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This article is an abridged version of a paper presented to the Forum for Technology in Training. The author is concerned with the cultural impact of technology and with the fact that computers and hyperbole 'seem to be inextricably linked'. He gives some historical evidence of dramatic, but false, claims for the educational potential of information technology (IT). He expresses unease with the direction of educational policies, which appear to be at the mercy of both the demands of IT as an end in itself and the glib catch-phrases attached to it. He is also disturbed about the so-called 'new literacy' that does not concern itself with the old literacy; the implications for resources - large investments for IT yet a huge reduction in the money available for libraries; and the tenuous connection between the information revolution and educational improvement. He concludes that, to utilise the potential of IT, it is necessary to look at the specifics of the terms we use and not be satisfied with the superficial. Show less

The present Torino Process assessment analyses the main challenges for the development and use of human capital in Kosovo and how education, training and labour market policies could respond. It discusses in more detail current key issues and policy responses related to governance in vocational education and training (VET), the high youth unemployment rate and female inactivity. It draws on information provided in the national Torino Process report for Kosovo and other sources. The assessment is addressed to policy-makers and their partners in the country who are concerned with the design and implementation of education, training and labour market policies. At the same time, the assessment can inform the design of new programmes or projects by the European Union (EU) or other donors.

Key messages include revising current governance and legal arrangements in VET to further advance VET system reforms at this point in time, with a view to better aligning VET provision with labour market needs and enhancing VET quality. Youth employment requires a multifaceted approach, ranging from developing young people's practical skills to offering targeted training and job opportunities by employment services and employers. Furthermore, a joined-up, cross-government approach, addressing child and elderly care issues, maternity regulations, women's property ownership, women's education, skills and entrepreneurship, can help address the huge female inactivity levels.

This report starts with a short country overview and the strategies for human capital development (Chapter 1). Chapter 2 looks at demographic developments and their implications for educational planning, the economic and labour market contexts, as well as education and training, and related key challenges for human capital development. Chapter 3 reviews the current governance and institutional arrangements in VET, which currently appear to form a major stumbling block to further VET reforms in Kosovo. In addition, this chapter discusses in more detail the issues, policies and recommendations related to youth unemployment and the high female inactivity rate and the related huge underutilisation of skills. Chapter 4 provides a conclusion. Finally, Annex 1 summarises the key recommendations in table format, while Annex 2 provides a chart of Kosovo's education and training system.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

Although the literature recognizes training as an essential driver of organizational effectiveness, little is still known about how to explicitly focus and align training to organizational strategic priorities. This note proposes a model that bridges the strategic human resource management (SHRM) literature and the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) literature - which is one of the most widely recognized strategic performance evaluation approaches intended to foster organizational alignment by translating the firm's strategy into a multidimensional set of financial and non-financial measures. After having briefly discussed the main differences between the return on investment (ROI) model, which represents one of the major attempts to make training strategic within the existing evaluation research, and the BSC model applied to training management, this note highlights multiple forms of strategic training fit and suggests how to manage training through various scenarios of BSC development. Specifically, the note illustrates four forms of strategic fit - the vertical fit, the horizontal inter-functional fit, the horizontal intra-functional fit and the human capital readiness - and discusses their pursuit in terms of six scenarios of training management through the BSC. The note expands some exploratory empirical evidence on the feasibility and usefulness of training scorecards (i.e. the application of the BSC to training) in order to develop some theoretical insights and practical guidance on how they can be leveraged to foster the strategic alignment of training.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The IRC Skills Forecasts focus on the prioritisation of the skill needs of the industry sectors each IRC has responsibility for. They are developed and reviewed annually and submitted on behalf of the IRC to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) for approval. The Aviation Industry Reference Committee has assigned responsibility for the AVI Aviation Training Package. The Aviation industry underpins Australian business and tourism and has an estimated annual revenue of $43.54 billion, adding $15.91 billion to the Australian economy in 2017. The industry employs more than 88,000 people across its five main subsectors: Domestic commercial aviation, international commercial aviation, general aviation, air-freight transport and aviation support infrastructure.

The sections of the report are: Employment: includes information on skills shortages, workforce supply side challenges and opportunities, and key workforce data; Skills Outlook: contains national and international trends, priority skills for industry and other skills related insights; Proposed Schedule of Work: draws on the information in the earlier sections to clearly articulate the IRCs priorities for Training Package review and development across the four-year period on a year by year basis.

Excerpt from publisher's website.

The 'Aviation industry 2018 key findings discussion paper' is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 131.801. Show less

Business Services is a broad sector that groups together a collection of job roles that facilitate effective business operations across the economy. These Business Services workers provide professional assistance to businesses in roles including compliance, conveyancing, human resources, information management, marketing, project management and work health and safety. The Business Services (BSB) Training Package provides the competency standards for this wide range of job roles, as well as for a range of transferable skills that are required for workers in all sectors. The Business Services Industry Reference Committee (IRC) and PwC's Skills for Australia work to ensure that the competency standards within the BSB Training Package are fit for purpose and serve the sector's needs.

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This issue focuses on creative strategies to generate and effectively use the limited resources available to community colleges in the US. The feature articles are: The learning-centred institution: ideas and observations / Terry O'Banion (p. 12-15); The wolf at the door: where colleges could fail / Richard Alfred (p. 16-22, 24) (which focuses on how community colleges can deal with the challenges of growing enrolments and worsening economic conditions); A growing plurality: the 'traditional-age community college dominant' student / Clifford Adelman (p. 26-30, 32) (which is an analysis of changes in student enrolment and performance trends); Coaching in the big leagues / Noreen Lyne (p. 36-38) (which examines the use of executive coaching to train, retrain, and retain leaders); Driving efficiency in higher education / Dru Anne Walz (p. 40-43) (which presents streamlining processes for greater efficiency and reduced costs); Creative strategies in difficult times / Susann Lucas (p. 44-46, 48-49); Enterprising education: Springfield Technical Community College / Setta McCabe (p. 50-54); The future community college / Paul A. Elsner (p. 56-61); Peace Corps and community colleges: a 21st century partnership / Gaddi H. Vasquez (p. 62-66). Show less

Strengthening the practice of meaningful youth engagement, including in youth employment programs, reflects a growing acknowledgement of young people's role and need to be engaged in decisions affecting their lives. While still understudied, there is increasing awareness among funders of youth engagement's added value to programs, particularly in increasing a program's responsiveness and quality, as well as longer-term benefits resulting from the engagement of young people in various stages of the program life cycle. This document has been developed to guide and equip funders and stakeholders with tools and information to support the integration of meaningful youth engagement into youth employment programming and strategies. To do so, the paper outlines why meaningful youth engagement is important, what meaningful youth engagement is and how it could be embedded across various stages of the program life cycle, as well as within a funder's strategy and culture. Bearing in mind that funders are at different stages of their journeys, the heterogeneity of young people and the wide range of youth employment program interventions, the roadmap's recommendations are both immediately actionable and aspirational.

This paper is the result of the analysis carried out by Plan International. The roadmap identifies the 'who,' 'why,' 'when' and, most importantly, 'how' when it comes to involving young people as partners in youth employment programming. It has been developed to support funders and practitioners in their efforts to embed youth voices and rights into their programming by considering two key research questions: (1) What are the key phases of youth engagement in the planning, governance, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of youth employment programs? (2) What concrete steps can youth employment funders take to strengthen their own youth engagement strategies?

The roadmap is divided into several interconnected sections: an Introduction section, which frames the discussion in subsequent sections; the Research Methodology and Summary of Findings section, which outlines the methodology that directed our approach and a summary of data collection findings; the Defining Meaningful Youth Engagement in Youth Employment Programs section, which proposes a definition for meaningful youth engagement and presents a framework to operationalize this concept in youth employment programs; and a Roadmap to Meaningful Youth Engagement in Action section, which builds on the framework by providing entry points for mainstreaming meaningful youth engagement in programs - these come in the form of milestones and action steps per program life-cycle stage and into organizational strategies.

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The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding and planning education and training for people over the age of 16 in England, except those in higher education. A key goal for the LSC is to widen participation in learning. This consultation document outlines the LSC approach to a strategy for widening adult participation in education and training. The strategy applies to all LSC-funded providers engaged in the education and training of adults. It has been developed by the LSC with key partners at national, regional and local level. The strategy identifies ways in which more adults could be attracted into learning and how they may be positively engaged and retained in the learning process. The key purpose of this document is to seek advice and comment from stakeholders on the effective development of the strategy in terms of the actions proposed. The document summarises the recommended actions within five areas: a partnership approach; appropriate provision; targets and research; equality and access; and funding. The contents are: Summary recommendations; Rationale; Background; Strategy implementation: Summary of consultation issues. A number of annexes are included: DfES Public Service Agreement Targets; Key recommendations for the LSC; Steering Group; English Local Labour Force Survey 2001 - Adult Participation in Learning; Adult learning and social division: a persistent pattern. The NIACE (National Institute for Adult Continuing Education) Survey on Adult Participation in Learning 2002 (report indexed at TD/TNC 69.655); 'Learning works: widening participation in further education' (Kennedy Report, 1997) (indexed at TD/IRD 88.23); LSC strategic objectives for workforce development; Widening adult participation: ways to extend good practice. Research summary and recommendations; Response to consultation; Bibliography. Show less

The objective of this strategy is to achieve English literacy and numeracy for Indigenous students at levels comparable to those achieved by other young Australians. The document defines the need for a national strategy, and presents the objectives of the strategy. Implementation is discussed and the six key elements are listed: achieving attendance; overcoming hearing, health and nutrition problems; preschooling experiences; getting good teachers; using the best teaching methods; and measuring success, achieving accountability. Show less

The OECD skills strategy provides countries with a framework to analyse their strengths and weaknesses as a basis for taking concrete actions according to three pillars that comprise a national skills system: (1) developing relevant skills from childhood to adulthood; (2) activating the supply of skills on the labour market; and (3) using skills effectively in the economy and society. An effective skills strategy ensures policy coherence across the three pillars while strengthening the enabling conditions of effective governance and financing, which underpin the skills system as a whole. The OECD is working with countries to support the development of effective skills strategies at the national and local level. Putting the OECD skills strategy's integrated paradigm into practice requires whole-of-government collaboration across ministries and government levels, as well as co-operation with and among stakeholders, such as education institutions, social partners and civil society.

This diagnostic report identifies 12 skills challenges that need to be addressed to build a more effective skills system in Korea. These challenges were identified through: (1) the OECD's recent data and research; (2) the national data and research; (3) a diagnostic workshop held in November 2013; and (4) fact-finding interviews with key stakeholders in Korea. The report has also benefited from ongoing dialogue and consultation with a wide range of Korean stakeholders. The first nine challenges refer to specific outcomes across the three pillars of developing, activating and using skills. The next three challenges refer to the 'enabling' conditions that strengthen the overall skills system. Success in tackling these skills challenges will boost performance across the whole skills system.

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