Research Section
In the face of globalization, technological change, trade liberalization,
deregulation and other external pressures, employee skills are becoming
increasingly important. There is a growing body of research supporting
the connection between investments in work-based learning and positive
bottom-line returns for organizations.
Selection Criteria
The following research projects point to key trends in work-based
learning, benefits achieved via work-based learning, and productive
ways to involve labor in such initiatives.
The State of Workplace Education in the States: A Policy
Perspective
Workplace
Learning Research Colloquium
Advice and Information
Benefits
of Work-based Learning
Labor
Involvement
| The
State of Workplace Education in the States: A Policy Perspective |
| |
|
| Workplace
Learning Research Colloquium |
| (March 6-7, 2003 in
Washington, D.C.) – Discussion
Summary |
|
| Advice
and Information |
| Recent studies offer
advice and information on developing and supporting work-based
learning initiatives to employers, practitioners and their
partners. |
| Breaching
the Barriers to Workplace Literacy (2001) |
Literacy is a key factor
in ensuring corporate competitiveness and personal success.
This report explores the question: What are the principal
barriers to increasing workplace literacy and learning
in Canada's workplaces and how can we overcome them?
URL: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/reports/default.htm |
| eLearning in
Canada: Survey Findings (2003) |
Recent survey findings
on current practices in eLearning for the workplace draw
conclusions on users and usage of eLearning, challenges
and evaluation, as well as benefits and future use of
eLearning. This report will be useful to anyone interested
in eLearning, including organizations that want to benchmark
and those who want to learn more about best practices.
URL: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/reports/default.htm |
| Keen for the
Screen: Employers are Using E-Learning for Employee Skill
Development (2000) |
Employers were asked
what their experiences were with using learning technologies
and eLearning in the workplace. This report highlights
key findings from this survey, including current and planned
usage of learning technologies, the top three barriers
to starting and implementing eLearning, and the top three
reasons for using them.
URL: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/reports/default.htm
|
| Solutions for
Employers: Effective Strategies for Using Learning Technologies
in the Workplace (2000) |
Based on a review
of the literature on learning technologies, the report
outlines the benefits of learning technologies for employees
and employers, the challenges involved in using learning
technologies, and the steps employers can take to use
learning technologies for employee learning.
URL: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/reports/default.htm |
| Strength from
Within: Overcoming the Barriers to Workplace Literacy
Development (2003) |
Improving workplace
literacy isn't easy - but it is rewarding. This report
offers practical advice to employers for setting up or
sustaining a workplace literacy program. Based on a statistically
valid, national survey and supported by in-person and
telephone interviews, the report summarizes the findings
of a two-year, federally funded research project. It explores
literacy program benefits, common barriers and provides
solutions and tools that prepare employers for action.
URL: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/reports/default.htm |
| Reauthorization
of WIA: HR1261 - Workforce Reinvestment of Adult Education
Act of 2003 |
This legislation will
promote economic development and better equip businesses
and workers for success in the 21st century economy. The
Administration supports reauthorizing the Workforce Investment
act of 1998 (WIA) and its key reforms.
URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/sap/108-1/hr1261sap-h.pdf
|
|
| Benefits
of Work-based Learning |
| Not only organizations,
but also individual employees, unions and communities
benefit from investments in work-based learning. Several
broad-based studies document the specific gains that arise
from such programs. |
| National
Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVR) –
Australia |
In their studies of the
Return on Investment (ROI) of work-based learning efforts,
the NCVR suggests the following about investments in training:
• Returns on training investments are nearly always
positive, and can be very high;
• Returns can
come in many forms;
• Immediate returns are
highest when work-based learning programs are highly focused;
• Measuring returns is not always an easy task;
• Training can act as a support mechanism for other
changes in the organization; and
• Returns on
training can be enhanced by other human resource policies
n the organization.
URL: http://www.ncver.edu.au |
Turning
Skills into Profit: Economic Benefits of Workplace Education
Programs (1999) |
On behalf of the U.S.
Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and
Adult Education, The Conference Board studied 45 national
workplace education projects. This study documented the
economic benefits of work-based learning efforts for participating
organizations, their employees and associated unions.
URL: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/reports/default.htm |
|
| Labor
Involvement |
| By supporting work-based
learning, unions focus on increasing the value of employees
to the company. When employers involve their union representative
in planning and delivering education and training, they
increase the commitment level of union members to the
success of the learning program. |
| Success
by Design: What Works in Workforce Development (2002)
|
Joint workplace education
programs harness the power of collaboration between unions
and management to produce exceptional training results
that benefit everyone involved. The organizational and
individual benefits, and the key design elements of successful
joint programs in the United States, are identified and
showcased.
URL: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/reports/default.htm |
| Union
Roles in Workplace Literacy (1993) |
This paper discusses
the union role in ensuring that American workers have
the skills they need in a dynamic workplace.
URL: http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/report3/rep23-27/rep24-01.htm |
Worker-Centered
Learning: Labor’s Role (1999) |
This digest explores
the labor movement's new vision for workers' education.
This new educational vision of labor unions is based on
the belief that worker-centered learning can contribute
both to individual development and the economic viability
of the organization.
URL: http://www.ericacve.org/docgen.asp?tbl=digests&ID=95 |
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