| The inauguration of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) in October 1983 marked the beginning of a new approach to federally-financed job training, social programming designed to increase the income and employment opportunities of the economically disadvantaged. According to the new legislation, the planning, delivery, and evaluation of manpower training, as it is commonly known, are now to be shared by government and industry working in "partnership." But legislative action is only the first step. A major question remains: how to develop operational strategies for linking the public and private sectors in collaborative ventures; and, just as important, how to build partnerships based on sound adult-education principles with direct relevance to developing training programs for adult populations.; The purpose of this project was to develop a model for planning and implementing manpower training in conjunction with the private sector. The model would be based on a realistic appraisal of the needs and priorities of the primary actors in manpower partnerships: public- and private-sector administrators as well as the training staff delivering the programming. Moreover, it would be grounded on a solid theoretical footing, embodying adult-education principles relevant to training programs for adult learners.; As background for model building, the researcher conducted a field study of five exemplary training programs, manpower partnerships representing a variety of organizational settings, funded by the Private Industry Council of New York City. Using a qualitative methodology, he collected data on the priorities and concerns of the primary actors in these partnerships: open-ended interviews were conducted with 39 public- and private-sector representatives, administrators as well as training staff. Findings are reported on three phases of implementation: program planning, program management, and program outcomes.; Generalizations derived from the analysis are synthesized in the form of a program-development model. Consisting of seven components or steps, the model is designed to help practitioners develop training partnerships in situations that offer possibility as vehicles for linking the public and private sectors. A final chapter discusses the applicability of additional adult-education principles to manpower training and offers suggestions for further research and action. |
