloviar, Helen Parker, Marc Perrett); "Profiling in Self-Employment Assistance Programs" (Jon C. Messenger, Carolyn Perterson-Vaccaro, Wayne Vroman); "Targeting Reemployment Bonuses" (Christopher J. O'Leary, Paul T. Decker, Stephen A. Wandner); "Measures of Program Performance and the Training Choices of Displaced Workers" (Louis Jacobson, Robert LaLonde, Daniel Sullivan); "Using Statistical Assessment Tools to Target Services to Work First Participants" (Randall W. Eberts); "Targeting Job Retention Services for Welfare Recipients" (Anu Rangarajan, Peter Schochet, Dexter Chu); "Targeting Reemployment Services in Canada: The Service and Outcome Measurement System (SMOS) Experience" (Terry Colpitts); "Predicting Long-Term Unemployment in Canada" (Ging Wong, Harold Henson, Arun Roy); "A Frontline Decision Support System for One-Stop Centers" (Randall W. Eberts, Christopher J. O'Leary, Kelly J. DeRango); and "A Panel Discussion of the Experience and Future Plans of States" (Rich Hobbie, Jim Finch, Chuck Middlebrooks, Jack Weidenbach). Several papers include substantial bibliographies. Most papers include one or more comments written by various individuals. (MN)

This document contains 123 papers from an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The papers focus on the following themes: (1) societal and ethical issues; (2) human resource development and personnel training; (3) international issues; (4) information technology in VET; (5) partnership for VET; (6) program development; and (7) skills for the new millennium. The following are among the subthemes addressed in the individual papers: manpower planning; social issues; cross-border and culture issues; partnership issues; modeling and process; future directions; training effectiveness; language teaching; curriculum development and competency; curriculum and standards; leadership and professional development; distance education; program development; new information technology initiatives; teacher training; workplace initiatives; program outcomes; teaching and learning; VET in the workplace; modeling and training; teaching practice and assessment; educational approaches; industrialization and technological change; learning systems; management and planning; program design and teaching; competency and benchmarking; technological issues; knowledge development in VET; Web-based learning; impacts of VET; strategies and partnerships; pedagogical issues; skill testing, work-based training, and industrial partnerships; and international and multinational issues. Most papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)

This document contains 15 papers from a conference on preparing youth for the 21st century that was organized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The following papers are included: "Giving Young People a Good Start: The Experience of OECD Countries" (Norman Bowers, Anne Sonnet, Laura Bardone); "The Youth Job Market Problem at Y2K" (Richard B. Freeman); "Improving Educational Performance of At-Risk Youth" (Peter Mortimore, Jo Mortimore); "The Korsor Production School and the Danish Production Schools" (Gert Moeller, Verner Ljung); "Improving Pathways in the United States from High School to College and Career" (David Stern); "The Contribution of Education and Training to the Employability of Youth: Changing Concerns, Debates, and Measures" (Ulrich Teichler); "Youth Labour Market Entry in France" (Patrick Werquin); "The Transition from Initial Education to the Labour Market: Recent Experience in the United States" (Lisa M. Lynch); "The Japanese Employment System and Youth Labour Market" (Naoki Mitani); "Youth Unemployment in OECD Countries: How Can the Disparities Be Explained?" (Olivier Marchand); "Labour Market Policies for Disadvantaged Young People in Europe" (Ides Nicaise); "Lessons from Education and Training for Youth: Five Precepts" (W. Norton Grubb); "Promoting Employment for Youth: A European Perspective" (Jerome Gautie); "Improving Job Market Outcomes for Youth: The U.S. Experience with Demand Side Approaches" (Robert L. Lerman); and "The School-to-Work Transition Twenty Years On: Issues, Evidence, and Conundrums" (Paul Ryan). Most papers include substantial bibliographies. (MN)

Proceedings and papers are presented from a seminar on "Learning and Earning: A study of education and employment opportunities for young people," a report produced by the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission of Australia. This report traces the recent rapid decline in the participation of young people in education and the work force. In the introduction to this collection of papers, the report's implications regarding the role of education (especially postsecondary), industry, and the work force in implementing changes to cope with problems and issues raised by the report are discussed. Seminar proceedings are also highlighted, including participant comments on the issues identified in the report and areas where potential solutions may exist. Implications of the report for schools, industry, and postsecondary education are summarized. Six papers presented at the seminar are then provided. Topics covered include: (1) an employer's reaction to the research and comments on the benefits of postsecondary education; (2) recent trends in educational participation, especially in technical and further education; (3) implications of the report for post-school education; (4) recent trends in work force participation of Australian teenagers; (5) a discussion of predictive and prescriptive questions surrounding participation rates in Western Australian secondary schools; and (6) implications of the report for the labor force. (YLB)

This paper discusses discrepancies between the observable labor market and the idealized world which is assumed in theory. The proposed solutions are focused on the development of an empirical model applicable to data on prime-age males from the Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics, but the author notes that many of these issues are relevant for the construction of models for other groups. The discussion covers five basic areas: (1) The potential limitations of the simple labor supply model, based only on income-leisure tradeoffs, are discussed. (2) Sources of randomness in observed labor supply behavior and its consequences for the stimulation of systematic labor supply responses are considered, and the intertemporal variation are discussed. (3) The model is extended to accommodate earnings opportunities other than a simple constant wage rate, with increasing marginal income tax rates and overtime premiums being the major factors considered. (4) Demand-related factors that prevent workers from achieving marginal equilibrium at their marginal wage rates are explored, and criteria are suggested for the selection of a sample of workers who are less seriously affected by these problems. (5) The treatment of time lost due to unemployment and illness is discussed in the context of a model developed by Samuel Rea, which is also applied to time spent commuting to work. (Author/HD)

One of a series on critical issues in vocational-technical education, this paper cites a number of programs for training unemployed youth and adults, most of them funded through federal legislation, and discusses the role of the vocational educator in counseling and placing unemployed people. (HD)