Skill Standards Systems in Selected Countries. Volume IV.

This report is designed as a companion to a three-volume report that describes how education and industry skill standards systems operate in the United States. It provides an overview of international efforts to develop processes and systems to "harmonize" the recognition of an individual's competencies and skills across national boundaries. Chapter I presents a general review of the international context and highlights generic differences between U.S. systems and all other countries. Chapters II-IV describe efforts in six countries to organize skill setting standards systems. Chapter II describes two countries that focus on the youth apprenticeship approach to training: Denmark and Germany. Chapter III discusses two countries--Canada and Japan--that focus on the development of skill certification systems for occupations that have a large amount of mobility across jurisdictions--the crafts and trades. Chapter IV focuses on the United Kingdom and Australia, in which the promulgation of skill standards and certification systems are viewed as central to the competitiveness strategy of the overall economies, and the development of the industry-driven skill standard systems are having direct impact on the organization and structure of vocational preparation institutions. Chapter V offers concluding observations. Appendixes provide references for each country's study (58 in all) and technical information on skill standards categories for Denmark, Germany, and Japan. (YLB)