In the first decade of this century, India became one of the world's fastest growing large economies, and began to face serious skill-related shortages of workers. Its TVET system has not responded adequately to the growth in demand for semi-skilled and skilled workers. This article describes six sets of reforms that India's educational…

Formal ceramics art education is becoming a fundamental requirement for professional practice in ceramics in Nigeria. Considering the ample resources available for ceramic practices in the country with a teeming population of over 140 million people, there is a promising future for the art, in spite of the effects of globalization and…

The strength of our nation's economy is dependent on a workforce that is highly skilled, and skilled workers are in high demand. Institutions preparing these individuals for employment have high expectations to meet. Since 1998 when the Department of Labor released the Workforce Investment Act, employers, and the nation as a whole, have been…

The latest data alert: By 2020, the amount of data generated daily will reach 40 zettabytes, or roughly 5,247 gigabytes for every person on earth. That's one of the findings in a new report published by IT industry analysts at IDC. The study casts doubt on the ability to capture the value of all this data, especially since schools barely tapped…

The U.S. workforce has undergone significant changes in the past few decades. Increasingly sophisticated technology, changes in the structure of the economy and the growing global marketplace have resulted in employers putting a higher premium than ever on educated workers. Much has been said about the importance of increasing the labor supply for…

In today's job market, middle and high skills jobs--jobs that require some education and training beyond high school--comprise the majority of job openings and typically provide the best wages and opportunities for advancement. And almost every day, there is an article or news story discussing the "skills mismatch" phenomenon, the ongoing…

This report traces the development of the workplace apprenticeship system and college-based pre-apprenticeship training in Canada's most western province, British Columbia. The Canadian system is mildly distinctive in an international context and within Canada, British Columbia is increasingly distinctive. Federal government influence has been…

The "Overview" is a condensation of the full Sixteen Trends book. This abbreviated version provides an economical opportunity to order in bulk and distribute copies to an entire school staff, community groups, or other clients and constituents. The "Overview of Sixteen Trends" is an important tool for raising awareness about the need to scan the…

The author explores the prospect of improving pathways and opportunities for tradespeople in Australia through the introduction of a masters-level qualification. The study investigates the views and opinions of senior industry representatives and professional educators to determine whether the introduction of a master trade or master artisan…

No one has had it worse than the Midwest. Job losses in the "great recession" of 2007 spared no region, but the bulk of industries hardest hit were in the Midwestern states. This is the second of a series of reports detailing the job and educational demand prospects for workers, by major census regions. When compared to all other regions, the loss…

Pre-apprenticeship programs have generated interest recently from government, employers and other stakeholders in the training system as one means of improving apprenticeship completion rates and thereby ameliorating skill shortages. However, there has not yet been any research which establishes that pre-apprenticeship programs actually increase…

Shortages in the trades are again becoming a prominent issue as Australia emerges from the Global Financial Crisis. The existence of shortages puts the immediate focus on the apparent inability of the training system to supply sufficient skilled tradespersons, but shortages in an occupation are as much related to the rate at which individuals…

"Attrition in the trades," by Tom Karmel, Patrick Lim and Josie Misko, analyses whether attrition--the gradual reduction or weakening of a workforce--occurs more amongst tradespeople than professionals, and if this is to the detriment of the supply of tradespeople. The authors use data from the Australian Labour Mobility Survey in 2008 and 1994.…

To improve the employment rates and earnings of Americans workers, we need to create more-coherent and more-effective education and workforce development systems, focusing primarily (though not exclusively) on disadvantaged youth and adults, and with education and training more clearly targeted towards firms and sectors that provide good-paying…

The graduate of the Rig Technician apprenticeship program is a certified journeyperson who will be able to: (1) take responsibility for personal safety and the safety of others; (2) supervise, coach and train apprentices and floor hands; (3) perform the duties of a motorhand, derrickhand or driller; and (4) perform assigned tasks in accordance…