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This paper outlines some developments in employment and wage equity in the European Union (EU). The authors outline the connection between wage systems and wage trends and, particularly, the gender implications. They point to the European Commission policy on incorporating equity into all policies and activities and the apparent failure of wages moderation policies to address this. The authors assert that, because women are disproportionately represented at the lower end of the market in all countries, their collective bargaining strength is low in any non-regulated market. They conclude that, within the framework of gender-segregated labour markets, the move towards more decentralised systems in the EU will lead to greater disparity in pay and conditions for women. Show less

Foreign workers are a growing segment of the Canadian labour force. Approximately 613,200 foreign nationals in Canada held work permits in 2016 - more than twice the number of foreign workers a decade earlier (294,300 in 2005). Since the mid-1960s, agriculture has been one of the main recipients of foreign workers in Canada, and several programs are available to agriculture firms looking to fill their employment shortages by hiring foreign workers. This study documents annual trends in employment and earnings of foreign workers employed in agriculture and various subsectors of agriculture, as well as the characteristics of foreign workers in this industry. It also examines transitions to permanent residence for those who entered Canada as foreign workers and worked in agriculture. The main objective of the analysis is to provide a deeper understanding of the use of foreign worker programs in agriculture in Canada.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

A response to calls for a training strategy for the social housing sector to include both paid and voluntary staff. The report identified the absence of formal qualifications for workers in the social housing industry, which impacts on service delivery and also on the industry's ability to provide career paths for workers. The report identifies avenues of currently available training as well as further training needs. Show less

This second booklet deals with the preparation of cocktails and mixed drinks. The handbook places emphasis on the practical skills as well as product knowledge of the various spirit bases. Topics covered in Book II include: cocktail recipes, general rules for mixing cocktails, fermentation - distillation, product knowledge and manufacture of liqueurs. Show less

Work-related learning (WRL) can influence the quality of skills supply and affect young people's choices – it is not unusual for young people to seek employment in sectors where they have undertaken work experience placements. Despite the clear benefits of WRL, features of the rural economy, including isolation and business capacity, create barriers to WRL and to employer engagement. Commissioned by the NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) and the Make Your Mark campaign, this is one of three reports looking at how organisations and businesses in different sectors can engage more effectively with education. The other reports focus on the creative and third sectors.

The study was aimed at assessing current provision of WRL to young people in UK rural economies, identifying benefits of and challenges to the engagement of employers. It aimed to identify ways in which barriers to engagement might be overcome, leading to increased activity involving employers and young people. The focus of the research is on opportunities for young people aged 14-19 in all types of programme, including work experience, wider WRL, vocational [General Certificate of Secondary Education] GCSEs and A-levels and the emerging Diplomas. The study challenges traditional approaches to WRL and examines models of engagement between innovative rural employers and 14-19 year olds, which provide the opportunity for young people to develop the skills necessary to succeed in the future. Case studies are used to highlight some of the key benefits for those participating: young people, schools and colleges, and rural economy employers.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

New Zealand’s Industry Training Federation (ITF) held its first Vocational Education Research Forum on Friday 11 June 2004 at the Hotel Intercontinental in Wellington. Copies of PowerPoint slides and additional papers have been made available through the ITF website and cover the following presentations: Skills needs analysis of Wellington creative manufacturing industries / Paul Mather; ‘Girls can do anything’: women in industry training / Nicky Murray, Rachael Curson; Skills forecasting and industry training pathways / Bill Cochrane and Gemma Piercy; Becoming a baker: factors that support apprentice success / Selena Chan; Can vocational learning meet ‘community development’ and the world initiative on lifelong learning with a MA coordinator type relationship? / Jane Scripps; Return on investment / Jeremy Baker; Pathways and prospects project / Karen Vaughan; Is workplace assessment working? / Penny Hoy-Mack; Joining the dots or herding cats?: inducting unemployed youth into apprenticeship opportunities / Greg Durkin; Employers’ perspectives on workplace literacy programmes / Ruth Schick.

Selected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 78.465 to TD/TNC 78.467. Show less

This Industry Training Federation (ITF) 20th anniversary publication documents the development of New Zealand's industry-led system of work-based learning and apprenticeships. The story, presented from the perspective of past and present stakeholders, relates three decades of history and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. The report draws attention to the call to 'bring back apprenticeships', not just in New Zealand but internationally; a response to the sense that apprenticeships were a good thing that somehow got lost. This realisation is manifested in deliberate policy efforts to revitalise and increase the number of apprenticeships and work-based learning in general.

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The Masters Painters Group Training Company is changing the training of painters and decorators with the potential to increase employment opportunities. The company employs 140 apprentices and trainees and recruits around one-third of all workers entering the painting trade in NSW and has recently established a new traineeship. There has been concern that apprentices did not have sufficient knowledge and skills required by the industry. The Master Painters Group Training company's intention is to get more training done on the job in a more organised and systematic way. More practical training is offered by the host trainer or 'master' in collaboration with TAFE.

The scheme was piloted last year at TAFE NSW - Sydney Institute with the intention to extend regional availability and a summary of this scheme is included. Benefits such as satisfaction levels, reduction of drop-out rates and cost were shown under the new model which included block release and mentoring. Show less

Organised into four sections, this guide covers: - a brief introduction to spelling (origins of English, silent letters, reasons for misspellings) - the alphabet (vowels and consonants) - hints and strategies (eg. prefixes and suffixes, breaking words into smaller ones, syllables) - rules (eg. ie/ei, silent e, suffixes, plurals, apostrophes). Show less

Countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their neighbours will undergo significant social, economic and industrial change over the coming decades. The emergence of these sunrise industries in the ASEAN region also presents opportunities for Australia. Consumer incomes will rise, advanced technologies will be cheaper and more accessible, and economies will shift from industrial production to the provision of services. These factors, among others, will drive future population and economic growth across the region. In the face of these changes, some industries will decline, while new 'sunrise industries' will emerge, generating new sources of long-term economic development.

This report identifies and profiles the following set of potential sunrise industries: (1) Artificial intelligence and autonomous systems: made up of large and small companies which design, construct, implement and operate automated systems, this industry emerges as a result of the increasing capabilities of automation and artificial intelligence to deliver benefits at lower costs; (2) Financial and regulatory services technology: enabled by technology and growing demand for innovative financial services, the FinTech and RegTech sector is made up of companies that provide digitally enabled financial and regulatory products and services; (3) High value nutrition: growing incomes, rates of chronic diseases and concerns about food safety and provenance have driven demand for healthy, traceable and trustworthy food products that are sustainably and ethically produced, giving rise to an industry focused on high value nutrition; (4) Next generation energy storage and distribution: improvements in the affordability and capability of batteries, other technological innovations, and consumer demand for clean energy solutions are fuelling demand for companies (both big and small) in the energy storage and distribution market; (5) Cyber-physical systems security: while cyber-physical systems (i.e. systems which have intertwined software and physical components) are becoming increasingly widespread, they can be vulnerable to hacking, creating new opportunities for the cyber-physical systems security industry; (6) Personal health and ageing: rapidly aging populations are creating demand for products and services related to personal health and ageing (e.g. apps, wearable devices and mobile/telehealth services) along with personalised health and aged care; (7) Digital infrastructure and connectivity: while the wider Asia Pacific region has some of the world's most digitally advanced nations, digital infrastructure is still lacking for many ASEAN members, creating opportunities for the digital infrastructure industry to respond to the growing connectivity demand.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website. Show less