This document is a transcript of a Congressional hearing held in May 1983 to discuss the impact of robots and computers on the work force of the 1980s. At the hearing, testimony was given and prepared statements were recorded from more than a dozen persons representing universities, technological industries, government and private agencies that…

Vocational education must train students in a way that capitalizes on their potential while preparing them with the skills needed for the jobs being created through advances in science and technology. The impact of technological change has been to challenge education to ease the transition of displaced workers and to accommodate entries.…

Implications for universities of high technology industries and the labor market are unclear. There is a need to ease the transition for those categories of workers who will be affected: women, low- and medium-skill workers in manufacturing, and certain categories of middle-level managers. The provision of highly qualified personnel is the…

This document is a transcript of a fact-finding hearing conducted to evaluate the prospective impact of robotics (the use of sophisticated programmable or computer-controlled robots to perform routine and repetitious tasks) on employment in this country. Testimony and prepared reports were given by John Andelin, assistant director of Science,…

Although plant closings and layoffs have been happening for a long time, today's recessions, major changes in the structure of the economy, and a tight job market have combined to make plant closings a more serious problem. Workers are faced with unemployment from both traditional labor-displacing changes, such as the increasing use of robotics;…

The 20th Century has witnessed tremendous changes in the American workforce, communications and information technology, and the nation's economy. Changes in the next 20 years are projected to surpass those of the past 80 years. Historically, the focal point for reacting to changes in skills needed in the workplace has been the educational system,…

The importance of higher education in providing the skilled labor force needed to respond to changing technologies; the cost-efficiency of independent higher education; and implications for government, industry, and independent higher education are considered. The most readily changing technologies include computers and electronics, satellite…

Discusses factors contributing to the increased urgency for retraining, associated problems of the dislocated workers, barriers to retraining, the inherent potential of America's work force, and new mechanisms and incentives to promote retraining. (CT)

Computers and robots are becoming increasingly more advanced, with smaller and cheaper computers now doing jobs once reserved for huge multimillion dollar computers and with robots performing feats such as painting cars and using television cameras to simulate vision as they perform factory tasks. Technicians expect computers to become even more…

Today, this country is facing awesome challenges. Technology is changing all aspects of life, while work force requirements shift rapidly, swelling the numbers of workers who need to be retrained. At the same time, information technologies are creating changes in the automated office. Higher-level literacy is required for most workers in this…