Vocational training to empower Yemeni women

---

Technorati Tags: Yemen,Vocational training,Labour organisation

Being an electric engineer was not enough for Rina. She furthered her profession by studying photography until she became a teacher of videography at the Technical and Industrial Institute in Al Mu'alla, Aden.
“This specialization is new in our centre, the curriculum is good, it suits market demand and I strongly believe there are a lot of job opportunities out there for girls who want to be photographers,” she said.
Rina is among few young Yemeni women who enrolled in specializations traditionally associated to men, such as desk top publishing, computer programming and construction.
Society is still not aware that these new fields of study are most needed in the labor market. Fathers and mothers are still holding onto the idea that their daughters should guarantee themselves a good future by going to universities, even though realistically there are a lot of university graduates who don’t have the labour market relevant skills."
"They blame the government for not creating jobs, they don't think that their sons or daughters would have found a job had they studied in another field of education or training,” she explained, referring to the misconception that most Yemenis have of vocational training or technical education.
"The main issue with technical Education and vocational training is considered as a manual labor and heavy work which is physically exhausting and with low income. That is what vocational training means in the mind of majority of people in Yemen,"
Very few Yemeni women are currently enrolled in technical centers focusing on industrial training such as carpentry, electricity, and construction.
Instead, they enroll for training at centers that offer more traditionally women-orientated skills such as sewing, embroidery, handicrafts and hairdressing. But this niche is already oversaturated, and has limited returns in terms of women participating in income-generating activities.
A few women such as Rina have gone forward and signed up for training in non-traditional specializations. In the academic year 2008-2009,more young women signed up for courses in institutes across Yemen, according to the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training.
In order of preference, they chose courses in computer programming, office management; accounting, early childcare, marketing, management, photography, desk top publishing, interior design, PC maintenance, telecom engineering, engineering construction and building construction, according to the ministry's administrative records.
According to the Department of Women Workers at the Ministry of TEVT that collected the data, participation in these traditionally male-dominated specializations ranged from 256 of women enrolments in computer programming down to just three enrolments in construction.
A situation analysis on young women in TVET centres in Yemen, conduced jointly by ILO and MoTEVT showed that women mostly enroll in technical training in the governorates of Aden, Hadramout, Hodeida, Taiz, Ibb, Dhamar, and Sana’a, with the highest and most diversified participation found in the governorate of Taiz.
The same analysis noted that despite Sana’a being the capital, women from the governorate traditionally enroll in the same vocational training courses. The highest rate of female enrolment were recorded in commercial institutes for courses in secretarial, administration and accounting, or traditional skills such as sewing, ceramics, and hairdressing.
An increased and diversified participation is noticed in community colleges in courses such as information technology, graphic design and internet technology.
And despite its past historical experience of women entering into non-traditional fields such as carpentry, electrics, and mechanics during its socialist period, Aden now resembles Sana’a when it comes to women’s participation in the vocational training and technical education sector.
Limited female enrolment
Despite women's participation in the sector having increased from 5 to about 13 percent between 2003 and 2007 according to the government, the proportion of young women in this type of educational system remains limited.
A recent policy brief issued by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) revealed that young Yemeni women are more disadvantaged than their male counterparts in breaking into employment.
Female employment in Yemen has been bound by a number of factors that include low educational levels, early marriage, high fertility rates and negative cultural perceptions associated with "women workers," noted the policy brief.
The ILO argues that improving access to vocational training will supply young Yemeni women with more labour market relevant skills find employment, and give them opportunities beside informal employment which they often fall into because they are under-qualified.
A hole in the market
Yemen’s population has doubled in size since 1990 and with an annual growth rate of 3.5 percent , it is set to almost double by 2025. Close to 190,000 young people enter the labor market each year, a figure which significantly outpaces labor demand.
Yemen's predominantly young population is increasingly more vulnerable to unemployment. However, unemployment was higher among persons with higher education than among those with basic and primary education, according to the 2004 Population Housing and Establishment Census.
Up to 75 percent of the unemployed were first time job seekers, said the census. Unemployment of young women is also much higher among those with higher education.
The limited ability of the formal education system to prepare young people for the labor market is leading to a chronic ‘skills shortage’ in Yemen, according to the ILO.
Specific skills lacking in Yemen mentioned by business leaders in Yemen were leadership and management skills, followed by insufficiency in foreign languages, lack of computer skills and sufficient knowledge in the use of office equipment.
Yet against this background, technical education and vocational training in Yemen, a sector with the critical role of delivering skilled youth to the labour market, absorbs only 0.2 percent of the bulging young population in Yemen.
There are currently 67 operational centers across Yemen and 219 private institutes that are licensed by the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training.
Outside the formal technical education and vocational training system, there are also a significant number of non governmental organizations that target specific types of youth groups, i.e. young women, rural youth, and recent graduates, mostly focusing on providing life skills, such as leadership and networking skills, civic engagement, and youth leadership.
'Second-rate education'
Despite the labour market relevance of vocation being offered in all these centers, a socio-cultural bias against technical education and vocational training persists in Yemen. The dominant stereotype is that the institutions in this sector associated with ‘drop-outs’ providing a and an ‘second-class’ education
The policy brief of the ILO also noted that the Yemeni technical education and vocational training system is mostly supply and not sufficiently, demand, driven. It does NOT have enough linkages to the private sector, and almost no linkages with employment offices or with the secondary school systems.
This is consistent with the perception in Yemen -especially amidst the private sector and the business community- that the formal technical education and vocational training system needs to produce higher quality graduates with more relevance skills to labor market needs.
The ILO policy brief outlined the lack of systematic monitoring to trace the progress of young technical education or vocational training graduates, as well as reliable statistics on the performance of these or labor market demand.
Obstacles to breaking in
"When I take the bus and I am asked by a woman next to me what I do, and tell them I study at the Hotel and Tourism Institute, she becomes cold and distant,” said Nawal, who studies at the National Hotel and Tourism Institute (NAHOTI) in Sana’a.
As in Nawal's case, the challenge for women studying in areas such us tourism, in the technical education and vocational training institions is the negative perceptions associated with it in general, and specific misconceptions about women entering these particular sectors.
"In comparison to their male counterparts, young women in Yemen are doubly disadvantaged in entering this sector due to the traditional perception that technical education and vocational training provides second class education, and a system that is dominated by men," reported the ILO.
The ILO however dismisses cultural hindrances as the most important factor behind lack of women's enrolment, rather stressing the need to raise awareness about the relevance of vocational skills in finding employment.
"In comparison to men, women are generally more restricted to the private sphere and have therefore less of a chance to know about vocational training opportunities,” said its report, however noting that limited capacity in most technical education and vocational training institutions meant that awareness campaigns for young women and their families were not common.
The study further noted that mixed classes in mixed vocational and technical institutes where the majority of students are young men such as industrial institutes are clearly inhibiting the entry of young women, and small adjustments like introducing women only courses in mixed institutes may ease the entrance of these young women into these courses.
Handicrafts not lucrative
Especially in rural areas, young women from poorer backgrounds with traditionally feminine specializations, such as sewing, embroidery, and handicrafts, generate less income, said the report.
According Dr. Salwa Al-Moayyad, one of the authors of the study, with increasing levels of poverty in Yemen, more women are entering these centers in order to provide additional income. However, the basic skills training, they receive are often not enough to master a trade. The products are often of low quality and no connections to the market.
Despite the reality, many women continue to favor these types of skills because the work can be conducted from home, a plus for women with stricter mobility restrictions as, for example, specifically poorer women from urban areas.
As employment offices in Yemen are structurally weak with little linkage with either the technical education and vocational training system or the private sector, the majority of hiring in Yemen is done through personal networking, said Maha Ghaleb, the director of General for the Directorate General for Working Women
This method of job search has a negative repercussion on young women who are mostly restricted to the private sphere, without access to such networks
Women therefore find it tough to break into the labor market following their training and often end up working either teachers in other traditional skill center NGO where salaries are very low, or setting up small businesses where income is little due to lack of knowledge on project management and market access.
Revamping the sector
The situation analysis recommended the improving the image of technical education and vocational training to encourage the enrolment of more young women in its classes.
It suggested that government launch a media campaign featuring both young men and women graduates, with the latter not only sewing and embroidering as would be expected of them, but also working in less traditional fields such as multimedia desk top publishing.
It recommended the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training follow the campaign up by ensuring its website also represent women beside men as successful agents of the new skills acquired. This would mean women, for instance, handling electronic equipments , instead of sitting at desks.
Ms. Lara Uhlenhaut, a co-author of the situation analysis noted that MoTEVT could launch a comprehensive secondary school awareness campaign to reach not only young girls, but also their parents, and introducing non-mixed classes in industrial institutes where are the a majority of students are men
Curricula should be strengthened with training in life skills, such as leadership, negotiation, initiative, confidence and applying for jobs, as well as basic guidelines in how to start up an independent business. These packages can also be adapted and specifically target traditional centers with women from poorer backgrounds, she said.
Dr. Simel Esim, a senior technical specialist with ILO said that progress should be tracked using gender responsive monitoring and evaluation system in the sector, it added.
The International Labor Organization is recommendations also included strengthening coordination between the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training and organizations promoting women’s employment, including Trade unions and chambers of commerce as well as the Business Women Committee, the National Woman Committee, the Directorate General of Women Workers at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Productive Family Centre at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
Government efforts
The Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training has already reduced fees for women in order to attract more women in technical education and vocational training. It has also established the Department of Women and Qualitative Training that is in charge of addressing women, the disabled and the socially marginalized.
However, this step has been seen as an approach tends to further marginalize and exclude women by treating them as separate targets, as opposed to equal beneficiaries as young men.
Moreover, efforts have been made by the ministry and the donor community to identify niches and offer attractive courses where women can tap into. Two such courses were identified by the EU, photography and desk-top publishing, a successful initiative that is both relevant to the labor market and suitable to Yemeni social norms.
Since 2004, the ministry is striving to implement strategic plan that is expected to shift the sector to cater to the labor market's demand, and improve equity in access to technical education and vocational training opportunities.
The plan calls for more courses, development of linkages with the labor market, management decentralization, and improving training centers’ responsiveness to employment demand.
Increased participation of women in the system is also stressed in the plan, although to date there is no specific baseline or target for women’s participation and no cross - cutting policy adopting a ‘gender equality perspective’ for equal representation of women and men in the sector.
The strategy’s focus is rather on targeting women in the training sector as a separate targeted group along with school drop outs, people with disabilities, and those seeking to establish micro-enterprises.
"Even if woman wants to develop [her skills], there still needs to be help and support from surrounding society" said Filistin, a trainee at the National and Tourism institute.
"Slowly, I believe there can be a change in Yemen, when it comes to women's advancement," she said. "Change will be a balance between gradual societal change and women's own will for self development … it needs time."

Crisis Training for Schools Aug. 3-7 in Ravenna

Technorati Tags: crisis Training,Registration,Ravenna

Registration is underway for the Aug. 3-7 Crisis Intervention Team Education Collaboration training in Ravenna for school personnel. Graduate credit available.

CITEC is a five-day program focusing on awareness of mental health issues and also prevention and de-escalation of crisis situations. This is the second year for the program which had 21 participants last year from school districts in Kent, Ravenna, and Waterloo as well as the Portage County Educational Service Center and the Portage-Geauga Juvenile Detention Center.

Sponsored by the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County, the training will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Family and Community Services, 705 Oakwood St., Ravenna.

All school staff members have the potential to be faced with a crisis situation with students and their parents. The training is open to all staff including classroom teachers, bus drivers, custodians, office staff, cafeteria employees and administrators, as well as guidance staff.

The curriculum covers mental Illness symptoms, suicide prevention, autism, domestic violence, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, legal issues, security plans, de-escalation principles, verbal techniques , role-plays and resources.

The original Crisis Intervention Team training is a collaborative effort between law enforcement and mental health communities designed to educate and assist police officers who handle persons with mental health problems. School and staff at the MHRB, led by Waterloo teacher Carrie Suvada, adapted the training to school system needs.

Jill Biden Says Community Colleges Are a Key U.S. Export

Technorati Tags: community college,economic recovery,United States,jill Biden

PARIS — Community colleges could become a tool to help economic recovery in the United States and a model for developing countries debating how to improve their education systems, Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and a longtime teacher, said Tuesday.

Skip to next paragraph

Related

Times Topics: Jill Biden

Mrs. Biden made the comments as she wrapped up a five-day visit to Europe, her first independent trip abroad since President Barack Obama was inaugurated in January.

The visit started in Germany, where she celebrated Independence Day on July 4 with U.S. soldiers, and ended in Paris, after a speech to a Unesco conference on higher education.

“Community colleges are the way of the future,” she said in an interview by telephone. “Now with people losing their jobs, they’re a great place to go for new training.”

Community colleges are higher-education institutions with, typically, open admission policies. They provide vocational and language training and award diplomas. After graduating from such schools, some students transfer to university for full degrees.

There are almost 1,200 community colleges among the 4,100 public and private higher-education institutions in the United States, serving almost 12 million students.

Mrs. Biden described the schools as one of America’s “best-kept secrets” that could be a model for other countries. They “lead the way in preparing graduates in the fields of green technology, health care, teaching and information technology — some of the fastest-growing fields in America and the rest of the world,” she said.

That message resonated in a report released Tuesday by the World Bank, which said countries that aspire to build “world-class universities” to drive development and compete in global rankings of the best international universities may be “chasing a myth.”

Countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have announced plans to create world-class colleges from scratch. Such institutions take years to build, cost hundreds of millions of dollars and may still fall short of the economic rewards associated with elite schools, the report says.

The Obama administration, Mrs. Biden said, sees higher education as a tool to revitalize the economy and has increased aid to students and unemployed workers, bolstered tuition tax credits and streamlined the financial aid process.

Mrs. Biden, 58, earned a doctorate in education from the University of Delaware in 2007. The “second lady,” as she is referred to, divides her time between a suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House, with a staff of eight, and North Virginia Community College, where she teaches English as a second language.

Mrs. Biden now seems ready to carve out a more public role. She said that she would use her “microphone” to promote a handful of causes, including breast cancer awareness, the importance of national service and the support of military families.

Brooklyn Today: Monday, July 6, 2009

 

Technorati Tags: Brooklyn Today,Gowanus,Starrett

Good morning. Today is the 187th day of the year. It is the birth anniversary (1946) of George W. Bush, 43rd president of the U.S.

Other well-known people who were born today include Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, former first lady Nancy Reagan, actor Sylvester Stallone (the Rocky and Rambo films) and singer-actress Della Reese.

* * *

POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE Kicks Off Summer Pay Street Program.

Today, the Police Athletic League (PAL) will launch its 2009 summer programs in Brooklyn. Youngsters will play traditional sidewalk games, develop their creativity through the arts, and learn from a wide range of professionals.

PAL’s Summer Play Street Program closes off streets and utilizes other public areas such as playgrounds and parks throughout the city. Featured activities include Double Dutch jump rope, hopscotch, knock hockey and basketball.

PAL will be operating throughout the five boroughs this summer, including more than 75 play streets: leagues for basketball, volleyball, touch football; and day camps.

There will be more than 20 play streets in Brooklyn, from Gowanus to Starrett City to Flatbush; and from Bay Ridge to Bedford-Stuyvesant to Gravesend.

* * *

U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT AWARDS $3.1 Million in Grants to Brooklyn Organizations.

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the award of more than $114 million to 183 community groups providing education and training to young people across the U.S.

This includes grants totaling $3,160,763 to programs in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Harlem.

Two Brooklyn programs have been given grants: the Cypress Hills Local Development Corp., for a program in which young people will help to build and install solar-energy systems; and the Settlement Housing Fund in Bedford-Stuyvesant, for a program in which young people will receive hands-on construction education.

People in these and similar organizations throughout the nation include youngsters who have been in the juvenile justice system, youths “aging out” of foster care, high school dropouts and others.

Schools, state agencies ready to help the unemployed get training: Help Wanted

Technorati Tags: school,state agencies,help wanted

Lynn Ischay/The Plain DealerBetty Ivory is studying for her master's degree in education at Cleveland State University after losing her job with a nonprofit agency. Her advice to other adults seeking a degree or retraining: "Be ready to prioritize and work on your time management. You really have to be disciplined. If you aren't, you will definitely learn to be."

The Plain Dealer is following 88 recently unemployed Northeast Ohioans during an extended series called "Help Wanted" that will explore their hopes and fears, defeats and triumphs as they search for work in this down economy.

• Workers need to check out online schools before enrolling: Help Wanted

• Unemployment benefits can be affected when laid-off workers go back to school: Help Wanted

• Recent college graduates finding entry-level jobs hard to get and hard to keep

• Persistent approach pays off for Carmen Mayhugh

• Michelle Maloney moves from radio to radial tires in new job

• Cleveland's unemployed couples face double the challenges: Help Wanted

• Credit analyst Tom Truax recovers self-esteem: Help Found

• With new job comes fresh hopes for Jose Morales: Help Found

• Job-seeking boomers have talent and a great work ethic, but technology and bias are challenges: Help Wanted

• Laid off since February, former travel agent Antoinette Rudge now employed

• Help Wanted: The newly unemployed find that getting online is crucial to job search

• Subject in Help Wanted series finds a job that she thinks is a better fit

• What if you lose your job?

• An index to the 88 people and their stories

• How old are they? Where do they live? What did they do? Search our database for answers

Do you have a job to offer? E-mail: metrodesk@plaind.com

For many people who have been laid off, the next logical step is into a classroom to get that degree they always wanted or to train for a new career.

But when they haven't been in school for a few decades, the questions confronting them can seem like a high-stakes exam:

What should I study that will give me a crack at a good job?

Where should I go -- a university, community college, vocational school?

And how am I ever going to pay for this without a paycheck coming in?

Betty Ivory's answers led her to Cleveland State University, where she's studying for a master's degree in education. John Jobe and Carmen Labbato are both on their way to earning certifications from New Horizons Computer Learning Center.

They are three of the 80-plus Greater Clevelanders whose post-layoff lives are being explored in The Plain Dealer's "Help Wanted" series. Their experiences show there is help out there for the thousands of others who are in the same boat.

That number continues to rise. The national unemployment rate (9.5 percent) reached a 26-year high in June, when 467,000 jobs were lost, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Labor Department.

Jobe, 51, of Aurora, sought help through the county work force development office in Portage County.

"I filled out some forms and took a couple tests, then chased down information about what kinds of jobs are available," he said.

"It went pretty quickly once I got into it -- and they're paying the full cost, which is really cool."

That kind of support is available across the state through a network of 90 One-Stop Centers, overseen by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The Cuyahoga County program, known as Employment Connection, just got a much-needed infusion of federal stimulus money to operate its 11 sites.

Last year, 40,000 people were served. But that figure has been equaled already in just the first half of this year, said Larry Benders, executive director of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Workforce Investment Board.

More caseworkers are being added to handle the flow, he said. They will work with laid-off people to help them figure out what kind of job they should seek, what schooling is needed and whether they're eligible for financial aid.

The agency can refer clients to more than 100 approved organizations, including community colleges, nonprofits and career training centers, that offer degrees or certificates. Often, the government pays the full tab for a laid-off worker.

"Come and talk to us and we can figure out the best fit for you," Benders said.

Online resources

There's plenty of information online for laid-off people who want to make themselves more marketable with a college degree or certification of skills. Here are some places to get started:

• employmentconnection.us: Tells about services offered at One-Stop Centers operated by Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Sites are in Cleveland, Parma, Maple Heights and Euclid. You can also call 216-664-4673 or 216-898-1366.

• One-Stop Centers: Links to One-Stop Centers in Akron, Chardon, Elyria, Medina, Painesville, Ravenna and counties across the state.

• uso.edu/network/index.php: Links to state universities and community colleges, and maps vocational schools and career centers in the Adult Workforce Network.

• opportunity.gov: Is the federal government's portal for unemployed workers seeking new educational opportunities.

• GetEducated.com: Helps you figure out whether an online program is legitimate.

Learning at his own pace

That's what Jobe did. He earned a degree in electrical engineering "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," he said. After he lost his job as a sales engineer in December, he decided to pursue his longtime fascination with computers and earn a Cisco Network certification through New Horizons.

His instructor and his labs are on a computer screen but he can flag down a real, live mentor whenever he has questions. He finds the technology "liberating," enabling him, for example, to stop a lecture and rewind to listen again.

Labbato, 56, of Lyndhurst took a similar route after becoming unemployed in October from his information-technology job. He completed his Microsoft training in April and now is trying to pass three tests to be certified as a database administrator.

Although he had some computer experience, the technology he's learning now is like "a new language," he said.

He had trouble with the first test -- he thinks he tried to finish the course too quickly -- but the people at New Horizons are helping him go back over his lab work.

"There's a lot more I need to learn, but I see the holes I need to fill," Labbato said. "Now I'm more aware of what I need to know."

Matching trainees to employer needs

The University System of Ohio is partnering with other state agencies to make sure people like Labbato are being prepared for jobs that local employers need to fill, said Paolo DeMaria, executive vice chancellor.

'Help Wanted' on WCPN, WVIZ

The Plain Dealer is collaborating with WCPN FM/90.3 and WVIZ Channel 25 Ideastream on the "Help Wanted" series. Throughout the year, there will be multiple reports, interviews, videos and discussions about the experiences of the jobless.

"We're trying to accelerate the approval process for new programs, especially in the area of 'green' jobs," he said.

Ideally, workers starting new careers will keep using the system to add to their qualifications, he said. "People with college degrees are faring better in this economy. A certification or associate's degree is good, but you have to continue to expand your skills."

DeMaria doesn't have to convince Ivory of that. The 40-year-old Cleveland resident already has a bachelor's and a master's degree in mechanical engineering. But even before her job with a nonprofit disappeared last fall, she realized she wanted to teach.

Now she's in a master's program at CSU that prepares teachers for high school math and science classrooms. Tuition is charged at the lower undergraduate rate to attract people to those openings.

Ivory didn't qualify for a federal Pell grant (worth up to $5,350 a year) because she already had a bachelor's degree. So she took out a student loan to cover tuition and living expenses.

"It's low-interest and you have some leeway in paying it back," she said. "I see it as an investment."

The amount and kind of aid you can get depends on many factors, such as age and whether you're a military veteran. The best way to find out where you stand is to talk to a counselor, advised Doug Miller, director of community outreach at Polaris Career Center in Middleburg Heights.

"When people call us, they don't know what to do, where to go, who to talk to," he said. "They are not alone. We have people here to help them through the system."

But with so many laid-off workers looking into education now, you might have to wait your turn wherever you go for help, he cautioned.

Cuyahoga Community College is trying to meet the demand with rolling enrollment for many certifications, said Pete Ross, vice president of enrollment management. Short-term certificates, in subjects such as automotive technology or medical billing, can be earned in as little as three months.

Whatever route you take, the best time to start is now, said Benders, the work force development director.

"It's a real challenge to look at making a change in your life if you're recently displaced," he said. "But the sooner you can avail yourself of the tremendous services out there, the sooner you can regain the control that's been taken away from you."

Training plan is labelled a failure

Technorati Tags: skill programme,labour

After months of delays, a draft National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) for next year to 2015, which has been described as "frankly disappointing" and "a missed opportunity", is ready to be circulated for the comments and input from stakeholders.
The process of drafting the strategy for the third phase of the NSDS began at last year's national skills conference in November, with the understanding that the public participation process would have to be completed by September this year. The delay has meant that business and labour will have less than two months to study the document and make their submissions.
The draft strategy, prepared for the National Skills Authority by the Department of Labour, with technical assistance from a German consultancy, has drawn criticism as being both regressive and ignoring a wide range of constituency recommendations at the conference last year.
The final strategy, which in future will fall under the ambit of the new Department of Higher Education and Training, will be presented at this year's conference. However, the department has had little interaction with the sector education and training authorities (Setas) - the bodies tasked with the NSDS's implementation.
"It's a missed opportunity," says Livhu Nengovhela, the chief executive of the Mining Qualifications Authority.
"It ignores all our recommendations that the third phase of the NSDS move away from being a numbers-based, one-size-fits-all strategy."
The previous two iterations of the NSDS set overall targets in a number of skills development-related areas and then required the 23 Setas to achieve these in proportion to the income they received in skills development levies. There is no indication that this method is being reviewed.
"This ignores the fact that adult basic education and training (Abet) is irrelevant in white-collar sectors such as banking and financial sectors but crucial in ours," adds Nengovhela.
Services Seta chief executive Ivor Blumenthal said he was disappointed that the team drafting the strategy had not consulted with stakeholders on its content or processes in the eight months following the national skills conference. "Frankly, we are no further forward than we were then.
"What is very worrying is that the social partners (business and labour) are now being asked to be reactive rather than completely redesign the strategy to meet the needs of the economy.
"I would have expected much wider engagement with organised business and labour," added Blumenthal. "We have completely failed to use this opportunity to put right the failings of the first 10 years of the National Skills Development Strategy."
During the five years (to date) of the second phase of the NSDS, companies have paid a total of R21.9 billion in skills development levies: R16.8bn went to the Setas and R5.1bn to the National Skills Fund. Of the amount that was channelled to the Setas, just under half went back to the contributing companies in the form of mandatory grants.

Mandatory grants are levy repayments to companies that submit workplace skills plans and annual training reports. The remaining funds - discretionary grants in Seta-speak - go towards training.
Reviewing the past year's skills development activities during his recent budget speech, Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana said the Setas were quietly making significant inroads into the country's most pressing skills shortages.
"The Setas were able to register 17 228 artisans in training and 109 351 workers completed training in scarce and critical skills through learnerships, apprenticeships and other learning programmes. Targets were well exceeded in this area.
"With funding from the National Skills Fund, the department was able to assist 41 336 unemployed people to enter learning programmes. This was also in excess of the target of 16 000 that was set," he said.
Two more extremely positive developments in skills training are expected in the next fortnight.
In the first instance, the skills development section of the Department of Labour transfers to the newly created Department of Higher Education and Training.
In the second, the department will announce the board of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) and the processes that will be followed to have it up and running by April.
The fact that the Department of Labour's skills development team, led by deputy director-general Sam Morotoba and backed by executive manager Liz Thobejane, will be moved as a unit to the new department has, however, to an extent allayed fears of there a lack of continuity.
The marriage of higher education and training is made more exciting by the news that after more than a year of delays, the QCTO is about to come into being. In terms of the underpinning legislation, the council will oversee development of a range of occupational qualifications that will carry the same intellectual weight as those offered by academic institutions.
By working through the Setas and what is going to be called the Occupational Qualifications Sub-framework of the National Qualifications Framework, learners will be able to engage in a series of skills programmes academically on par with those of colleges and universities… all the way up to post-graduate level. What's more, these qualifications are designed specifically to meet the needs of the workplace.

U. of C. brain surgery training program on probation

 

The University of Chicago Medical Center's neurosurgery training program has been placed on probation for two years by the nation's leading accreditor of programs that educate doctors-in-training.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education on June 19 placed the U of C program on probation until June of 2011 when it

Technorati Tags: brain surgery,taining program

will be reviewed again. The program, one of the oldest in the country, trains about a dozen neurosurgery residents at any given time.
"Although the reason for (the council's) decision will not be known for 60 days, we anticipate that they will cite the loss or retirement of several clinical faculty during fiscal year 2007 and a consequent 10 percent decrease in patient volume, which is an important component of any training program," the U. of C. said in a statement to the Tribune.
The Chicago-based council would not disclose specific reasons for the decision, citing laws protecting the confidentiality of "information gathered in the peer review process," said Accreditation Council spokeswoman Julie Jacob.

The U. of C., however, believes volumes of patients needed for a rich training experience will be rebound under a new academic affiliation with Evanston-based hospital operator NorthShore University Health System.
"In the past year, under new leadership, the program has been able to recruit talented new faculty," the U of C said in its statement to the Tribune. The four hospitals in the NorthShore system "should enable neurosurgery residents to participate in the care of many more patients, increasing the total volume well above previous levels."
A probationary period is not without precedent. More than 60 residency programs across the country are on probation, according to the council's web site. More severe, however, would be a loss of accreditation. Programs must be accredited by the council to receive graduate medical education funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Residents must also graduate from an accredited program to be eligible to take board certification exams.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is a nonprofit council based in Chicago that accredits about 8,500 residency programs educating 108,000 residents.
"Its mission is to improve health care by assessing and advancing the quality of resident physicians' education through accreditation," the council says on its Web site.

Education Ministry delays planned ‘2 in 1’ examination

Technorati Tags: education ministry,examination

HA NOI — High school graduation and university enrolment examinations will continue to be held separately in 2010. The "2 in 1 exam" project will not be ready until further preparations are made, according to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien.

During a press conference hosted by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) last Thursday, the ministry’s Chief Administrator, Tran Quang Quy, said that the ministry in 2010 would conduct a 4-year review on the performance of a 2006 Prime Ministerial directive on educational quality improvement, in which he proposed examination reforms would be submitted for the Government’s decision. The question of when a single, all-purpose examination would be held nationwide would be answered thereafter. This single examination would serve two purposes: high school graduation and university admission.

The reason for the delayed combination of the two examinations was that the organisation of a single, all-purpose exam needed to be based on careful preparations by the ministry, local departments of education, universities and high schools, deputy minister Hien added. He said that the delay of the "2 in 1 exam" scheme was decided on because the ministry would be stretched conducting multiple tasks next year, among which were syllabi and textbook reviews and an education development strategy for 2020.

According to the deputy minister, the proposed "2 in 1 exam" programme so far had not been backed by the majority of the public. Therefore, examination reform, which was aimed at a single all-purpose examination, should be phased out.

At a recent high school graduation exam, test site clustering and cross marking were piloted for the first time. It could be done better with more experience, deputy director of the Bureau of Tests and Quality Assessment (MoET) Tran Van Nghia said. This was the reason why the ministry thought more time was needed for situation analysis and better conditions.

It was too early to say whether test site clustering and cross marking would continue next year, but this year’s positive effects would be taken into consideration, Nghia said. During the press conference, which briefed the 2009 high school graduation results and ongoing preparations for university enrolment, the ministry referred to the recent highschool graduation as "an exercise for the single all-purpose examination". They called it "an exercise", because in reform proposals, the "2 in 1" examination would also be locally held by provinces. As strong measures like test site clustering and cross marking were applied in high school graduations, it was hoped that there would be more reliable marks that could be used for university admissions. — VNS

How to Buy a Cheap Laptop

Technorati Tags: laptop,cheap,quality

Buying laptops on the cheap is half art and half mathematics. Dont confuse cheap laptops with low quality, but rather associate them with a good bargain. So the question becomes: It is important to remember not to sacrifice quality or functionality for the sake of price.

One of the best ways to ensure you find a cheap laptop is to make sure you do not pay for any laptop features that you do not need or will not use. If you only need a laptop for its word processing capabilities and web browsing then paying for processing power and memory required for gaming could be a waste of money.

If you have the slightest inclination that you could need more memory for your laptop in a few years down the line then it may be worth buying a laptop with expandable functionality. Whilst it would be cheaper to buy a laptop that memory cannot be added to today it could prove to be more expensive in the long run needing to replace your laptop due to running out of memory.

Cheap laptops often do not use the latest technology, which is fine for basic computing needs. However, if you require a laptop for more than internet browsing and word processing then perhaps spending more on a laptop today may push back the need to buy your next laptop by a few years.

Some laptop components such as CPUs and video cards generally cannot be upgraded except for the very highest quality laptops from top tier vendors. The hardware that can be upgraded on a cheap laptop is typically limited to the hard drive(s), memory, and optical disc drive(s).

If one of your laptop needs is gaming, consider a last-generation video chipset or lower-performing variant of a current generation video chipset. Laptops are not generally known for providing the best gaming experiences. One can easily spend thousands of dollars trying to make an innately power efficient laptop compete with a desktop that is not hampered by the same power or thermal limitations.

One does not have to settle for a generic brand to get a decent price. Inexpensive, customized laptops from manufacturers such as Dell, Gateway, and HP can all be ordered online. Better yet, these very same manufacturers tend to sell last generation laptops at significant discounts until they clear their inventory. Most of these companies also offer refurbished models with factory warranties at incredible discounts.

When shopping for cheap laptops it pays to remember: the easiest way to wind up looking at a selection of laptops that are too expensive is to not honestly evaluate ones needs appropriately. The flip side of that is that underestimating ones computing needs will typically result in a selection of unattractive, cheap laptops that live up to their cheap designation in the most negative sense of the word.

47,000 youth to get vocational training

Technorati Tags: vocational training,youth

ISLAMABAD: The government will provide vocational training to 47,765 youth in the next two and half years under a President�s programme titled �Funni Maharat� at an estimated cost of Rs1.17 billion.
Executive Director National Vocational & Technical Education Commission (NAVTEC), Khalid Khan Toru, said that NAVTEC was establishing 130 vocational institutes in 79 uncovered and backward tehsils of Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and FATA in which 47,765 youth would be imparted with technical education and vocational training in two and a half years.
He was speaking as a chief guest at a prize distribution ceremony at the conclusion of the First National Skills Competition for Women 2009, held at the Government Polytechnic Institute for Women on Saturday.
Toru said that the federal government was following a well thought-out policy for women development and wanted their empowerment in every sphere of life. �This policy is producing encouraging results.�
The Ministry of Women�s Development is currently implementing a five-year project nationwide with financial support of $10 million from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to promote economic, political and social empowerment of women at national, provincial and district levels, he added.
Talking about the Prime Minister�s �Hunarmand Pakistan Programme�, Toru said that NAVTEC under this programme was sponsoring short-term skilled development courses in which four areas were being given priority which included construction, agriculture (livestock and dairy development), IT and telecommunications, and services or hospitality.
He informed that under the programme, 120,000 youth have either completed their technical and vocational education and training, or are currently under training.
He foresees skilled workers playing a major role in future economic development. Citing the examples of Japan, China, Singapore and Malaysia where skilled workers played a vital role in shaping their economies, the chairman said that we have to produce highly skilled force like these countries to achieve sustainable economic progress and prosperity.

How we can close the education gap?

Technorati Tags: kids,mathematic,science

At the dawn of a new century that promises great rewards for excellence in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, American children, and minorities in particular,

remain behind their global counterparts. The good news is that opportunities abound to close this gap once and for all.

President Barack Obama has set forth an aggressive plan to make higher education and workforce training more readily available. While the president is attacking the need to grow the nation’s workforce, here at home, Houston Community College provides an effective and affordable bridge to STEM fields and is actively reaching out to high school students with innovative programs such as the Male Minority Initiative.

However, we will never close this gap without shared responsibility. Now is the time for communities, teachers and parents to come together to encourage their children, and for students to work harder and dedicate themselves to their own education and our country’s future.

According to the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) released in December 2008 by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. fourth-graders ranked in the 70th percentile in math among 36 countries surveyed, while U.S. eighth-graders ranked in the 80th percentile among 48 countries surveyed. In science, U.S. fourth-graders ranked in the 78th percentile, and eighth-graders ranked in the 77th percentile.

Overall, U.S. students trail those in Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Japan, the Russian Federation and England in both fields at both grade levels. And while the TIMSS report indicates that U.S. students have improved since 1995 in both math and science, we must do better than a “C” average.

To ensure that our country continues to thrive and innovate in today’s global marketplace, we must fill the shortfall in our scientific and technical capabilities, and there are ways we can all help.

As a professional in the STEM fields, you can mentor, teach or simply encourage youngsters in your community to pursue a science, technology, engineering or math major. Houston Community College has a number of innovative initiatives that allow professionals in the field to assist and inspire youngsters in these fields, especially those in our Hispanic and African-American communities, only a fraction of whom are academically eligible to seriously pursue engineering and other STEM fields at the college level.

As a student in the STEM fields, consider teaching as a career choice after graduation. Research proves that students excel in math and science when they are taught by teachers with a degree in that subject area. Obama’s plan to improve education in the STEM fields includes a provision to recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field.

As a youth or guidance counselor, enlighten students regarding the opportunities in a STEM field, not only for career advancement but also for breakthroughs that benefit our world in medicine, alternative energy, and technology. The new administration will soon launch an online database to provide information about financial aid opportunities available in the science and technology fields through the federal government as well as public and private resources.

For those who are unemployed, consider a career or additional training in the STEM fields. Recent changes to federal aid for a college education or training may allow you to keep your state unemployment benefits while going to school. College financial aid officers have also been instructed to expand their use of “professional judgment” to provide assistance to unemployed workers.

For the rest of us — parents, teachers, and community members ­— let us encourage, support and assist those who dedicate themselves to the STEM fields. Together we can restore the promise of America’s public education system and ensure that our children once again lead the world in achievement, creativity and success.

Austin is a native Houstonian who has served on the Houston Community College Board of Trustees since 1989. Spangler is the chancellor of Houston Community College.

Alabama Board of Education to vote on chancellor's academic qualifications

Technorati Tags: alabama,degree,requirement

Should the chancellor of Alabama's two-year college system be required to have an advanced degree, as the college presidents must? Or is executive leadership experience more important, given the system's growing emphasis on work-force development?

The State Board of Education is torn over those questions, with some members rejecting a draft announcement for the position that requires only a bachelor's degree, along with a minimum five years of senior-level management experience.

It does say a graduate or earned doctorate is preferred, but to board member Mary Jane Caylor of Huntsville, that simply won't suffice.

"That would be, I think, very embarrassing for the board and the state to put out an advertisement for the chancellor of Alabama's two-year colleges and only require a bachelor's degree. That's embarrassing and unacceptable," Caylor said Friday.

"A master's at the least, and strongly favoring an earned doctorate from an accredited institution should be considered," she said.

The board will vote on the requirements at its monthly meeting Thursday and also is scheduled to select an executive search firm to assist in the national hunt for Bradley Byrne's replacement. Byrne, who has a law degree, led the system for two years and resigned last month to run for governor in 2010.

Presidents at Alabama's 25 community colleges are required to have at least masters' degrees but nearly all have doctorates. Board members who are opposed to the minimal requirements said it wouldn't be right to demand less of the person who will be their boss.

"How are we requiring presidents and folks who teach in our colleges to have more academic training than we're requiring for the person at the top?" Ethel Hall of Fairfield asked.

And Ella Bell of Montgomery said she's worried the low requirements purposefully havebeen tailored to fit those of possible candidates that some already have in mind.

"I would surely have to believe that based on what we require for our executive level management staff," she said, adding that more than half of the department's staff would be eligible under the proposal.

(2 of 2)

But Randy McKinney of Gulf Shores, who helped shape the draft, said he favors the proposed plan because the chancellor's role involves much more involvement in the business and training world than it used to, and academics are no longer its sole responsibility.

"I'm looking for leadership skills. I mean, technically someone can have a doctorate in something that's not even related to management of people and they would qualify," he said.

"We have millions of dollars that we oversee in workforce education and adult training and those things are a very different skill set than someone who is trained to be an academic leader of an institution," he said. "That's why this has more the look and feel of a CEO with several different segments under that organizational structure."

Besides, McKinney said, "Bill Gates wouldn't even be able to be a chancellor" if the degree requirement was raised.

"And I would submit to you that Bill Gates probably has the skill set to be able to do that," he told his fellow board members.

Nearly 12,000 DEd seats up for grabs

20 Jun 2009, 0501 hrs IST, Vaibhav Ganjapure, TNN

Technorati Tags: education,diploma,nagpur

NAGPUR: Nearly 12,000 seats are up for grabs for diploma i

n education (DEd) course in the Nagpur division, the admissions of which will begin

from July 2. These seats are part of nearly 72,000 seats that  exists in over 1,100 colleges in state.
According to highly-reliable sources in MSCERT (Maharashtra State Council of Educational Research and Training), Nagpur has highest number of seats at 5,692 with Chandrapur second with 1,775 seats in the division.
Though delayed by almost a month, the centralized admission process will start with distribution of forms from July 2. The last date of submission of forms will be July 11. The counselling for admission rounds will continue in August and September and colleges will formally start its academic session from October 1.
The Civil Lines-based District Institute of Education and Training will conduct admission process in the city.
Sources attributed the delay in admissions to flip-flop of the government on deciding on eligibility criteria. First the government had announced that it will raise the criteria for admission to graduation from present class XII. The move was apparently brought with a thought that the students do not ‘mature’ after finishing class XII and one year of DEd.
Sources added that every year, the DEd admission process starts before state board’s HSC results. But this year, even the results of BSc, BA and BCom of university were already out and hence more number of candidates are expected to rush for admissions.

Schools establish future for all of us

 

By Michael Thurmond

Sunday, June 21, 2009

The Great Recession is reaping a bitter harvest of job losses and deep budget cuts throughout Georgia’s public education and training system. Although federal stimulus dollars are providing some temporary relief, more than $1 billion in state funding has been slashed from Georgia’s K-12 and post-secondary education budgets.

Budget shortfalls have forced educational leaders to institute furloughs and lay-offs. “Non-essential” classes in music and foreign languages are disappearing. As Georgia’s budget crisis deepens, economists are making dire predictions of continuing declines in state revenues. Absent a quicker-than-expected rebound, additional federal stimulus or new sources of revenue, more draconian budget cuts are inevitable.

Georgia’s public education and training system is standing at the crossroads between continued progress or a return to mediocrity. Further reductions will cripple the development of Georgia’s 21st century workforce. Now is not the time to drastically reduce investments in our children’s future.

Ironically, this severe economic downturn presents Georgia with an unprecedented opportunity to increase our competitive advantage by improving the quality of our most valuable economic development resource — our work force.

A thorough debate must be had regarding the potential impact of additional budget cuts to Georgia’s public education and training system. A critical question is: Should Georgia’s political, educational and business leaders support accessing alternative or new funding streams to protect and improve the quality of public education in our state? The result of this critical and long-delayed debate will shape and define Georgia’s economic future.

I am convinced that Georgia’s return to economic growth and prosperity will be dependent on the expansion of state education and training opportunities. Despite the downturn, strategic investments in cost-effective programs will assure the development of a skilled and productive work force. I offer three examples where increased funding will pay huge dividends:

? Expand parental involvement initiatives. Fledgling school-based parent involvement programs are critical to the long-term development of our children and educational system. Students whose parents are involved in their education have higher high school and college graduation rates, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

? Promote increased respect for school-to-work initiatives. Georgia’s high school co-enrollment programs, apprenticeships, internships, technical, career and agricultural programs are important tools in preparing students for the work force. Programs such as the Georgia Department of Labor’s Jobs for Georgia Graduates (JGG) help reduce the dropout rate. JGG provides “at risk” students with pre-employment and job development training. In the 2008 school year, 95 percent of JGG’s 794 seniors earned a high school diploma.

? Strengthen Georgia’s technical and two-year colleges. They are solid options for high school graduates not interested in or ready to enter a four-year college. These institutions are academically sound, less expensive and graduates start their careers sooner than four-year college graduates. These schools also aid adults seeking a career change or new skills.

Michael Thurmond is Georgia Commissioner of Labor

3,931 enroll under TESDA's Pangulong Gloria Scholarship

 

Baguio City (20 June) -- The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) awarded training certificates to 331 more Pangulong Gloria Scholarships (PGS) beneficiaries during the Kalayaan 2009 celebration held at the Baguio Convention Center last June 12.

Based on TESDA Regional Operation Division data, the TEK-BOK (technical/vocational) courses the beneficiaries have chosen were Automotive Servicing, SMAW, Dressmaking, Hairdressing, Beauty care, Tailoring, Massage Therapy, Slaughtering, Computer Hardware Servicing, Food and Beverage Services, Housekeeping, Commercial Cooking, Household Servicing, Health Care Servicing, Security Services, Shielded Metal Arc Welding, Building Wiring Installation, Machining, Construction Painting, Tile Setting, Masonry, Bartending and Baking and Pastry Production.

These 331 new PGS beneficiaries will enroll in 11 TESDA partner Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) providers. Namely: BSBT College, Baguio Technical Vocational Skills Training Center, Meridian Paramedical Technical College, MMS Development Training Center, NIIT Baguio, Pines City College, Baguio Overseas Learning and Training Center, Triniville Central College, Warrior Security Training Academy, TESDA Regional Training Center and BCSAT.

For this year, under PGS, TESDA has inked Affidavit of Undertaking with 49 TVET providers in the entire Cordillera. 28 of the said TVET providers are in Baguio City and Benguet area.

With the awarding of these 331 new training certificates, there are now 3,931 enrollees under PGS this year. PGS also already have 2,159 graduates as of the end of May 2009.

The Pangulong Gloria Scholarship (PGS) is TESDA's response to support the President's Economic Resiliency Program, through job creation and job preservation. It aims to equip beneficiaries with the relevant competencies, needed by existing and emerging industries, through the provision for skills training. PGS provides free training, training support fund and free competency assessment to its beneficiaries. (PIA) [top]

VIEWPOINT: No child left behind -- except at EHOVE

By MARIE HILDEBRANDT Register columnist | Friday, June 19, 2009 9:08 AM EDT

For 131 area high school sophomores, there will be no room at the inn come September.

EHOVE Joint Vocational School has notified area high schools that of the 586 teens who applied for admission to the school, only 455 have been accepted for next year’s programs.

Guidance counselors at the school say there are specific reasons some students are rejected by EHOVE: discipline problems; academic problems, which would make it difficult to graduate from high school with the required credits; and in some instances, the program has been filled and there are no open seats for applicants.

Counselors say there are remedial summer programs students can attend to fulfill the required credit hours and that then admission will be considered. They also say those students who meet EHOVE standards, but who are rejected because the program is filled, are placed on waiting lists and might still be able to attend classes in September.

According to high school principals, the application process which allows EHOVE to turn down students seeking admission to vocational programs has been in practice for at least 10 years.

That EHOVE can turn students away from its doors is news to the average person, especially in light of the fact that the bulk of its funding comes from property taxes.

It doesn’t seem right.

But the problem is not unique to EHOVE. Joint vocational schools throughout the state are now considered “career centers”. The emphasis is changing from post high school employment to technical training leading to post secondary education.

Vocational education in the United States dates back to Colonial America when children without academic opportunities were offered apprenticeships for on the job training.

Over the centuries the evolution of vocational education has taken many turns. In the 1880s industrial training became prevalent and during the early 1900s the federal government saw the need to provided industrial education in urban areas and agricultural education in the rural areas. The government defined vocational education as training to help nonacademic students obtain jobs after high school.

In 1963 the federal Vocational Education Act provided for the construction of vocational education school buildings and broadened the definition of vocational education to include occupational programs.

School-to-work became the theme in the 1980s for those students not interested in higher education, but vocational education also started transitioning into links with academic education including secondary and post secondary schools.

Today, vocational schools define themselves as career centers. Advances in technology; the opportunities for jobs in technical fields; the decline of the industrial base; and the limited number of industrial jobs are all factors that have contributed to the change.

Logically, on one hand, it makes sense for vocational schools to transition into career centers.

But on the other hand, there are still 131 teens in Erie, Huron and Ottawa counties who are being told, “Forget the future, there is no future here for you at EHOVE.”

What happens to these kids? If the programs in traditional high schools are inadequate, and if the kids are not college bound, and if there is no place for them at EHOVE, what is the alternative? And, how did this happen right underneath our noses without public awareness?

This is very hard to accept. At a place in time when we like to believe that no child will be left behind, we are leaving children behind. Voters in the school districts serviced by EHOVE have, in good faith, continued to approve levies for funding the joint vocational school for 40 years. But the truth is out now. Now we find some of our kids aren’t good enough for EHOVE and that the “Iron Fist” of EHOVE can accept or reject any kid it feels doesn’t measure up to the school’s standards.

It’s a dirty, rotten shame!

Area superintendents and area high school principals are reluctant to talk about the problem. It is an issue they say they have discussed in state-wide meetings, but, they say, the state hasn’t listened to their concerns.

Some state officials had better start to listen. Maybe it is time for the electorate to join with school officials to add strength to the cause.

WIC Training and Education Program

Stanbio Laboratory LP has created a new Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Training and Education Program designed to help expectant mothers get their hemoglobin levels checked and take advantage of proper nutrition.

The Boerne-based medical testing and clinical diagnostic device manufacturer announced the program during the last month’s National WIC Association’s 26th Annual Conference in Nashville.

Stanbio manufactures the HemoPoint H2 Test System, which is used to test hemoglobin levels in patients with a single drop of whole blood. Hemoglobin testing is routinely performed in blood banks, public health clinics, intensive care units and trauma units. Point-of-care hemoglobin testing is also ordered by OB/GYNs and general and pediatric physicians.

Stanbio created the WIC program as a way to effectively market its HemoPoint device as a complete system to WIC providers. The company is working to provide participant and clinician education on the value of hemoglobin testing and its direct relationship to nutrition. The company is also including recipes on iron-rich foods and information on the importance of iron during child development to prevent anemia.

Stanbio manufactures and sells medical testing and diagnostic devices for clinical chemistry, pregnancy, drug abuse, serology, urinalysis and hemoglobin testing.

Web site: www.stanbio.com

Regional Economic Development

Regional Economic Development site provides tools to help regional economies drive economic transformation through talent development. Use the six-step blueprint to find resources, form partnerships, and achieve regional success.

1. Identify the Regional Economy

Ignore political boundaries and identify surrounding areas that share the same economic structure...

2. Form Core Leadership Group

After a regional identity and assets are defined, form a core leadership group representing the major assets of the region...

3. SWOT Analysis

A comprehensive analysis of regional Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that directly affect strategic economic development...

4. Regional Identity and Vision

Developing a regional identity and vision for regional economic growth is critical...

5. Devise Strategies

Strategies for regional economic and workforce development should be "SMART" - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and with a Timeline...

6. Leverage Resources and Implement

Leverage resources from private, non-profit, and government sources in support of the common goals...

for more information please log on to http://careeronestop.com/red/

Career Training and Education

Once you have a career goal in mind, the next step is to determine your education and training needs. What are the occupation’s education requirements? Do you have the necessary skills and training? Which options will you use to gain the skills you need?

Use the tools and information below to develop your education and training goals.

What do specific occupations require?

• Use the Occupation Profile to determine occupation requirements.
• Check out licensed occupations to see if your desired profession (doctor, lawyer, nurse, etc.) requires you to be licensed .
• Find out if your desired occupation (financial advisor, nursing assistant, public accountant, real estate appraiser, etc.) requires a certification.

What skills do employers want?

Do you have the critical skills employers want in their employees? Read about the skills needed in today’s workforce and check out the Work Readiness Credential for critical skills assessments.

Don’t have a high school diploma?

If you did not graduate high school, the GED (General Educational Development Test) may fulfill that college entrance requirement. Learn more about the GED and locate a GED testing center.

Don’t have a career goal in mind?

You want the greatest return on your education investment. If you are still deciding on a career, here are some questions and options to consider.

• What are the high-growth industries?
• What are the fastest-growing occupations?
• What are the occupations with the largest employment?
• What are the highest-paying occupations?
• Follow the steps to view wages and employment trends by occupation, job, and state.
• Follow the steps to discover wages by educational level.

Education Vs. Training

Many people do not understand the difference between education and training. The study will provide information and communicate the internship. Training is about building skills and practices. The children of today, it's best to train generations of uneducated workers.

This problem if we do not educate them before the train, they will lead to problems. It's important you learn how to drive. You need to have knowledge of the law and training and then go after the real joke is that you can learn about the birds and bees - if not, in fact, research conducted in training can bring. Toward desirable results!

Mark Flores, Director of Operations for pariah E. Cheese 'S macaroni and cheese using examples to show the difference. We have Mac and cheese, all done many times in our lives, but if we do not follow the instructions exactly, we may get macaroni soup, macaroni or other Krisfi what we intend. Then we show how education and training to be consistent?

Manual. Boooooooooring! We want the document, but fun! Total tons of pictures and minimal text, so it is more ridiculous line of view, more people remember what they had seen what they read. So, instead of gathering data is better. In addition, it can translate to other languages

Video better than reading for most people, but they should be short (3 - 5 minutes maximum) with tons of virtual image changes. Current employees are used to watching CNN talk to a video trailer. Well below the forecast and the side - when all four online chats with their friends. Long, jilt the video to lose interest quickly. And see what you are doing to learn. You can see the next section later.

Online Gold White Castle jail, sea island shrimp house, Buffalo Wild Wings is missing and E. Cheese 'in general or the use of electronic test. Because it was done at a rate of speed of learning. Caution: As we have seen e-mail letter will not be too easy to read computer. The message store that will be lower. Review the questions to create a border for the Study to promote the good way to replace the video and print, but not "training."

Experiment, we've looked at all the hate! To guarantee the stability of the test bar and keep the image simple. (How many pictures as possible), and many choose to buy or use of real-lie format to ensure the most consistent order our employees, not fill in the blank or essay - make sure that basic test. Are all training the same way real-grade test?

Above all a form of "training" is the only true education, but most think he's training director. We do not accept the license of the driver after reading books, watching videos and testing - we have trained our staff to show before we are allowed to drive. Education is evil, but requires that before

We follow the same format with employees? Some companies do not - we only remember that a bunch of useless information to join a small care. Less, we're ready. You should check the skills to work and will test once again in the future, know the job and the two completely different things - and announce guests.

Proficiency testing

Employs a new display showing the skills for the management of two things: how the training received in the employee can perform the job. We all think we can get the same definition of "blessing participants" or "suggestive selling" But when we see the workers to do all that we find throughout the Board. If you do not coach them through the skills that they will do what they see. Other restaurant (which usually is not good). All these validations conducted between 90 to 180 days in the usual psychological

People train people that there is only a good employee does not mean they are good practice. Appropriate tools of knowledge will help, but the final result is shown coaching, training and validation of employee skills. To explain this point of the training team to train you can tie on the shoes. Or wear the shirt. Act like you know about this?. The point is simple, because we can make the bed - such as burgers or ringing up orders - but incredibly difficult to train someone else how to do.

Education & Training

Journal of Education & Training

Unique Attributes

Education & Training addresses the increasingly complex relationships between education, training and employment and the impact of these relationships on national and global labour markets. The journal gives specific consideration to young people, looking at how the transition from school/college to employment is achieved and how the nature of partnerships between the worlds of education and work continues to evolve.

Topicality

The Journal explores vocationalism in learning and efforts to address employability within the curriculum, together with coverage of innovative themes and initiatives within vocational education and training.

Key Journal Audiences

The Journal is read by policy makers, educators and academics working in a wide range of fields including education, learning and skills development, enterprise and entrepreneurship education and training, induction and career development.

Coverage

• Managing the transition from school/college to work
• New initiaitves in post 16 vocational education and training
• Education-Business partnerships and collaboration
• Links between education and indusrty
• The graduate labour market
• Work experience and placements
• The recruitment, induction and development of school leavers and graduates
• Young person employability and career developemnt
• E learning in further and higher education
• Research news
• Reviews of recent publications

Education + Training is Indexed and Abstracted in:

• A+ Education
• Academic Search Alumni Edition
• Academic Search Complete
• Academic Search Premier
• Academic Source Complete
• Academic Source Premier
• Australian Education Index
• Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Management and Marketing
• CEDEFOP Electronic Training Village
• Contents Pages in Education
• Current Index to Journals in Education
• Educational Administration Abstracts
• Educational Research Abstracts
• Educational Technology Index
• Emerald Management Reviews
• Human Resources Abstracts
• IEE INSPEC database
• Management + Marketing Abstracts
• OCLC
• PsychINFO
• Publishing in Academic Journals in Education
• Research into Higher Education Abstracts
• Scopus