The national policies and implementation mechanisms for girls' primary and women's basic education in the following Asian countries were examined: Lao People's Democratic Republic; Nepal, Thailand; Indonesia; and India. The analysis focused on the following issues: (1) goals and progress; (2) national policies; (3) strategies (strengthening…

The factors influencing demand for vocational education and training (VET) courses in Australia by individuals, enterprises, industries, communities, and regions were examined through a review of Australian and selected international research. The following were among the key findings: (1) current definitions of "industry" may not be…

This booklet examines the definition of the term "empowerment" according to academics and policymakers and the relevance of empowerment to achieving social inclusion at the national and European Union levels. The findings of a study of the theory and practice of empowerment in five Integra projects in Ireland are reviewed and used to…

These proceedings consist of 44 presentations in these categories: distance education and evaluation; community issues and research; multicultural issues and research; teaching and learning; research methods; and organizational development. The papers are "Philosophical Foundations of Andragogy and Self-Directed Learning" (Alfred);…

This document contains 8 plenary papers and 15 workshop presentations from a conference on development continuing professional development (CPD) and continuing vocational education (CVE) in United Kingdom and Europe. The following papers are included: "How CPD Adds Value to Professional Personnel and Development Activity" (Judy…

Statistics regarding Australians participating in apprenticeships and traineeships in the automotive repairs and service trades in 1995-1999 were reviewed to provide an indication of where skill shortages may be occurring or will likely occur in relation to the following occupations: motor mechanic, automotive electrician, and panel beater. The…

During the past quarter of a century there have been rather continuous and persistent efforts for Federal aid to education. Twenty-one years ago the Congress of the United States enacted the Smith-Lever Agricultural Extension Act, and 3 years later it passed the Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act. Under the Smith-Lever Act and subsequent…

A 1956 Office of Education study showed that 26 million rural residents were without any public library service and that more than 300 rural counties had no public library within their borders. An additional 50 million rural residents had only inadequate service. Congress passed the Library Services Act in 1956 to stimulate the further development…

The extent and quality of school-to-work (STW) programs in the state of Washington were evaluated through a survey of all school districts receiving state STW funds and case studies of programs in four school districts (Bethel, Methow, Sumner, and Wapato), one consortium (Columbia River School-to-Work Consortium in Clark County), and two…

This instructor's resource guide, one in a series of products from a project to develop an associate degree program for paraprofessional rural family health promoters, deals with teaching a course in health care organization and issues. Covered in the first section of the guide are the role of health care organization and health issues in rural…

In 1999, the Committee on Lifelong Learning of the Ministry of Learning in Alberta, Canada, conducted a series of consultations on lifelong learning to identify ways of helping adults return to learning to improve their employment potential and realize their career goals. The committee received input from more than 450 Albertans in 14 rural and…

The problem of social exclusion in Poland was examined along with possible strategies for combating social exclusion through vocational education and training (VET). The examination began with an analysis of the special needs of individuals who have reduced opportunities within the labor market and/or are members of national and ethnic minorities.…

This document contains 19 papers on gender, innovation, and education in Latin America. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Ingrid Jung); "Reflections on the Gender Perspective in Experiences of Non-Formal Education with Women" (Lilian Celiberti); "Gender and Innovation" (Graciela Messina);…

The changing patterns of noncompletion of school in Australia during the 1980s and 1990s and the outcomes of noncompletion were examined by analyzing data from the Australian Longitudinal Survey and the Australian Youth Survey. Despite improvements in completion rates among youths from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and those in…

It is generally agreed that spending on education and health is key to poverty reduction, but simply allocating more resources to these sectors does not ensure that poverty actually declines. On the basis of four in-depth case studies (on Indonesia, Madagascar, Peru and Tanzania) and three Technical Papers on malnutrition and primary education in…