Workforce

About: Workforce is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 32140 publications have been published within this topic receiving 449850 citations. The topic is also known as: labour force & labor force.

Increasing Student Interest and Attitudes in STEM: Professional Development and Activities to Engage and Inspire Learners

Abstract: The iQUEST (investigation for Quality Understanding and Engagement for Students and Teachers) project is designed to promote student interest and attitudes toward careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The project targets seventhand eighth-grade science classrooms that serve high percentages of Hispanic students. The project design, student summer camp program, and professional development model have led to successful increases in student performance. The iQUEST student summer camp findings show that underserved populations of both female and male students experienced increased interest and attitudes toward science and technology. The iQUEST professional development model seeks to transform middle school science teachers from digital immigrants to advocates for technology being a critical part of student learning through integration of innovative technology experiences in formal science settings. Classroom observations illustrate how teachers have successfully implemented lessons that engage students in hands-on investigations, leading to deeper understanding of science and, therefore improving the potential of underrepresented students competing in STEM fields. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 22% growth in jobs for fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) between 2004 and 2014 (U. S. Department of Labor, 2005). This change requires that the nation’s youth obtain specific skills and be provided opportunities to understand how they can best be prepared for the changes in workforce skill requirements. Lack of STEM-related skills will negatively impact women and minorities’ chances to compete for employment, wages, and leadership in all professional fields (Oakes, 1990). Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 11(1) 48 Groups such as the National Science Board (2006) and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (Frehill, DiFabio, & Hill, 2008) have called the current underrepresentation of minorities and women in STEM fields “America’s pressing challenge” and “the new American dilemma.” Leading businesses and education groups are teaming up and aiming new initiatives at increasing the number of minorities and women entering the pipeline for entry into STEM fields. Women make up 51% of the U.S. population, and Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the U.S., expected to make up 30% of the nation’s population by the year 2050. According to a report released by the National Science Board (2006), Hispanic representation in science and engineering occupations increased from 2 to 3.2% from 2000 to 2007, which is a small increase proportionally considering their overall percentage of the population. Additionally, the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute recently released a publication stating that Latinos are not only poorly represented in STEM fields, but that a severe gender gap exists between male and female representation for Latinos compared with that of other underrepresented populations (Taningco, Mathew, & Pachon, 2008). Based on the current crisis, it is important for educational agencies to help develop the underrepresented population’s potential to become professionals in areas that are essential to our nation’s competetiveness in the global marketplace. Changes in today’s workforce, along with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ expectations for job growth in STEM fields, require that our youth obtain sophisticated skills and support in these areas. In 2005, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that student interest in science and mathematics was about equal for boys and girls at the fourth-grade level, but starting in middle school, girls’ interest declined, and greater numbers of boys were found to complete courses in physics (Grigg, Lauko, & Brockway, 2006; National Center for Education Statistics, 2007). According to the Doing What Works website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education (2010a) for research-based practices, one of the five recommended practices to encourage girls toward math and science is called “Sparking Curiosity.” Teachers are asked to provide students with engaging and meaningful activities as part of regular instruction in order to increase their interest and career aspirations in math and science. The more interested students are in a subject, the more involved they become in their assignments, putting effort into their studies and engaging in deeper levels of thinking. Experts believe that increased student engagement in math, and science at school will eventually lead to involvement in mathand science-related after-school activities and career aspirations. (U.S. Department of Education, 2010a, Sparking Curiosity Practice Summary, p. 1)

The causes and consequences of nursing shortages: a helicopter view of the research.

Abstract: In Australia, as in most industrialised countries, there is an acute shortage of registered nurses. While there are numerous research reports emanating from Canada, the United States and Great Britain that provide insight into reasons for this shortage, little comparable work has been undertaken in Australia. This paper presents an overview of the complex interlinking set of factors which cause or are the consequences of nursing shortages including lifestyle preferences, workforce composition, quality of work life and workload and the impact of organisational change and altered management practices. It is important that managers in Australian health care settings understand these issues in order to work towards developing sustainable solutions for retention.

South Africa's protracted struggle for equal distribution and equitable access - still not there.

Abstract: The purpose of this contribution is to analyse and explain the South African HRH case, its historical evolution, and post-apartheid reform initiatives aimed at addressing deficiencies and shortfalls. HRH in South Africa not only mirrors the nature and diversity of challenges globally, but also the strategies pursued by countries to address these challenges. Although South Africa has strongly developed health professions, large numbers of professional and mid-level workers, and also well-established training institutions, it is experiencing serious workforce shortages and access constraints. This results from the unequal distribution of health workers between the well-resourced private sector over the poorly-resourced public sector, as well as from distributional disparities between urban and rural areas. During colonial and apartheid times, disparities were aggravated by policies of racial segregation and exclusion, remnants of which are today still visible in health-professional backlogs, unequal provincial HRH distribution, and differential access to health services for specific race and class groups. Since 1994, South Africa’s transition to democracy deeply transformed the health system, health professions and HRH establishments. The introduction of free-health policies, the district health system and the prioritisation of PHC ensured more equal distribution of the workforce, as well as greater access to services for deprived groups. However, the HIV/AIDS epidemic brought about huge demands for care and massive patient loads in the public-sector. The emigration of health professionals to developed countries and to the private sector also undermines the strength and effectiveness of the public health sector. For the poor, access to care thus remains constrained and in perpetual shortfall. The post-1994 government has introduced several HRH-specific strategies to recruit, distribute, motivate and retain health professionals to strengthen the public sector and to expand access and coverage. Of great significance among these is the NHI Plan that aims to bridge the structural divide and to redistribute material and human resources more equally. Its success largely hinges on HRH and the balanced deployment of the national workforce. Low- and middle-income countries have much to learn from South African HRH experiences. In turn, South Africa has much to learn from other countries, as this case study shows.

Australia's innovation in youth mental health care: The headspace centre model.

Abstract: Aim headspace is Australia's innovation in youth mental healthcare and comprises the largest national network of enhanced primary care, youth mental health centres world-wide. headspace centres aim to intervene early in the development of mental ill-health for young people aged 12 to 25 years by breaking down the barriers to service access experienced by adolescents and emerging adults and providing holistic healthcare. Centres have been progressively implemented over the past 12 years and are expected to apply a consistent model of integrated youth healthcare. Internationally, several countries are implementing related approaches, but the specific elements of such models have not been well described in the literature. Method This paper addresses this gap by providing a detailed overview of the 16 core components of the headspace centre model. Results The needs of young people and their families are the main drivers of the headspace model, which has 10 service components (youth participation, family and friends participation, community awareness, enhanced access, early intervention, appropriate care, evidence-informed practice, four core streams, service integration, supported transitions) and six enabling components (national network, Lead Agency governance, Consortia, multidisciplinary workforce, blended funding, monitoring and evaluation). Conclusion Through implementation of these core components headspace aims to provide easy access to one-stop, youth-friendly mental health, physical and sexual health, alcohol and other drug, and vocational services for young people across Australia.