Employers view career breaks negatively, but particularly when women leave the work force to raise a family. Discusses how women returning to work assess their skills, knowledge, and attributes and present them to prospective employers; how employers assess the skills of job applicants; and how problems in these areas can be reduced. (PEN)

Since there are no prescribed routes for National Vocational Qualification candidates to acquire competence, the Employment Department's Learning Technologies Unit has started a program to evaluate open learning materials against industry standards of performance and create databases open to materials producers and learning providers. Outlines the…

Capability is an expert system designed to support the process of compiling portfolios for competence-based assessment, particularly accreditation of prior leaning. The system was designed to provide cost effective management, consistency of rigor, support for tutors in accreditation workshops, and a structured approach to counseling. Outlines…

The Training Development Group of Barclays Bank (United Kingdom) was formed in 1989 to design cost effective training for the banks employees. Describes the bank's "systems approach" to training design: the training needs analysis, identification of performance competences, determination of behavioral objectives, selection of instructional…

The recognition that knowledge, competence, and contribution are stages on a continuum has major implications for assessment methods. Written examinations are thought convenient and cost effective, but if students are to be evaluated as future employees, assignments and examinations should have professional relevance. Students can be best…

In management courses, competence is an educational outcome, and, hence, teachers are required to evaluate course processes and products and justify their applicability to vocational situations. Discusses the implications of different course organizations designed to meet these demands, and suggests that personal and social outcomes developed in…

To make a third-year communications-for-engineers course meet student needs, students were asked to identify training needs and to devise an appropriate delivery and assessment method for a course to teach oral presentations, control of meetings, teamwork skills, interview skills, curriculum vitae, and telephone skills. Industry experts were…

Business students at the Polytechnic of Wales (United Kingdom) helped to organize, market, and assist in the daily running of the 1991 Aspects of Educational Training Technology (AETT) conference. Tasks included preparing mailings, contacting local businesses, writing instructions and introductory letters to delegates, and preparing the conference…

Delegates to the 1991 Aspects of Educational and Training Technology Conference responded to questions concerning pre-conference and conference arrangements, facilities, program, and content. Based on the analysis of the questionnaires, recommendations for future conferences concerning conference planning, pre-conference contacting, registration,…

In distinguishing it from occupational competence, this article defines competence in higher education as a cluster of qualities, characteristics, and abilities that may or may not have clear vocational applications. Suggests that a competence model based on industry's clearly defined roles and performances would be inappropriate for higher…

Outlines the method developed by the Standards Development Program (United Kingdom) and used by the Employment Department to define, measure, and improve competence in the work force. Discusses functional analysis and how it defines the standards of occupational competence, elements of competence, performance criteria, range statements; and…

Outlines the function of the Customer Service Lead Body, formed by the Employment Department (United Kingdom) to recognize the work of customer service professionals with national vocational qualification. Notes tensions between government programs and industry and examines issues raised. Concludes that a paradigm shift is needed by accrediting…

To determine if initial keyboard training resulted in more effective use of capital investment, two groups were tested: one received keyboard training using a manual typewriter, the other trained in word processing on a computer. Keyboarding was tested before and after and student attitudes were surveyed. Concluded that keyboard training is cost…

Metacompetence is the ability to plan, execute, monitor, and evaluate one's own learning. Outlines the relationship between metacompetence and cooperative learning, describes the analysis of learning tasks and the use of the SOLO (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome) taxonomy as a means of evaluating quality of competence. Concludes that…

Summarizes a workshop exploring quality in education and training. Describes a role-playing exercise in which small groups of teacher participants planned and delivered a short teaching and learning session, observed and reported on the planning process and differences in learner and teacher expectations, and derived a list of points to ensure…