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The development of a national system of voluntary industry skill standards has
become a central element in education reform. The purpose of this project is
to develop a conceptual framework/typology which encompasses the different
approaches to skill standards development, both in the United States and
abroad. The many approaches that exist now can undoubtedly be simplified and
categorized into a number of basic approaches. Such a classification effort
has several benefits. It forces the analyst to differentiate the core
components of an approach from the more peripheral ones, and establishes a
smaller number of models to greatly facilitate diffusion and evaluation.
The project will be based on an analysis of existing skill standards systems
in the United States, including the current DOL and DOE pilot projects. In
conjunction with that work, David Finegold at RAND will review experience with
skill standards in Europe and possibly other countries.
In developing and disseminating the results of this project, we expect to work
closely with the National Industry Skill Standards Board. Indeed, our goal is
to develop a framework that the Board can use in its work. In addition, we
expect that the results of this project will be useful for any practitioner and
policymaker involved with the development and implementation of industry skill
standards. These include staff at the Departments of Education and Labor who
will be working with the Board and overseeing the pilot projects, state-level
employees working on standards, and local-level program operators putting
programs into practice.
A draft report will be developed which will be discussed at an NCRVE
conference on skills and skill standards planned for the fall of 1995. (The
draft will be revised [with appropriate additional research] to produce a final
report in 1996.) In addition, a report on the international perspective will
be produced in 1995.
This project will make extensive use of group and conference/meeting
discussions in an effort to share and gather information. We will utilize
current contacts and relationships with industry and union representatives,
policymakers, substantive experts, and educators in our efforts to disseminate
our results. The final report will be distributed to interested project
directors involved in the DOE and DOL skill standards initiatives as well as
policymakers, academic and research staff members, and education
practitioners.
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