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Many factors impact one's ability to complete an apprenticeship program. According to the 2015 National Apprenticeship Survey, the most commonly stated reasons for not completing an apprenticeship program were job instability, receiving a better job offer and financial constraints. This survey also showed that apprentices who dropped out of their programs experienced difficulties securing permanent employment with adequate benefits and were more likely to be self-employed (Frank & Jovic, 2017). In addition, those who discontinued had a lower median employment income compared with those who completed their training (Jin, Langevin, Lebel and Haan, 2020). Using data from the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform (ELMLP), this study looks at apprentices who registered between 2008 and 2010 and discontinued their apprenticeship programs within six years of registration. Their future interactions with the Canadian postsecondary education system, up to 2020, are then profiled.

This fact sheet explores the association between parental income and the pathways of young adults in postsecondary education for students who began their studies in the 2012/2013 academic year. Students from low-income families have previously been shown to have lower rates of educational access and attainment. This fact sheet focuses on persistence and graduation indicators, which are now released annually, and furthers the analysis of these indicators by adding a parental income quartile dimension. Overall, the findings provide the following insights: (1) Students in the highest parental income quartile remained enrolled (persisted) and graduated at higher rates than students from the lowest parental income quartile for all selected educational qualifications and groupings. The differences in indicators by the level of parental income were more notable for the graduation rates than for the persistence rates; and (2) For students who graduated, those in the highest parental income quartile graduated as fast or faster than students in the lowest parental income quartile for all selected educational qualifications and groupings, though these differences were generally small. These findings are consistent with similar studies regarding postsecondary experiences of students by socioeconomic status.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, several unprecedented government interventions related to COVID-19--including the closure of non-essential businesses, travel restrictions and public health measures limiting public interactions--have been put in place. These measures, implemented by public health officials across Canada, had a clear impact on the Canadian labour market, as businesses and institutions in a variety of industries announced layoffs, reduced employment hours and halted many on-the-job opportunities. In response, to support Canadians facing the labour market impact of the COVID-19 economic shutdown, the Government of Canada introduced a temporary benefit, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). The CERB paid $500 a week to those who made at least $5,000 in the preceding 12 months and whose income was drastically reduced because of the pandemic. It was a temporary program introduced on March 15, 2020, and was replaced by Employment Insurance and other recovery benefits on September 27 of the same year. The COVID-19 pandemic had large impacts on many of those in the skilled trades, as these jobs often require hands-on and close-proximity interactions. However, journeypersons in different trades had different impacts. Some sectors deemed non-essential services were hit harder than sectors deemed essential services. In addition, geographic variations in easing and reinstating restrictions over time affected journeypersons and apprentices across regions differently. Using data from the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform, this study examines the proportion of journeypersons who received the CERB among those who certified between 2008 and 2019. By examining the proportions across trades, geography and population groups, this study can provide further insight into how the early months of the pandemic affected those in the skilled trades and the differing impacts across trades and groups.

This study uses longitudinal data combining information from the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) with data from personal income tax (T1 Family File) to analyze the impact of short-duration credentials (certificates and diplomas from colleges and universities), completed after an undergraduate degree, on the outcomes on the labour market of graduates from Canadian public universities.

Occupations related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are generally associated with high pay and contribute to the development of new technology. Continued growth is expected for STEM occupations, which would provide STEM-educated workers with additional labour market opportunities. However, less is known about the extent to which STEM graduates enter into and remain in STEM occupations in Canada. This study uses data from the 2006 and 2016 longitudinal census files to examine the occupational pathways of women and men with postsecondary credentials in STEM fields. Generally, male STEM graduates were more likely than female STEM graduates to be employed in a STEM occupation. The occupational pathways of male and female STEM graduates also differed. Among STEM graduates who were employed in a STEM occupation in 2006, women were more likely than men to have moved to a non-STEM occupation by 2016. Younger STEM graduates were more likely to exit a STEM occupation than older graduates, and men and women with college-level STEM credentials were more likely to leave a STEM occupation than their counterparts with a bachelor's degree. Some differences in the occupational mobility of men and women with STEM credentials were associated with their field of study. For example, men who studied mathematics or computer and information sciences were less likely than their counterparts who studied engineering or engineering technology to exit a STEM occupation between 2006 and 2016. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the likelihood of leaving a STEM occupation among women who had studied in these two fields. Lastly, the wage growth of male and female STEM graduates who persisted in a STEM occupation between 2006 and 2016 was not significantly different from the wage growth of their counterparts who had moved from a STEM occupation to a non-STEM occupation. [This study was funded by the Department for Women and Gender Equality.]

Given the time and money invested in higher education by students, parents and governments, there is considerable interest in the economic outcomes of postsecondary graduates. Most assessments of recent graduates have focused on their short-term, early labour market results. As new entrants to the labour force, recent postsecondary graduates may be particularly vulnerable to the economic cycle. Consequently, comparisons of short-term outcomes across graduating cohorts may be highly dependent on prevailing economic conditions and may not reflect the longer-term returns on investments. This is the first study to compare the long-term labour market outcomes of two cohorts of young postsecondary graduates using linked census and tax data. Specifically, graduates who were 26 to 35 years old in 1991 were followed from 1991 to 2005 (when they were 40 to 49 years old) and compared with a similarly aged 2001 cohort, which was followed from 2001 to 2015. The results suggest that median cumulative earnings were higher among members of the more recent cohort of male and female postsecondary graduates. Increases were observed across all postsecondary levels and across most major disciplines where sample sizes were large enough to permit analysis. Also, no discipline registered a decline in cumulative earnings. Although the economic conditions faced by the 2001 cohort over the 15-year study period were generally more favourable, this cohort also registered higher earnings than the 1991 cohort during the latter portion of the period (i.e., when the 2001 cohort was faced with an economic recession). Furthermore, the initial labour market conditions upon graduation (an important determinant of career earnings) were similar for both cohorts. The improvements in long-term earnings for postsecondary graduates are important in light of the significant increase in the number of graduates over the period. However, the results also indicate that the number of years of union membership declined or remained steady across cohorts of male and female postsecondary graduates. Furthermore, while women with postsecondary qualifications registered increases in the number of years of employer-sponsored pension plan coverage, their male counterparts experienced mixed results depending on their level of postsecondary studies.

This document examines the major issues and implications related to the development of quality guidelines for adult literacy programs in Ontario (Canada) and presents a framework for discussing issues related to quality guidelines and their formulation. Discussed in the first section are the following topics: the place of quality issues/guidelines in the Ontario government's 1986 Plan for Adult Basic Literacy and the Ontario Ministry of Education's Adult Literacy Policy and Evaluation Project; the role of learners, service providers, and funders in the provision of adult literacy programs in Ontario; the purpose and scope of quality guidelines; and trends in the development and use of quality guidelines in the United Kingdom, other Canadian provinces, and the United States. The remaining 60% of the document is a discussion guide for stimulating thought and discussion about quality guidelines in adult literacy programming. It includes a discussion format and seven elements of quality in literacy programs (community focus, access to services, learner-centeredness, appropriate and effective service delivery, equity of outcomes, integration, and accountability). An accountability framework summarizing the elements of the quality guidelines consultation is included. (MN)

In 2011, CASE founded the Center for Community College Advancement to provide training and resources to help community colleges build and sustain effective fundraising, alumni relations and communications and marketing programs. This white paper summarizes the results of a groundbreaking survey on alumni relations programs at community colleges across the United States and Canada. The purpose of the survey was to help community college staff members benchmark their experiences and programs in alumni relations with their peers. The survey was conducted by the CASE research office in conjunction with CASE's Center for Community College Advancement. Survey questions are appended. [For the follow up White Paper, "Benchmarking Alumni Relations in Community Colleges: Findings from a 2015 CASE Survey. CASE White Paper," see ED571307.]

Every year, former post-secondary students who left diploma, associate degree, or certificate programs in B.C. are asked to participate in a province-wide survey. Respondents are asked a number of questions about their employment outcomes, and those who are employed are asked to describe their occupations. The information they provide is used to code their jobs using the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system, which is used to describe occupations and to aggregate them into occupational categories and to assign a skill level. Data for this paper came from the Diploma, Associate Degree, and Certificate Student Outcomes (DACSO) surveys, 2009 to 2013. Throughout these years, 76 percent of respondents had graduated from their programs, and of these graduates, 80 percent were employed at the time of the survey, 9 to 20 months after they left their programs. Of the employed graduates, 98 percent (45,760) gave enough information on their jobs to allow them to be coded using the NOC system. In 2013, 15,853 former students responded to the survey; there were 9,850 employed graduates. Unless otherwise noted, the percentages in this paper are based on employed graduates who submitted occupational information. The survey revealed the following: (1) Graduates were skilled in occupations; (2) There were differences by age, gender, and credential; (3) Education graduates were in high-skilled positions; (4) Labour market conditions influenced results; (5) There were trends for older respondents and Education graduates; and (6) Differences in occupation skill level were related to program and labour market.

Differences in teacher quality are commonly cited as a key determinant of the huge international student performance gaps. However, convincing evidence on this relationship is still lacking, in part because it is unclear how to measure teacher quality consistently across countries. We use unique international assessment data to investigate the role of teacher cognitive skills as one main dimension of teacher quality in explaining student outcomes. Our main identification strategy exploits exogenous variation in teacher cognitive skills attributable to international differences in relative wages of nonteacher public sector employees. Using student-level test score data, we find that teacher cognitive skills are an important determinant of international differences in student performance. Results are supported by fixed-effects estimation that uses within-country between-subject variation in teacher skills.

Taking a gap year--a break between high school and university--is becoming increasingly popular with Australian students. In terms of length and purpose, the traditional notion of a gap year being a year off between school and university has expanded considerably over time. For the purposes of the analysis reported in this paper, a person who takes a gap year is defined as "an individual who commenced university one to two years after completing Year 12. This includes those who accept and defer their university placement for one to two years" (Curtis, Mlotkowski & Lumsden 2012). Highlights of this report include: (1) In Australia the incidence of taking a gap year has increased from 10% in the period 1999-2000 to 24% in 2009-10; (2) The top four primary activities undertaken by gap students in 2009-10 were work (51%), full-time study leading to a non-university qualification (10%), other study (6%), and travel (6%); (3) Characteristics of gap-takers include: (a) being academically less inclined than non-gap-takers; (b) living in regional locations when at school; (c) having English speaking backgrounds; (d) being employed when in Year 12 at school; and (e) being less likely to receive Youth Allowance payments while at school; (4) In their first year of university, gap-takers are more likely to study in the areas of education and creative arts; and (5) Those who don't take a gap year are substantially more likely at age 24 to be employed full-time and to work in professional occupations than gap-takers. Much of this difference can be attributed to the fact that, in terms of their careers, gap-takers are a year or two behind those who don't take a gap year. The data do not allow the authors to measure the longer-term outcomes of both groups because the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) stops at age 25. Appended are: (1) Gap year definitions; and (2) LSAY cohorts sample sizes and durations. (Contains 13 tables.) [For "Bridging the Gap: Who Takes a Gap Year and Why? Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. Research Report," see ED533077.]

This report reviews the use of loans for learning in 33 European countries and analyses the schemes in eight selected Member States: France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Finland, Sweden and the UK. The analysis shows that loan schemes vary considerably across Europe in terms of types and levels of learning covered, conditions of access, repayment and governance. Some loans aim to increase participation in learning in general, while others are designed to promote equity. The report attempts to assess the selected loans and discusses their strengths and weaknesses and determinants of performance, while considering if a given scheme operates on a large scale or targets niche groups. The evaluation results provide a basis for identifying good practice principles for designing and implementing loans. Policy recommendations are formulated based on these findings. Annexed are: (1) Methodology; (2) Key terms and definitions; (3) Information on countries/schemes selected for in-depth analysis; (4) Proposed typologies of VET loan schemes; (5) Tables and figures; (6) Tosmana truth tables; (7) Questionnaires; (8) Basic characteristics of non-European loan schemes. (Contains 37 tables, 5 figures, 20 boxes and 33 footnotes.)

This study tested the amount of value added to critical and communication skills by the university experience using a strategy that compared the skills of entering and graduating students at York University (Ontario). The study involved, first, identifying skills that might be improved over the course of a university education; second, developing survey questions that measured skills for entering and graduating students at four faculties; and third, performing covariance analysis of survey results for entering and graduating students. Data were generated by three questionnaires, with response rates ranging from 55 to 58 percent for two surveys in the fall of 1995 to 58 percent one conducted in the summer of 1996. Eight tables detail skill categories and topics; list characteristics of survey respondents; correlate skills and grades for entering students, for graduating students, by gender, by ethnic origin, and by home language; and provide Z-scores to assess value added for entering and graduating students. Overall, graduating students were found to have better-developed skills than entering students. The paper also focuses on the rationale for the relatively cost-effective research design. (Contains 30 references.) (CH)

This guide is designed as a community-based resource for women who are interested in developing leadership skills in group facilitation, community building, and community action. It provides an integrated feminist anti-oppression learning framework that links social justice issues and the questions of race, gender, class, and all other forms of marginalization to the question of how women learn. The guide includes six workshops that emphasize the connections between learning and action that allow women to develop their consciousness of the actions required to bring about necessary change in their lives as women. Introductory materials discuss the research that lead to this guide and suggestions for conducting the workshops, including useful tools for building group processes. Each session outline consists of some or all of these components: check-in, debriefing, informational materials, warm-up exercise, exercises, and closure. Sessions are (1) women's experiences are the basis of learning; (2) facilitating group processes; (3) learning strategies (4) gender bias in the law; (5) funding; and (6) outreach and organizing. (YLB)

The question of whether inequality in skills explains inequality of earnings across advanced countries was examined through a review of data from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), which examined the prose, document, and quantitative literacy skills of adults in 12 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. In all countries, jobless individuals tended to have lower skill levels than workers. The distribution of earnings and the distribution of skills varied widely among advanced countries, with the major English-speaking countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, having much greater inequality in both earnings and skills than continental European Union countries. According to data from the IALS, skill inequality explains only approximately 7% of the cross-country difference in earnings inequality. The dispersion of earnings in the United States was found to be larger in narrowly defined skill groups than was the dispersion of earnings for European workers overall. In the United States, IALS test scores rose substantially with movement up the income scale, with the increase in scores averaging 17 points per income quintile. The bulk of cross-country differences in earnings inequality were found to occur within skill groups rather than between them. (The bibliography contains 20 references. Twelve tables/figures are included.) (MN)

A study provided extensive statistics and documentation of Canadian adults' work and learning activities. The study included statistics for household labor and community volunteer activities as well as paid employment. Learning activities included both formal course work and informal learning, as well as on-the-job training. Data sources were the 1998 National Survey of Learning and Work by the Research Network on New Approaches to Lifelong Learning (NALL); estimates of the extent of unpaid household and community work; the Adult Education and Training Survey; the 1996 census; the National Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating; and the General Social Survey. Findings of the study included the following: (1) in contrast to the concerns about Canadians' need to become"lifelong learners," the study found that most Canadians are already extensively engaged in learning but that the needs for higher-level job skills has been greatly exaggerated; (2) in terms of work, Canadian adults are now spending about as much time in unpaid household and community work as they are in paid employment; (3) despite the rhetoric about a "knowledge-based economy," the study found only a gradual upgrading of job skill requirements, and knowledge workers still comprise a small minority of the labor force; (4) as a result of the increased amount of learning by adults and the slower increase of job requirements, many Canadians find themselves underemployed; and (5) instead of focusing efforts on further education and training for Canadians, the society and government should address major paid work reforms in order to prevent underemployment from becoming one of the major social problems of the 21st century. (Contains 160 references.) (KC)

The report summarizes the results of the British Columbia (B.C.) Council on Admissions and Transfer's efforts to define various student flow patterns into and through university colleges and community colleges in British Columbia (Canada). The purpose of this working paper is to provide baseline data to the Council for its use in order to promote transfer effectiveness and access equity. From 1988 to 1990, Grade 12 enrollments grew 1.5 percent; college academic enrollments grew 31.0 percent. In response, students are staying at college longer before transferring and, as a result, transferring more credits into universities. It appears that direct entry admissions are increasingly destined for university science and science-related faculties. By contrast, college transfers are increasingly destined for arts and education. Roughly 25 percent of all college transfers are admitted into spring and summer sessions. Of all leavers from college academic programs in spring 1991, 13 percent were admitted for the first time to a B.C. university in fall 1991. Overall, direct entries continue to earn higher second-year university GPAs than college transfers (2.70 vs. 2.58). Between 1983 and 1991, the number of first undergraduate degrees awarded to direct entries increased roughly 18 percent while the number awarded to college transfers increased 64 percent. (Contains 12 sets of tables and 23 endnotes.) (JA)

This report provides an overview of child care in rural areas of Ontario. Chapter 1 outlines the paper's purpose, defining "child care" and "rural." It discusses the nature of rural Ontario in the 1990s and the need for child care in rural areas. Also, implications for child care provision in a rural context are highlighted. Chapter 2 reviews child care in Ontario with regard to the roles of different levels of government. Issues of child care availability, affordability, and quality are discussed, along with child care reform initiatives. Chapter 3 looks at rural child care in Ontario in terms of the characteristics of rural communities and characteristics of successful child care programs. Chapters 4 through 6 focus on rural center-based child care, regulated home child care, and the provision of care in the child's own home, including the special challenges and issues related to each setting. Chapter 7 considers resource centers, school-age care, and care for children with special needs. Finally, chapter 8 highlights programs in Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec that specifically target the needs of rural families. A list of key informants, demographic information, and information on the availability and affordability of child care in Ontario are topics covered in the four Appendices. (Contains a 37-item bibliography and glossary). (AC)

This report provides the second year update to the Alberta (Canada) government's 3-year plan to restructure the province's education system. Key strategies for improving teaching are put forth, including: updating teacher preparation and certification requirements to reflect the most current understanding of effective teaching; establishing competencies for beginning and experienced teachers; and developing a coordinated approach to delivery of professional development opportunities for teachers. Principles underlying the report's recommendations are listed and include: the key role of teachers; competency should be the primary criterion for qualifying an individual to teach; teachers professional growth is facilitated through the collaborative action of all stakeholders; and school boards are responsible for having teacher evaluation policies that conform to the Provincial Teacher Evaluation Policy. Memoranda of Agreement are proposed to establish and facilitate partnerships between campus-based and field-based educators. Other major proposals include a shift toward more flexible, competency-based certification guidelines and establishment of more detailed guidelines for use in teacher evaluation practices. Recommendations for changes to the provincial Teacher Evaluation Policy are detailed. The background and implications of each of these proposals is discussed, and a call is made for commentary and input. Appendices include an outline of suggested competencies and a reader opinion survey. (PB)

This combination report/guide summarizes practical "how-to" information on the development and operation of national training boards that was gathered in a series of case studies of the effectiveness of national training boards in Canada, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom and in studies of training boards in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, and South Africa. The introductory chapter describes the research on which the guide is based, discusses common themes affecting the quality of training in the countries studied, and examines the rationale for training programs. Chapter 2 summarizes the subsequent discussion of the effectiveness of national training boards in the form of a checklist and guidelines for use by countries considering establishing a national training board. Chapters 3-9 synthesize research findings into practical recommendations dealing with the following aspects of initiating and operating national training boards: enabling legislation, training board composition, training board structure, financial resources, delivery of training, institutional planning and operations, and testing and certification. Chapters 10 and 11, which are more analytical than the chapters preceding them, examine the perception and images of national training boards and lessons learned from the case studies. Contains 59 references. (MN)

A study was done to lay the foundation for a rigorous analysis and assessment of the functioning of the Canadian academic labor market and to begin to explore systematically the dynamic of faculty renewal and replacement. The study used data from Statistics Canada and investigated the functioning and prospects of the Canadian academic labor market at the aggregate level of total full-time faculty. Analysis was at the "system" rather than discipline level with projections to the year 2000. The findings indicated that for the period 1990 to 2000 annual faculty requirements are projected to increase faster than the number of doctoral graduates. At the aggregate level, critical shortages will develop in selected disciplines particularly in natural sciences and engineering. Furthermore, anticipated faculty shortages in the United States could exacerbate the projected Canadian shortages by drawing Canadians to positions out of the country. The study's projections suggest that Canadian universities must maintain or increase their share of doctoral graduates, expand doctoral programs especially in the natural sciences, and reduce the number of faculty who leave academic faculties for reasons other than retirement. An appendix contains 18 tables and a bibliography lists 18 items. (JB)

This report summarizes the attitudinal portion of a nation-wide survey on the computerization of Canadian universities. Six different questionnaires, each of which contained the same questions on attitudes, were mailed to faculty, deans, admissions, officers, registrars, computer center directors, and other administrators at 63 Canadian universities. The overall return rate for the survey was 28.6%, thus restricting the conclusions that can be drawn from the results. Questions on the 30-item survey were grouped according to instruction, administration, equity, and social impact. Independent variables that were explored included the size of the university, the level of education, and the age of the respondent. Results of the survey showed that, within the university, there were few significant differences in attitudes between variable groups. Overall, there was a positive feeling about computers within the university which cut across all groups. There were differences, however, in the level of positive attitudes among the subjects, with the strongest differences in attitudes occurring between the faculty and the administrative staff. There was a strong tendency for senior administrators to be the most enthusiastic of all, while the faculty were more circumspect about the changes to teaching that the computer will supposedly bring. Data are presented in five tables and four figures as well as a narrative report. The appendices contain a copy of the attitude survey questions, and a table showing the breakdown of the attitude survey data by question. (DB)

This summary paper, the result of an ongoing collaborative process, presents an extended policy statement for English Language Arts K-12 in Saskatchewan, Canada. The paper is in five major sections: (1) Introduction; (2) Foundations and Principles (outlining the value of language--both dynamic and rule-governed--as a foundation for the English Language Arts curriculum); (3) Curriculum Goals (including five charts of specific instructional goals and learning outcomes for specific phases); (4) Organizing for Instruction (curriculum overview, including sections on integration, personal growth, special needs students, Indian and Metis students, multicultural classrooms, designated French school students, experiential learning, and resource-based learning); and (5) Curriculum Framework. (SR)

Sabbatical leaves are viewed as being essential to the ongoing nature of a self-renewing community of scholars. This study was undertaken to provide data on current use of sabbatical leave plans in universities in several countries - Canada; the United States; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales; Australia, and New Zealand - to provide useful information for possible revision of leave plans. Sixty-six universities were surveyed by means of a questionnaire and the results revealed similarities among the four groups of countries regarding the length of service prior to leave (generally 6 years); differences among the four groups, including the use of retraining leaves as a form of sabbatical; salary paid during regular sabbatical leave; and travel expenses. The conclusions drawn from the data are that Canadian leave plans are not nearly as uniform as those in United States universities; Canadian plans have become more formalized and better documented since 1969; salary paid for full-year leaves in Canadian universities has improved since 1969 and is now substantially better than in the United States, but not as good as in Australia and New Zealand; and participation rates in all countries appear to be higher than those reported prior to 1965 by Ingraham. (JMF)

This report makes recommendations for the establishment of an active research and evaluation program for the Open Learning Institute (OLI) and the Knowledge Network (KN) of British Columbia (Canada). It is suggested that the OLI and KN programs develop a framework for evaluating their own performance, that the database be improved to provide information for evaluation and decision-making, and that evaluation procedures be established for course evaluation, project management, student services, KN reception and utilization, and organization and funding. A 21-page Summary of Recommendations and seven appendices, including a listing of OLI staff publications, supplement the text. (EW)

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 35 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. The Organisation for works with countries to develop skills strategies tailored to specific needs and contexts. The Organisation prepared a global skills strategy outline over the period 2011 to 2013. Each national skills strategy country project offers a tailored approach to focus on the unique skills challenges, context and objectives of each country. Each project leverages OECD comparative data and policy analysis, fosters collaboration across ministerial portfolios and levels of government while engaging all relevant stakeholders--employers, trade unions, and civil society organisations. In its paper "Towards an OECD Skills Strategy" (OECD 2013), the OECD sets out the main issues which must be addressed by efficient and effective policies for skills formation and skills use. The majority of material in each of the 13 case summaries presented here has been lifted mostly verbatim from original sources. These sources are stated at the beginning of each case summary. [This document is an added resource for the report "Identifying Work Skills: International Approaches. Discussion Paper" which can be accessed in ERIC at ED579874.]

The British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) has designed The Articulation Committee Companion to serve as both an introductory resource for new members and as an ongoing reference for committees. The Companion includes a brief overview of the province's articulation committees and their essential role in the post-secondary system. It also outlines the key roles and responsibilities of committee members and of BCCAT and suggests best practices for meetings and activities. Appended are: (1) Principles and Guidelines for Transfer; (2) Process for Establishing a New Articulation Committee; (3) Delisting Inactive Articulation Committees; and (4) Transfer Project Information.

The Ministry of Education has identified one core business that is an ongoing key responsibility. It is called "Core Business One: Lead and Support the Education System So That All Students Are Successful at Learning." The core business includes three goals with specific outcomes that describe the end results the Ministry wants to achieve in fulfilling its mission. The Ministry also has identified strategies for 2008-11 that support the Ministry goals and the Government of Alberta Strategic Business Plan. The three goals are: (1) High quality learning opportunities for all; (2) Excellence in student learning outcomes; and (3) Highly responsive and responsible education system. Their strategies, outcomes, performance and accountability measures are presented in this report. Also presented are expense by core business, ministry statement of operations, and consolidating net operating result.

British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) has designed "The Articulation Committee Companion" to serve as both an introductory resource for new articulation committee members and as an ongoing reference for committees. The "Companion" includes a brief overview of the province's articulation committees and their essential role in the post-secondary system. In addition, the "Companion" outlines key roles and responsibilities of articulation committee members, and suggests best practices for articulation committee meetings and activities. Appended are: (1) Principles and Guidelines for Transfer; (2) Process for Establishing a New Articulation Committee; (3) System Liaison Persons Appointment Process Schematic; and (4) Transfer Project Information. [This "Articulation Committee Companion" was previously published as "The Articulation Committee Handbook: A Guide to the Mandate and Operations of Post-Secondary Articulation Committees in British Columbia."]

BCTransfer TIPS is a user friendly document outlining how transfer between British Columbia (BC) post-secondary institutions works. It includes tips, student quotes, scenarios, a personal plan and checklist. Information in this document can only be reproduced with permission from the British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT.)

Transfer relationships in British Columbia (BC) are governed by statements which were adopted by the Council in 1993 after consultation with the institutions of the BC Transfer System. Principles and guidelines in this document are based on those formulated by the British Columbia Post-Secondary Coordinating Committee and approved by university senate and college councils in 1976 and 1977. Supplemental Principles and Guidelines for Flexible or Innovative Transfer are also included: although not formalized, the British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer believes that they are potentially useful generally, and for application to projects to develop alternate, flexible approaches to transfer.

Planning an effective distance education (DE) course requires careful planning by experienced educators supported by strategically chosen instructional and delivery media components. The challenge of DE is to develop an instructional process that incorporates good teaching and learning strategies and provides remote students with a quality of instruction similar to that enjoyed by students attending classes. Teachers often fear that physical separation from their students will result in less effective learning. However, DE gives teachers greater flexibility in using their time, thereby allowing them to focus more on activities such as counseling, tutoring, remedial work, and student support activities. For the many vocational students who are studying subjects related to current employment, workplace trainers may be able to provide counseling and guidance and more experience employees can act as mentors. DE uses various media components to deliver learning information and link students and teachers. Media components can provide the following items: subject information and the instructional process; sound and vision to demonstrate skills; self-testing opportunities and assessment procedures; and communication between teachers and students. There is no single response that fits all DE situations. Teachers' ingenuity and imagination are key in selecting media and determining how it will be used. (Contains 16 references.) (MN)

The role of the social sciences and the humanities in a knowledge-based economy was examined in a comparative study of the income and employment outcomes of secondary-, postsecondary-, and graduate-level study programs in technical fields, the social sciences, and the humanities in 1991-1996. Special attention was paid to the following areas: the economic success of graduates in 1996; rates of return on investment in education in selected fields; employment changes in 1991-96; a case study of the British Columbian labor market; techism and economic development; and the productivity approach and economic development. The study established that computers and information have revolutionized business organization and increased the demand for social science and humanities graduates. Technological advances and the resultant falling cost of information has made the hierarchical organization inefficient and increased the need for workers with the following types of skills and abilities that are cultivated in social sciences and humanities programs: (1) to understand the information generated by computer systems, analyze it, relate it to the world, and act on it; (2) to make critical and independent judgments; and (3) to develop the interpersonal and communication skills needed to deal with clients and work together in self-directing teams. (MN)

A school library program is a basic component of education for all students. Manitoba Education and Training (MET) presents this policy statement to clarify the roles of the provincial government and the school districts in providing school library services. MET will provide policy and guideline documents to recommend standards, and funding through basic categorical grants. The department will further monitor implementation of programs and provide curriculum and program development consultation, as well as inservice education for administrators, teachers, and librarians. The province will maintain centralized materials and assist in the formation of an interlibrary network. The school divisions and districts will develop programs that meet standards defined by MET, implement and assess these programs, provide professional development, and ensure program and financial accountability. Two appendixes contain a glossary and a statement of learning goals for young people. (SLD)

This language arts curriculum developed for Native American students in Manitoba (Canada) consists of a teachers' guide, a student guide, and a research unit. The curriculum includes reading selections and learning activities appropriate for the different reading levels of both upper elementary and secondary students. The purpose of the unit is for students to develop skills in brainstorming, biography writing, letter writing, note taking, researching, interviewing, spelling, and vocabulary. Reading selections focus on Elijah Harper, an Ojibway Cree Indian who helped defeat the Meech Lake Accord, an amendment to Canada's Constitution proposed in 1987. The Meech Lake Accord would have transferred power from the federal government to provincial governments and would have failed to take into account the interests of Natives, women, and minorities. The curriculum also includes reading selections on the creation of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry and on Crazy Horse. The guide includes directions for pre-reading activities, ideas for discussions, post-reading activities, and answers to student learning activities. Students work together using notes from class discussions to write a biography of Elijah Harper. Students are then required to write a biography on a Native person of their choice who has been recognized for making a contribution to Native culture. The guide also includes additional resources; information on interviewing, letter writing, brainstorming, biographies, and spelling; background information on the Meech Lake Accord and the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry; and additional ideas for classroom activities. The student activities guide includes comprehension questions for discussion or written response; vocabulary, grammar, and spelling exercises drawing on the content of the reading selections; and supplementary word search activities. The research unit, written for upper elementary and secondary students covers the following topics: how to research, choosing a topic, organizing research, making notes, finding reference materials, using guide words, using the card catalogue, using the encyclopedia, using periodicals, making a research diary, using a bibliography, organizing by subtopics, organizing by outlining, using tables and graphs, and reference review. Each topic includes student learning activities. (LP)

In September 2013, based on a national survey of state Adult Basic Education (ABE) directors or designates, Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy (CAAL) published "Stepping Up to ROI on Adult Education: A Survey of State Activity." This paper reported on the states' activity, from the perspective of the respondents, in collecting and using return-on-investment data in their workforce adult education programs. It examined six states in detail (AR, CT, KY, NJ, OR, and VA), and proposed several next-step actions for government, research, business, and philanthropy in building future state capacity to meet the ROI challenge. As states engage in more comprehensive planning, form local and state coalitions to bring more groups and interests to the planning table, and organize to provide a wider array of effective workforce and college readiness services, state ABE directors are in the midst of a seismic shift in Adult Education, as they are increasingly called upon to provide an array of new services. More and more, they are one of many teams of interest engaged in statewide planning for Adult Education. To tap into a wider range of interests, CAAL decided to build on its survey by bringing together an invitational Roundtable of other kinds of national and state leaders, which was done on November 8, 2013 in New York City. The goal was to provide a richer range of insights and strategies to help states build ROI capacity in Adult Education. This paper reports on the CAAL Roundtable. The report is derived from the transcribed conversation that invites readers to the table. It should be read as a companion paper to "Stepping Up to ROI in Adult Education" by James Parker, and Gail Spangenberg. The main body of the paper presents elements of the various discussion strands, often paraphrasing what the participants said, and it synthesizes the next-step suggestions and ideas (beginning on p. 19) generated by the discussion. Appendix I provides a brief biography of the authors. Appendix II lists the Roundtable participants. Appendix III provides a few resources to supplement the comprehensive resource listing provided in the "Stepping Up" report. Appendix IV contains informational handouts developed for the ROI Roundtable regarding the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), and the Arkansas Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE) program.

With just a few materials, building a paper model of the International Space Station (ISS) can become an excellent group, troop, or class project. This publication contains a brief overview of the ISS, its parts, the science that occurs on board, instructions, and extensions for an interdisciplinary technology experience. Discover more about the Station. Explore fun facts, simulate building the Station, and learn about the international partners. NASA hopes to whet users' appetites for more space exploration through these materials. Teams of students can take on the roles of international partners and/or engineers as they learn about and assemble portions of the model. Once each team briefs the group about their section of the model during a mock summit, then it's time to ensure "Assembly Complete." Also included is a worksheet with Web links (and an answer key) to help students process what they learn. The end result is an international, team-building experience to construct a 3-D paper model of the Station. With a bit of nylon fishing line or string, the model can hang suspended and seemingly float below the ceiling. Various links to multimedia experiences are included to extend the experience and further bring the Station to life. Students can visit the links to play a spacewalking simulation game, find out how to view the Station from their backyard, and see pictures of the inside of the Station using a program called Photosynth. [This document was created for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by NASA Headquarters and Johnson Space Center.]

This paper provides statistics on women and graduate management education for 2012. This paper contains two parts: (1) Women in the Business School Talent Pipeline; and (2) Women in Business. "Women in the Business School Talent Pipeline" discusses: (1) GMAT[R] Examinees; (2) B-School Demand from Younger Women; (3) MBA, Masters & Other Intended Degrees; and (4) Female Quants (Interest in Quantitative and Specialized Degrees). "Women in Business" discusses: (1) Jobs; (2) Value of Graduate Management Education; (3) Industry Preferences; (4) Study-Work-Life Balance; and (5) Geographic Focus and Regional Comments. (Contains 7 resources.)

In November of 2007, Alberta Advanced Education and Technology contracted Insightrix Research, Inc. to conduct a survey of individuals who graduated from post-secondary institutions in Alberta in the fall of 2005 or the spring of 2006 (excluding apprenticeship graduates, who are surveyed through a separate initiative). The purpose of the survey is to determine graduate satisfaction with their post-secondary experiences and graduate employment outcomes approximately two years after graduation. Key results are compared with two previous waves of research, the first conducted in 2004 of the 2001-02 graduating class and a second conducted in 2006 of the 2003-04 graduates. A total of 17,164 graduates responded to the survey, resulting in an overall valid response rate of 48%. The margin of error at 95% confidence is plus or minus 0.5 percentage points. This paper presents key findings of the research with regards to transfer graduates. Appended are: (1) Participating Institutions; and (2) Survey Instrument. (Contains 39 figures, 54 tables and 1 footnote.) [This paper was compiled with Insightrix Research Inc.]

This paper presents data on further education of the 2004-05 Ontario college graduates. This paper presents the following tables: (1) Number of Surveyed Graduates in Further Education within six months of graduation, by Institution; (2) Percentage of Surveyed Graduates in Further Education within six months of graduation, by Institution; (3) Number of surveyed 2004-05 College Graduates Attending University Full time, 6 months after Graduation; (4) Number of surveyed 2004-05 College Graduates Attending University Part time, 6 months after Graduation; (5) Number of surveyed 2004-05 College Graduates Attending College Full time, 6 months after Graduation; and (6) Number of surveyed 2004-05 College Graduates Attending College Part time, 6 months after Graduation.