This document consists of the first two volumes of the 1997 annual report on Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system. Examined in volume 1 are the following topics: strategic directions for 1997; overview of the VET system's operation and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) agreement; key initiatives in 1997 (the…

This book, which was written by the Torino Group, a team of authors representing the views and experiences of users and providers of management development services in Europe, describes current management development practices across Europe and examines key issues in redesigning management development services. The following topics are discussed…

The conference reported in this document sought to do the following: (1) focus attention on the problem of underachieving minority students, and issue a call for action to improve their educational achievement; (2) promote dialogue on promising practices aimed at solving the problem; (3) foster collaboration on solutions among practitioners,…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on online learning that was conducted as part of a conference on human resource development (HRD). "An Instructional Strategy Framework for Online Learning Environments" (Scott D. Johnson, Steven R. Aragon) discusses the pitfalls of modeling online courses after traditional instruction…

In 2000 and 2001, the Team Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board (Team PA WIB) and its partners worked jointly to address Pennsylvania's workforce needs and respond to the need of its customers through new initiatives, new partnerships, and new strategies. The Team PA WIB and its partners continued implementation of the state's vision to create…

A longitudinal study examined the college and career transitions of graduates of the Lansing Area Manufacturing Partnership (LAMP) program, which is a school-to-career (STC) program sponsored by the United Auto Workers, General Motors Corporation, and Michigan's Ingham County Intermediate School District. The progress of three cohorts of LAMP…

The effects that recent changes in Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system over the past decade have had on VET practitioners were examined. Interviews were conducted with 28 VET teachers working at a variety of sites across Australia, including technical and further education, adult and community education, private colleges,…

The social and economic impacts of adult and community education (ACE) in Australia were examined in an exploratory study. A provider survey that was sent to approximately 1,900 ACE providers elicited 315 responses (response rate, approximately 17%), and a student survey that was sent to 4,000 ACE students generated 400 responses (response rate,…

In the late 1980s, in response to a number of problems including consistently low academic performance by students and graduates lacking the skills needed by employers, Swansea High School in Swansea, South Carolina, launched a major reform effort designed to transform Swansea into a high-performance high school. During the multi-year reform…

The Teaching Firm project examined the process and role of informal learning in seven high-performance work organizations in the manufacturing industry. The working concept of a teaching firm was defined as "an environment in which teaching and learning are institutionally and culturally embedded in the organization and are perceived to be…

Recent efforts to build economic and work force development systems in seven leading cities were reviewed to inform similar efforts undertaken in Baltimore, Maryland. Research examining efforts to establish work force development systems in the following cities were analyzed: Austin, Texas; Berkeley, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Cleveland,…

As policymakers have begun reorienting the U.S. work force development system's priorities, a common theme has been the importance of work and training tied to real employment prospects. Workforce Innovation Networks (WINs) was created to test and advance the idea that local employer organizations can play important, productive roles in helping…

Alberta Learning was created in May 1999 to enhance the focus of the government of Alberta, Canada, on lifelong learning and equipping all Albertans with the information and skills needed to live and work in the information age. During its first year of operation, Alberta Learning focused on its core businesses of basic learning, adult learning,…

The role of adult education in sustaining economic growth and expanding opportunity in Massachusetts was explored. The analysis focused on the new basic skills needed for a new economy, groups lacking the new basic skills, the demand for adult basic education (ABE), funding for ABE, building basic skills through adult education, ABE's costs and…

Teachers responsible for transforming their vocational education programs into career and technical education (CTE) programs need to concentrate on ensuring programs' technical and academic rigor, engaging in collaboration in school and in the community, keeping current through professional development experiences, and extending learning beyond…