The U.S. Education Department is conducting a national search for outstanding vocatonal-education programs.
Nominations from each state will be entered in one of 10 regional competitions for the Secretary’s Award for Outstanding Vocational Education Programs. A review team from the department’s regional offices will visit the schools of each program nominated before the end of the school year.
After the site visits, a panel that will include business and industry representatives will select three programs from each of the 10 regions. The assistant secretary for vocational and adult education, acting on the advice of a nationally recognized panel of experts, will make the final selection for the 10 regional awards.
Past winners have included forestry conservation and energy programs. The 1983 winners are scheduled to be announced in the fall.
The National Center for Research in Vocational Education is accepting applications for a limited number of fellowships for independent study on issues related to the role of vocational education in the nation’s economic development and productivity.
The Advanced Study Fellowships are designed to provide participants with an opportunity for professional and leadership development. Applicants will be judged on the basis of leadership ability, academic achievement, record of scholarship, potential contribution to the field, and proposed focus of study.
The deadline for all applications is June 16; the fellowships will be awarded in July. For additional information, contact Art Lee, the ncrve, Ohio State University, 1960 Kenny Rd., Columbus, Ohio 43210, or call (800) 848-4815.
A three-and-a-half-year project to develop and validate competency measurements in several vocational-education areas has been completed and the standards are now available for use in secondary and postsecondary schools nationwide, according to a spokesman for the Education Department’s office of vocational and adult education, which funded the project.
The standards cover 18 occupations, including diesel mechanic, carpenter, apparel sales, dental and electronic technician, restaurant service, word-processing specialist, and physical-therapist assistant.
Nearly 900 private-sector employees and military personnel took one or more segments of the test and more than 1,600 business and industry supervisors in all 50 states participated in validating the standards.
In addition to the schools, an ovae spokesman said, employers may also find the tests useful for hiring new employees and for assessing employee-training needs.
For additional information, contact the American Association of Vocational Instructional Materials, 120 Driftmier Engineering Center, Athens, Ga. 30602.--sgf
