The Competitive Edge.

Overview & Synopsis

The increased demands that will be placed upon those in the work force of the year 2000 have been well covered in numerous studies. The need to help those students who will be entering the work force to acquire and maintain a competitive edge has been discussed repeatedly. A 1987 study comparing the earnings levels, unemployment rates, and geographic mobility of vocational versus nonvocational graduates in Ohio indicated that vocational education provides demonstrable benefits in all three areas. This does not mean, however, that there is no room for improvement in vocational education. The conclusions of the National Commission on Secondary Vocational Education's study entitled "The Unfinished Agenda" lists seven specific areas in which secondary and postsecondary vocational education programs must be improved if they are to continue to provide their graduates with a competitive edge in the labor market of the future. Other important measures for vocational education to take include: (1) providing adequate remedial help to those students who need it; (2) developing courses linking academic learning and practical vocational applications; (3) strengthening inservice and preservice programs for vocational education teachers; and (4) developing closer working relationships between vocational education and industry. (MN)