Search

Finding statistics and materials on adult, career, and career-technical education can be a complex and time consuming task, so this brief includes a variety of resources designed to help searchers find information and also suggests specific actions searchers may take, including the following: (1) talking with colleagues about their search successes and failures; (2) participating in discussion groups; and (3) using Google to search with Boolean operators and proper use of quotation marks. An annotated bibliography listing 50 World Wide Web sites organized into categories adult education, adult literacy, career education, career and technical education, training, curriculum developers, publishers/distributors, resource centers/organizations, statistics, and journals constitutes approximately 80% of this document. Some of the recommended websites include links to full-text sites that include proceedings, teaching guides, newsletters, journals, lesson plans, directories, and glossaries. (MO)

This brief describes how the Internet serves as a professional development tool, enabling individuals to access information on employment opportunities, workplace trends, prospective employers, and job search strategies. Websites may offer only one service or include a variety of features. Some services are available at no cost, others are fee based. The Internet offers thousands of job search sites, company websites, research sites, career development aids, and online networking resources. Developing an online version of the resume is essential today. Many job sites will post resumes, in most instances, as a free service. Assistance in preparing resumes is available at websites. Although no single website includes everything needed for the job search, the "big board" job banks give beginners a head start on locating the information they need. Most search engines have direct links to a variety of career- or job-related websites. (Contains annotated listings of 33 websites, grouped under these categories: the big board, federal/military, government websites, job search aids, professional/special, state and local, international, and company information. An annotated list of nine print resources is also provided.) (YLB)

The World Wide Web has a wealth of information on career planning, individual jobs, and job search methods that counselors and teachers can use. Search engines such as Yahoo! and Magellan, organized like library tools, and engines such as AltaVista and HotBot search words or phrases. Web indexes offer a variety of features. The criteria for evaluating Web sites are similar to those for evaluating any instructional resource: authority; layout, design, and accessibility; links; content; and information structure and design. Web sites that relate to career education and job search include America's Job Bank, CareerMosaic, CareerPath, E-Span's Job Options, and The Monster Board. Ways to use the Internet in career education include the following: access to information; direct access to computer-assisted guidance; distance counseling; group work; access and outreach; and recruitment, placement, and the job search. Learning job search strategies ranks high with students, so it is important that they keep up to date with the latest in job search technology. Many academic and professional services have developed websites that address the needs of students who are just beginning their career development process. (Contains 10 references.) (KC)

Vocational educators seeking curriculum materials, lesson plans, classroom activities, and other instructional materials can locate them in a variety of places. The ERIC database is a good source of information about the following instructional and resource materials: curricula, project descriptions, lesson plans, classroom activities, task lists, and guidelines for developing curricula. ERIC can be searched on the World Wide Web and at most university, state, and resource library centers. Networking with colleagues and participating in listservs such as CAREERTECH, which is maintained by the National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education, are two excellent ways to find and obtain recommendations for materials. Another great source of information for vocational-technical educators is the World Wide Web, which includes websites of many commercial and nonprofit publishers and the Vocational Education Resources site. (A 32-item annotated bibliography constituting approximately 75% of this document lists the following: addresses of 9 commercial publishers and subjects covered by their publications; 5 curriculum labs; 3 curriculum consortia; 4 curriculum developers; 6 state/regional resource centers; 4 miscellaneous sources of vocational education materials; and 2 related resources.) (MN)

The job hunt has changed significantly in recent years. The World Wide Web has become an important source for job information and career development. After deciding what type of job they are looking for, job seekers should identify their marketable skills and match those skills with available jobs. Job leads can be found through employment agencies, career centers, public libraries, newspapers, the Internet, and networking. State-sponsored one-stop career centers provide the resources needed to succeed in the 21st century. Several web sites offer electronic editions of company information resources. Resumes offer information about job seekers that typical application forms will not. They should be positive and short. Online resumes are essential in today's job market. Many job web sites provide assistance in preparing electronic resumes and will post them at no cost. Job interviews should be viewed as sales jobs. Helpful steps for the interview include the following: prepare, make a good first impression, be positive, ask questions, convey information about yourself that you want the employer to know, close the deal, and send a follow-up thank-you letter. (A 17-item annotated bibliography of selected job search-related resources and 8-item reference list constitute approximately 50% of this document.) (MN)

This ERIC Digest is an annotated list of 40 websites and listservs devoted to adult, career, and vocational education. The following websites and listservs are included: six ERIC sites (ACCESS ERIC; AskERIC; the Education Resource Organizations Directory; the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education; ORYX Press/Current Index to Journals in Education Source Journal Index; and Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Consumer Education); two government-related sites (National Center on Education Statistics and U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education); four adult education-related sites (including AEDNET, American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, and the Internet Directory of Literacy and Adult Education Resources); five literacy-related sites (including the National Center for Family Literacy and Ohio Literacy Resource Center); three distance education-related sites (including the Distance Education Training Council); six vocational education-related sites (including the American Vocational Association and the Skill Standards Network); five training-related sites (including the American Society for Training and Development and the Employment and Training Administration); three job-information-related sites (America's Job Bank; Career Development and Job Search Resources on the Internet; and Occupational Outlook Handbook); two sites related to school-to-work (Florida School-to-Work Information Navigator, National School-to-Work Office); and five sites related to financial aid and school directories. (MN)

This digest is intended to help vocational educators learn to make the best use of the World Wide Web. Among the vocational education-related websites and uses of the web profiled are the following: a website that Minnesota high school students can use to search for career opportunities and check local classified ads; a website through which Australian workers can earn a Certificate in Workplace Leadership; a University of Idaho project that allows teacher educators to evaluate teachers in the field through the use of digital cameras, conduct chats related to classes, and conduct examinations and discussions through websites; a rural Ohio program in which students use the Internet to find specific materials related to their vocational programs; a website containing more than 200 manuals, curricula, and guides that have been created by local and state school-to-work offices; websites that a Florida tech prep/school-to-work coordinator uses to conduct a business education classes and help students develop job search skills; and a website containing lesson plans of a Massachusetts vocational high school and samples of students' work. Contains an annotated list of 15 relevant websites and 6 references. (MN)

This digest provides a variety of sources for vocational education curricula, lesson plans, and other instructional materials. The section on networking includes listservs and World Wide Web sites that lead to curriculum resources and other valuable information. Access points to the ERIC database are listed, as are instructional materials labs and consortia that produce and often offer their products for sale to the general public. Names, addresses, telephone numbers, World Wide Web sites, and descriptions are provided for eight organizations: Vocational Instructional Materials Lab, Center on Education and Training for Employment, The Ohio State University; Instructional Materials Laboratory, University of Missouri-Columbia; American Association for Vocational Instructional Materials, Winterville, Georgia; Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center, Oklahoma Department of Vocational and Technical Education; Center for Occupational Research and Development, Waco, Texas; Curriculum Materials Service (agricultural education), Columbus, Ohio; Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States; and Curriculum Publications Clearinghouse, Western Illinois University. The National Center for Research in Vocational Education website, a link to State Vocational and Technical Education Curriculum Centers, is listed. Two Curriculum Coordination Centers that still lend materials within their regions are also cited. (YLB)

This document explains why using the Internet, particularly the World Wide Web, can be a useful method of searching for a job, especially in technical occupations. Most of the websites offer a variety of services, although a few are limited to only one or two. Some are commercial and charge for their services, some do not. For general information about finding a job, searching the web using the terms "job search,""employment opportunities," or "resumes" will lead to a myriad of resources. To locate information about specific positions, it is more effective to do a keyword search being as specific as possible. Although doing a job search on the Internet does not guarantee instant success, it is a way to increase visibility. Disadvantages of the electronic job search include that only jobs that require extensive experience or only undesirable jobs may be posted in some cases. Also, it is difficult to authenticate the job sources, and job seekers lose control of their personal information by posting it on the web. The digest includes a list of websites, listservs, and newsgroups as a starting point for those who are undertaking an electronic job search. Listings include 13 sources for general information about job openings, 5 sites related to specific occupations, 3 sites for resume information and postings, 4 professional associations, 2 geographic listings, and 3 newsgroups. (KC)

Vocational educators are using the Internet in various ways. The director and associate professor of vocational-technical education at Dakota State University uses the Internet primarily for electronic mail. Students in a secondary vocational teacher's international trade and marketing class have participated in real-time conferences with schools in Finland, Israel, and many places in the United States. Students in the University of Florida counseling program use e-mail, search the World Wide Web (WWW) for information, and have group e-mail sessions. Advantages of using the Internet include the following: ability to arouse students' interest, ease of communication among teachers for sharing ideas, availability of new resources, potential to develop new relationships all over the world, and possibility of interaction with experts. Problems are antiquated hardware and software; lack of technical and curriculum support; lack of coherent structure, stability, and documentation; and lack of training, censorship, and quality control. (This digest includes lists of listservs, newsgroups, WWW sites, addresses, and electronic journals and newsletters of interest to vocational educators. Contains seven references.) (YLB)

This ERIC digest contains information regarding finding videotapes, audiotapes, CD-ROMs, computer software, and other nonprint materials about and/or for use in adult, career, and vocational education. Discussed first are the benefits of networking. Resource centers, curriculum coordination centers, and libraries are discussed in terms of their potential as sources of nonprint materials. Forty-two producers of nonprint materials and publishers of directories and reviews of nonprint materials are listed along with their addresses, phone numbers, and the types of materials they produce and the aspects of adult, career, and vocational education covered in the materials. Concluding the digest is an annotated bibliography of six publications that list, discuss, and/or review nonprint materials in the fields of adult, career, and vocational education and that part of the ERIC database which is available through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service. (MN)

Although the ERIC database includes descriptions of documents containing education statistics, it is not designed to provide answers to specific statistical questions. The single best alternative source for statistics regarding all aspects of education and literacy is the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Statistical information can be obtained by calling the information office at NCES; their reports and newsletters can be found at most state, university, and large-city public libraries. Literacy statistics can be located in the report produced by the National Adult Literacy Survey conducted by the NCES in cooperation with the Educational Testing Service. Each state has--or soon will have--a State Literacy Resource Center that will become part of a network of centers to stimulate the coordination of literacy services, enhance the capacity of state and local organizations to provide literacy services, and serve as a link between the National Institute for Literacy (NIL) and service providers. Information and/or statistics on various aspects of literacy can be obtained from the following: Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy; National Center for Family Literacy; Division of Adult Education & Literacy Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education; Center for Literacy Studies; Literacy Volunteers of America; NIL; Contact Center Inc.; and National Center on Adult Literacy. (Contains 12 references.) (YLB)

Career resource centers (CRCs), which are located in both educational settings and the workplace, provide information and services on planning a career and finding a job. CRCs offer information, materials, and services to individuals interested in career planning and development and are typically found in secondary and higher education institutions. Services provided by CRCs include the following: retrieving occupational and educational information; helping individuals use CRC resources; promoting thoughtful career planning, providing job placement and employability skills information; helping individuals assess their attitudes, interests, and aptitudes; and preparing individuals for life-role transitions. CRCs are commonly structured as a series of stations and are ideally staffed by professional, paraprofessional, and support staff trained in areas such as job placement, career planning, retrieval and dissemination of materials, counseling and personnel assessment, curriculum development, and community resource development and coordination. Print, nonprint, and computer-assisted materials should all be included in a CRC's collection of materials. Core CRC materials include directories of schools and nonschool-based programs at all instructional levels, materials on the job search process, occupational information, self-awareness materials, and information about the local job market and support groups. (Addresses of 25 resource material sources and 8 references are included.) (MN)

Steps in preparing and conducting a job search include the following: (1) developing a resume; (2) locating prospective employers; (3) applying for the job; (4) interviewing; and (5) following through. The two types of resumes are the chronological and the functional. Most application forms require some basic information: name, address, and telephone number; social security number; previous job experience; educational information; and references. Among the most frequently used methods of locating employers are cold calls, networking, newspaper ads, and employment agencies. In applying for a job, the cover letter should be personalized and contain relevant information for the job being applied for. The job interview involves an exchange between people trying to find out whether they can work together to mutual benefit. Advance preparation and knowledge of interview etiquette are important. Follow-up includes a thank-you letter and a phone call. (A bibliography lists 16 examples of the types of materials found at career centers and the public library.) (NLA)