General Information

WorkForce Development Special Collections
http://worklink.coe.utk.edu/home.htm
The Workforce Education Special Collection demonstrates the value of workforce learning, fosters and promotes the development of high-quality workforce education programs, provides guidelines for planning and supporting these programs, and supports ongoing communication and collaboration among stakeholders.

Workplace Skills in Practice: Case Studies of Technical Work -1996 Study by National Center of Research for Vocational Education.
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR722/
This study explores skills and work-related dispositions in technical work. It adopts a sociocultural approach to closely examine skills in seven target jobs in worksites representing diverse industries- health care, traffic management, transportation, and semiconductor manufacturing. It explores employers' strategies for obtaining the
skills they need under conditions of technological or organizational change.

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For the student

Get Ready for a Job - A Region 1 Literacy Cyberspace Project
http://literacy.owc.edu/prepare/index.htm
This section of Literacy CyberSpace deals with how best to present yourself when applying for a job--this includes how to fill out an application and how to write a resume.  Also, once you get that job--advice on how to keep it!

Workplace Survival Pack for students
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/workplace/
Great site with work place basic skills activities: Vocabularies for specific jobs, how to measure, managing money & time, help with writing & calculating.

Computer Skills Tutorials
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/
Learn the technology skills you need at your own pace -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -- with any of these free online tutorials. Tutorials covering: Computer Basics, Internet, Microsoft Office, & Life Skills.

Computer Skills Online Courses
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Classes/
Take a free, beginning computer or life-related skills class with a GCF Global Learning® Instructor. After successfully completing a class, you can earn a certificate of completion and IACET accredited, Continuing Education Units.

Work Interest Assessments
http://www.myfuture.com/toolbox/workquizzes.html
Explore what types of jobs you might be interested in, then see how your personality matches up against them. The results may surprise you, and give you some ideas to consider.

Office Skills Test
http://www.expertrating.com/Office-Skills-test.asp
Taking this highly recognized certification is an excellent way for you to prove your professional prowess to employers while giving a boost to your resume. Fee for certification, test is free.

Working Simulations
http://www.workingsimulations.com/theOffice.html#
A FREE interactive office simulation for practicing 21sat century workplace skills. This site is really neat!

Check Writing
https://www.consumerdebit.com/consumerinfo/us/en/aboutchecking/checkbookbasics/index.htm#TopOfPage
Checkbook Basics is an online interactive training program that will help you to effectively manage your checkbook…it's easy, interactive and fun!

Online student activities for job skills: Khake - Vocational Information Center
http://www.khake.com/page3.html
This page provides links to workplace skills, personal skills, life skills, math skills and study skills. It is a thorough exploration of available resources in the above areas.

Khake - Vocational Information Center - Communication Skills
http://www.khake.com/page66.html
Online tutorials and activities on communication skills for work place skills.
Khake - Vocational Information Center - Online Tutorial Guide
http://www.khake.com/page67.html
A guide to free on-line tutorials, courses and self-paced learning modules on the Internet for work place skills.

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For the instructor

Enter Here
http://impactpublications.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=5980
This video-based encyclopedia of career opportunities, the ENTER HERE™ Series, features employees in a wide range of challenging jobs filmed at actual work sites across the country. Introduces viewers to real jobs with real opportunities, shows the relationship between school and work, supports all career pathway choices, encourages continuing education and training, and motivates students without overwhelming them. Each video runs approximately 10 minutes in length, and features reproducible print materials that correspond to each of the videos. Most video programs come with guides and print materials and cost $41.95 each. SUPER SPECIAL: Complete set of 100 videos for only $1,383.95 an incredible $2,809.05 savings! All 100 videos also available in durable hard-shell cases, plus additional training materials and a classroom poster, for $2,159.95 (called the ENTER HERE™ Collection). Closed captioned.

Create Your Own Career
http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/entrepreneur/home.htm
Full curriculum for helping a student become an entrepreneur sponsored by the Nebraska Council on Economic Education.

TN Learning Lab
http://slincs.coe.utk.edu/gtelab/find.html
The Workforce Education LAB (Learning Activities Bank) is an interactive resource of work-related basic skills lessons for use by instructors in the workplace or in traditional adult education programs and by adult learners.

Life Skills Workshops
http://www.workshopsinc.com/manual/
Who is this site for? Educators, counselors, job coaches, and other professionals working to increase the employability of people with disabilities. Over 60 lesson plans to teach people life skills.

School to Careers
http://www.careers.iptv.org/challenges_sub.cfm
Challenge activities are designed by School to Careers (STC) career professionals. They represent real situations that may occur in the workplace. Educators are encouraged use the challenge activities as projects or activities with students.

Workplace Skills: Integrated Curriculum
http://www.aelweb.vcu.edu/publications/GMU/
The George Mason University GTE Curriculum is designed to provide unemployed or under-employed adults with the academic and technical skills needed for sustainable employment in an office environment and to provide the basis for lifelong learning. Job readiness, office technology, and academic skills are integrated and mutually reinforcing.

Khake Vocational Information Center - Work Place Activities -
http://www.khake.com
Explore vocational and technical careers, check out the skills employers really want, find a trade school, research technical topics and take a look at the current job market. This is an incredibly large and useful job skills site.

Demonstrations Lab - Canada
http://demonstrations.alphaplus.ca/
The Web site is based on a diversified learning model that allows users to access different learning approaches. Each of the three sections offers a different learning opportunity that enables users to discover a range of learning experiences from accessing resources, practice opportunities, and feedback on their work.

SBA Training Courses
http://www.sba.gov/training/courses.html
Small Business Administration Training Courses for starting a small business. Free courses include Starting a Business, Accounting, Tax Issues, and Marketing.

Workplace Math Skills Curriculum
http://www.readiowa.org/workplacemath/contents.html
An excellent workplace math skills site. Lessons cover: Basic math, metric conversion and measurement. Work and answer sheets are included.

I-CANN Curriculum for life skills
http://literacynet.org/icans/toc.html
I-CANS was developed as a skills-based instructional system for all providers of basic skills instruction to youth and adults. It assists learners to achieve the skills necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve their personal goals, and to increase their knowledge and develop their full potential.

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Research

Work Place Essentials Study
http://rcgd.isr.umich.edu/tlt/wes.htm
A summative evaluation examined the use of WES in 14 classrooms in six states and Washington, D.C. between September 2000 and June 2001. Each of the four WES content strands - reading, math, communication and employment - was tested in six or more classes. The goal of the study was to determine the potential of the materials to enhance the knowledge and skills of Adult Basic Education (ABE) learners who engaged the materials under optimal conditions, defined as six hours of classroom instruction for each WES curriculum unit.

SCANS Report
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/assment/as7scans.htm
Because the world of work is changing, the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education formed the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) to study the kinds of competencies and skills that workers must have to succeed in today's workplace. The results of the study were published in a document entitled What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000. A summary of the findings are provided in the tables below.

Developing Employability Skills - NWREL
http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/8/c015.html
Researchers looked at a variety of classroom management and instructional practices, including indoctrinational versus democratic teaching strategies; cognitive versus experiential learning; and the effects of different kinds of teacher-student relationships, classroom structures, teacher expectations, degrees of teacher autonomy, and others.

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