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Work and Education Initiative (2)
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16989472
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Work and Education Initiative (2)
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The original documents are located in Box 40, folder "Work and Education Initiative (2)" of the James M. Cannon Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 40 of the James M. Cannon Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON June 17, 1975 File MEMORANDUM FOR: THE VICE PRESIDENT work Educations FROM: ART QUERN Throep SUBJECT: Summary of Discussions with Wilbur Cohen and Deans from Michigan Schools of Education This is to provide you with a brief summary of the meeting with Wilbur Cohen and the deans from Michigan Schools of Education: 1. FY 76 Education Appropriations Congress is moving toward a FY 76 appropriations bill for all major federal education programs which at a minimum will be $1 billion over the President's budget request of $6 billion. Wilbur Cohen indicated that the education establishment was strongly behind this move to increase the appro- priation. He urged your recommending to the President that when the bill comes to him, he sign it because: A. The Administration (Nixon-Ford was the way Cohen put it) has a reputation of being against education. A veto would serve to reinforce this image. B. If there is a veto, it will be overridden because of the influence of the education establishment. 2. Vocational Education - World of Work The deans supported the President's initiative on bringing classroom education into better relationship with employment needs. One specific suggestion the deans offered was to organizationally combine vocational education together GERALD FORD VIBRARY -2- with manpower programs in the U.S. Department of Labor. This in turn might lead to a national computerized job bank which could both identify current fields needing trained workers and project future needs. Vocational education programs and manpower training grants could then be geared to these needs. 3. Federal Education Research Funding and Goals In brief, the deans argued that much greater use of the expertise present at Colleges of Education could be used in setting goals and determining allocations of federal funds for research in the field of education. They specifically suggested that Deans of Colleges of Education be named to HEW advisory groups. 4. Grant Consolidation The point here was that the deans believed that any effort to consolidate education categorical grants must be additive and in effect not replace any existing programs. They did suggest that organizational consolidations were possible and specifically mentioned the possi- bility of one single federal research agency which combined the National Institute of Education with the National Center for Education Statistics and some other federal operations which do research in the field of education. CC: Jim Cannon or GERALD FORD LIBRARY THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON June 21, 1975 ADMINISTRATIVELY CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM FOR: JIM CANNON FROM: JIM CONNOR JE le SUBJECT: WORK AND EDUCATION The President has reviewed your memorandum of June 16th on the above subject and indicated the following: Option I Withhold approval and sci-up a meeting with Secretaries Weinberger, Dunlop and Morton. Please follow-up with appropriate action. cc: Don Rumsfeld GERALD R FORD LIBRARY THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON June 30, 1975 MEMORANDUM FOR: JIM CANNON FROM: ART QUERN Floot SUBJECT: Work and Education Meeting Attached is the briefing memorandum for Wednesday's meeting with the President. In essence, I believe that Paul O'Neill's assessment (Tab B in the attached briefing paper) that we are not likely to get any better product from these three agencies is correct. Therefore, I believe the goal of this meeting should be: 1. To let the Secretaries know that their proposals were viewed as vague and lacking in specifics on how they would be implemented without new funds. 2. To give general presidential endorsement to the eight areas but require a specific action plan be developed and submitted for approval to OMB and the Domestic Council. Ongoing review would also be required. 3. To resist the establishment of any new entity such as a Council on Work and Education or a Cabinet subcommittee. Attachment GERALD FORD LIBRARY THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON June 30, 1975 DISCUSSION OF WORK AND EDUCATION PROPOSALS Wednesday, July 2, 1975 2:30 p.m. (30 minutes) The Oval Office From: Jim Cannon June I. PURPOSE To seek a clearer and more specific basis for decisions in regard to the recent "work and education" proposals (Tab A) from HEW, Labor, and Commerce to determine: --- Whether the proposals offer any specific new potential for progress in bringing world of education and needs of employment closer together. -- If approved, what resources would be used to implement them. II. BACKGROUND, PARTICIPANTS, PRESS PLAN A. Background: After your Ohio State speech in August 1974, HEW, Labor, and Commerce were asked to develop proposals for better relating the education received in school with the needs of the world of work. Earlier proposals have either been too costly or have lacked innovation. The most recent proposals were submitted in a memorandum which described the concepts in vague fashion. The description provided only a limited basis for judging if these proposals offered any new potential for progress toward the work and education goal and, if they did, how the proposals might be implemented. You have withheld approval of the proposals and this meeting is to seek a clearer basis for judging whether or not the proposals should be approved. FORD i 07V839 LIBRARY -2- Should the discussion provide a more detailed basis for approving the eight steps the Secretaries suggested, you could in accordance with OMB's recommendation (Tab B), approve these proposals in principle and ask that a specific action plan for implementing each of the eight items be submitted to Jim Lynn and me within four weeks. I would recommend against considering the estab- lishment of any new entity such as a Cabinet Subcommittee or a Council on Work and Education at this time. B. Participants: Secretaries Weinberger, Morton, and Dunlop, James Lynn, Robert Goldwin, and Jim Cannon. C. Press Plan: White House Photographer. III. TALKING POINTS 1. I am as you know, concerned that current education programs are not giving our youth the best possible preparation for a transition to employment. Most of the items you propose are part of currently operating programs so I am interested in learning just what changes you are proposing. 2. I know that a tremendous amount of effort has gone into the development of your "work and education" proposals but before approving these proposals I wanted to talk with you to get a better sense of how these would be implemented if approved. GERALD LISARY FORD May 29, 1975 MEMORANDUM FOR: THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: EDUCATION AND WORK INITIATIVE Your Ohio State speech on education and work generated a favorable response. The problems you identified are of great concern to many people. Your speech inspired anticipation and support for a closer relationship between education and the world of work. Our extensive review of the evidence, of relevant studies, and of ongoing activities and programs, as well as con- sultation with many people in and outside of Government, confirms the conclusion that many problems result from the relative isolation of schools and colleges from work, the community and even the family. The thrust of this initiative should be bringing together these institutions. In educational institutions and communities around the country, there is a readiness to deal with the problems you discussed, and the beginning of a consensus on how it can be done. However, current efforts are highly uneven in quality. This initiative should encourage and build on these efforts. Our strategy will be to energize local action. We want to encourage rededicated effort from the many educators, businessmen, workers and community leaders who are al- ready striving to bridge the gap between schools and the world outside. We hope that a range of activities can be developed in some of these communities so as to demon- strate the effectiveness of bridging that gap. And we hope to stimulate the interest and involvement of many people and communities which have yet to begin such ac- tivities. In addition to motivating local efforts, we can facilitate and enhance them. We can redirect existing Federal pro- grams and coordinate them in support of the initiative. We can reduce barriers and increase flexibility to meet individual and local needs. We can support research and GERALD FORD LIBRARY 2 provide information about what seems effective and what other communities are doing. In sum, we propose to focus on influencing the huge expenditures which are already being made for education and training, rather than adding another shiny new program. LEADERSHIP To energize local action, we think three levels of Federal leadership will be necessary. 1. Personal Leadership: Your leadership raised this problem to national attention. Your continued involvement is necessary to keep that attention and to encourage action. We recommend that you continue personal leader- ship of this initiative, include appeals for institutional change in speeches to education and business groups, and make the linking of education and work an important part of Administration policy. Approve Disapprove 2. Cabinet Committee: You asked us to report to you on ways to implement the initiative as this memorandum does. We would like your approval to continue working to put these proposals into practice. Each of us would partici- pate in providing leadership and would assign a number of senior staff to form a core group to be responsible for implementation, and to redirect and coordinate Federal activities in support of the initiative. We would like to ask the Secretaries of Agriculture and Defense and the Director of ACTION to participate with us. Approve Disapprove 3. Council on Education and Work: Stimulation of local action will require a sense of participation by the various interest groups involved. Prominent educators and young people, businessmen and workers, community and organiza- tional leaders should be called to share responsibility for making the initiative a success. Represented on the Council would be groups with wide responsibility and influence in education such as the Chief State School Officers and the National Education Association, as well GERALD FORD 3 as organizations with networks of local chapters such as the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO, the Boy Scouts and the 4-H Clubs. These organizations will serve as "extension agents" to encourage local action and demonstra- tions and to provide communities with information from a clearinghouse of "how to" information which would be staffed by our Departments. Approve Disapprove DIRECTIONS Eight areas have been identified in which we should encour- age improvement -- and in some cases expansion -- of ongoing local activities. The areas were selected after a careful review of the possibilities because they lent themselves to collaboration between schools and other organizations, because they offered particularly good opportunities for constructive activity, and because they were mutually com- plementary. In each area, we have identified specific ways in which the Federal Government can encourage the desired improvements. We will encourage such activities everywhere there is a readiness to undertake them, but we will be especially interested in supporting the efforts of communities which are engaged in an array of such acti- vities so as to demonstrate the effectiveness of such a concentration of effort. 1. Work Experience: We should encourage communities to make available to young people work experience of better quality and more variety than is now offered and to relate such work experience to secondary and postsecondary school- ing. Most young people do get some work experience while still in school, but they tend to be relegated to "youth jobs" --- a narrow range of positions that require little training and experience. Cooperative education programs, in which students divide their time between the job and the classroom, are the best-known examples of integrated work-and-schooling. Although federally supported coopera- tive education is primarily for vocational students, some schools are now experimenting with planned work experience for students in academic and general courses. 2. Competency-based Education: We should support research to identify and to assess the capabilities actually used for work and other adult activities. These competences should be among those which form the basis for teaching, testing, FORD GERALD 4 credentialing and accrediting in schools and colleges. Schools now stress particular means by which a competence might be acquired rather than attainment of competency, however acquired. Important steps toward emphasizing competency are being made under the concept of competency- based education, in which interest has greatly increased in the past two years. Many people believe that this con- cept has significant potential. However, its potential will not be realized without a substantial amount of care- fully planned research and development. The need for this R&D is most evident in the area of competency-based teacher licensing (now mandated by law in 17 States and under con- sideration in 15 more) and competency-based elementary and secondary education (toward which several States are moving). In other instances -- for example, occupational licensing or dertifying special skills of young people --- assessment capability may already be sound enough to implement com- petency-based credentials. 3. Career Education: We should encourage development of career education, placing high priority on bringing workers and businessmen into schools to assist teachers and guid- ance counselors, helping students to assess their interests and abilities, including the family in working/learning with students, and providing work exploration programs at the junior high school level. The essence of the career educa- tion concept is collaboration by schools with the world of work, other community organizations and the family. Thus, it is a precursor of this initiative. The concept stresses including career awareness, exploration, planning and train- ing as part of every person's education. It encompasses vocational, academic and general courses, and seeks to eliminate rigid tracking by these categories. Career educa- tion also encourages life-long career development, including continuing education. 4. Economic Education: We should encourage economic educa- tion. Toward this objective, we recommend that you endorse the efforts of the Joint Council on Economic Education to improve the teaching of economics at elementary and secondary levels and that we provide financial assistance for im- proving economic education. Such education provides a better understanding of the American economic system, but is offered in only 39% of American high schools, and taken by only one out of six students. 5. Television: We should develop techniques to use tele- vision as another tool to bring together schooling with BERRLD FORD 5 the world outside, particularly the world of work. Children spend more hours watching TV prior to graduation from high school than they do in class. TV is uniquely suited to pro- vide youngsters with vicarious experience in a wide variety of careers, and to reach most everyone at low cost. Young people can then examine in depth careers which seem inter- esting by field trips, work experience and research into occupational information. TV may also be used to increase awareness of learning resources in the community and to encourage family activities. 6. Occupational Information: We should develop a variety of strategies for the effective use of occupational in- formation by young people in making educational and career plans. In ten States, grants to develop a variety of ap- proaches to the delivery of occupational information are now being supported by the Department of Labor. To the extent possible without new funding, DoL, DoC and DHEW will provide technical assistance to additional States and to local organizations to help them improve the delivery of occupational and educational information. In DHEW, a num- ber of innovation-oriented programs are seeking to create and evaluate more effective ways to help young people make informed career choices. 7. Placement Services: We should make placement services readily available to students and to those making the transition to work. This could be done by encouraging direct linkages between schools and the Employment Service or between schools and CETA Councils or other appropriate community or youth organizations. 8. The Adult Period: Prior recommendations centered mainly on young people in the secondary and postsecondary years because the most acute need is there. But the isolation between education and work also hurts adults. Mature women entering or reentering the labor force, veterans, employees affected by technological or market changes, and people whose abilities are developing or whose interests are chang- ing, would benefit from increased flexibility in and dove- tailing of school and work. We recommend that our three Departments study and report to you on ways to assist adults with the problems resulting from the isolation of work and education. The study would include continuing education, nontraditional education and improvements in the environment of the workplace. These eight recommendations are mutually supportive. They would make easier the movement from school to work and back FORD ALD 6 again. But even more important, the quality of our education and our work would be raised. More of our learning in the early years would come from experience, in recognition of the fact that education is diminished when it is confined to schooling. And more of our work in the middle years would provide for learning, even to the point of further schooling, in recognition of the fact that we need to change and want to grow during these years. Study and practice would be encompassed by a new community of learning. Approve Disapprove BUDGET PRIORITIES Given current economic circumstances, we plan to begin this initiative with existing funds. The Departments participating have substantial research and program funds, some of which will be redirected toward implementation of this initiative and coordinated with similar funds from other agencies. More- over, in the FY 1976 budget, some agencies' requests and OMB decisions were made with the initiative in mind. We identified some critical limitations in our ability to shift existing funds. We also feel that some additional funding would take advantage of the receptiveness we found throughout the country. to get a good start toward our goals. In future years, therefore, we may request additional funds in support of this initiative. Draz Secretary CAN of Commerce John Secretary of Labor /Education Secretary and of Health Welfare GERALD FORD EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503 June 13, 1975 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT FROM: Paul H. O'Neill Ohein SUBJECT: Work and Education I agree with Jim Cannon's observations about the vagueness and lack of specifics in the paper submitted by the Secretaries. However, I doubt that asking them for more information will result in a significantly better product. Therefore, I recommend that you: 1) Approve their recommendation to continue your personal leadership through speeches, etc. 2) Disapprove their recommendation to establish a Cabinet Committee but agree to add the Secretaries of Agriculture and Defense and the Director of Action to their working group; constituted as a sub-committee of the Domestic Council. 3) Defer their recommendation to create a Council on Education and Work until they supply more specifics. 4) Approve their recommendations for directions. 5) Instruct the Secretaries to give you a specific action plan within four weeks for each of the areas you have approved. 6) Instruct the Secretaries to provide you with reports every six weeks indicating the progress they are making against the objectives established in their action plans. GERALD FORD LIBRARY A FORD & ERALD LIBR, R, May 29, 1975 MEMORANDUM FOR: THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: EDUCATION AND WORK INITIATIVE Your Ohio State speech on education and work generated a favorable response. The problems you identified are of great concern to many people. Your speech inspired anticipation and support for a closer relationship between education and the world of work. Our extensive review of the evidence, of relevant studies, and of ongoing activities and programs, as well as con- sultation with many people in and outside of Government, confirms the conclusion that many problems result from the relative isolation of schools and colleges from work, the community and even the family. The thrust of this initiative should be bringing together these institutions. In educational institutions and communities around the country, there is a readiness to deal with the problems you discussed, and the beginning of a consensus on how it can be done. However, current efforts are highly uneven in quality. This initiative should encourage and build on these efforts. Our strategy will be to energize local action. We want to encourage rededicated effort from the many educators, businessmen, workers and community leaders who are al- ready striving to bridge the gap between schools and the world outside. We hope that a range of activities can be developed in some of these communities so as to demon- strate the effectiveness of bridging that gap. And we hope to stimulate the interest and involvement of many people and communities which have yet to begin such ac- tivities. In addition to motivating local efforts, we can facilitate and enhance them. We can redirect existing Federal pro- grams and coordinate them in support of the initiative. We can reduce barriers and increase flexibility to meet individual and local needs. We can support research and GERALD FORD 2 provide information about what seems effective and what other communities are doing. In sum, we propose to focus on influencing the huge expenditures which are already being made for education and training, rather than adding another shiny new program. LEADERSHIP To energize local action, we think three levels of Federal leadership will be necessary. 1. Personal Leadership: Your leadership raised this problem to national attention. Your continued involvement is necessary to keep that attention and to encourage action. We recommend that you continue personal leader- ship of this initiative, include appeals for institutional change in speeches to education and business groups, and make the linking of education and work an important part of Administration policy. Approve Disapprove 2. Cabinet Committee: You asked us to report to you on ways to implement the initiative as this memorandum does. We would like your approval to continue working to put these proposals into practice. Each of us would partici- pate in providing leadership and would assign a number of senior staff to form a core group to be responsible for implementation, and to redirect and coordinate Federal activities in support of the initiative. We would like to ask the Secretaries of Agriculture and Defense and the Director of ACTION to participate with us. Approve Disapprove 3. Council on Education and Work: Stimulation of local action will require a sense of participation by the various interest groups involved. Prominent educators and young people, businessmen and workers, community and organiza- tional leaders should be called to share responsibility for making the initiative a success. Represented on the Council would be groups with wide responsibility and influence in education such as the Chief State School Officers and the National Education Association, as well LIGHTS GERALD FORD 3 as organizations with networks of local chapters such as the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO, the Boy Scouts and the 4-H Clubs. These organizations will serve as "extension agents" to encourage local action and demonstra- tions and to provide communities with information from a clearinghouse of "how to" information which would be staffed by our Departments. Approve Disapprove DIRECTIONS Eight areas have been identified in which we should encour- age improvement --- and in some cases expansion -- of ongoing local activities. The areas were selected after a careful review of the possibilities because they lent themselves to collaboration between schools and other organizations, because they offered particularly good opportunities for constructive activity, and because they were mutually com- plementary. In each area, we have identified specific ways in which the Federal Government can encourage the desired improvements. We will encourage such activities everywhere there is a readiness to undertake them, but we will be especially interested in supporting the efforts of communities which are engaged in an array of such acti- vities so as to demonstrate the effectiveness of such a concentration of effort. 1. Work Experience: We should encourage communities to make available to young people work experience of better quality and more variety than is now offered and to relate such work experience to secondary and postsecondary school- ing. Most young people do get some work experience while still in school, but they tend to be relegated to "youth jobs" -- a narrow range of positions that require little training and experience. Cooperative education programs, in which students divide their time between the job and the classroom, are the best-known examples of integrated work-and-schooling. Although federally supported coopera- tive education is primarily for vocational students, some schools are now experimenting with planned work experience for students in academic ànd general courses. 2. Competency-based Education: We should support research to identify and to assess the capabilities actually used for work and other adult activities. These competences should be among those which form the basis for teaching, testing, FORD GERALD 4 credentialing and accrediting in schools and colleges. Schools now stress particular means by which a competence might be acquired rather than attainment of competency, however acquired. Important steps toward emphasizing competency are being made under the concept of competency- based education, in which interest has greatly increased in the past two years. Many people believe that this con- cept has significant potential. However, its potential will not be realized without a substantial amount of care- fully planned research and development. The need for this R&D is most evident in the area of competency-based teacher licensing (now mandated by law in 17 States and under con- sideration in 15 more) and competency-based elementary and secondary education (toward which several States are moving). In other instances -- for example, occupational licensing or dertifying special skills of young people -- assessment capability may already be sound enough to implement com- petency-based credentials. 3. Career Education: We should encourage development of career education, placing high priority on bringing workers and businessmen into schools to assist teachers and guid- ance counselors, helping students to assess their interests and abilities, including the family in working/learning with students, and providing work exploration programs at the junior high school level. The essence of the career educa- tion concept is collaboration by schools with the world of work, other community organizations and the family. Thus, it is a precursor of this initiative. The concept stresses including career awareness, exploration, planning and train- ing as part of every person's education. It encompasses vocational, academic and general courses, and seeks to eliminate rigid tracking by these categories. Career educa- tion also encourages life-long career development, including continuing education. 4. Economic Education: We should encourage economic educa- tion. Toward this objective, we recommend that you endorse the efforts of the Joint Council on Economic Education to improve the teaching of economics at elementary and secondary levels and that we provide financial assistance for im- proving economic education. Such education provides a better understanding of the American economic system, but is offered in only 39% of American high schools, and taken by only one out of six students. 5. Television: We should develóp techniques to use tele- vision as another tool to bring together schooling with BERMLD FORD 5 the world outside, particularly the world of work. Children spend more hours watching TV prior to graduation from high school than they do in class. TV is uniquely suited to pro- vide youngsters with vicarious experience in a wide variety of careers, and to reach most everyone at low cost. Young people can then examine in depth careers which seem inter- esting by field trips, work experience and research into occupational information. TV may also be used to increase awareness of learning resources in the community and to encourage family activities. 6. Occupational Information: We should develop a variety of strategies for the effective use of occupational in- formation by young people in making educational and career plans. In ten States, grants to develop a variety of ap- proaches to the delivery of occupational information are now being supported by the Department of Labor. To the extent possible without new funding, DOL, DoC and DHEW will provide technical assistance to additional States and to local organizations to help them improve the delivery of occupational and educational information. In DHEW, a num- ber of innovation-oriented programs are seeking to create and evaluate more effective ways to help young people make informed career choices. 7. Placement Services: We should make placement services readily available to students and to those making the transition to work. This could be done by encouraging direct linkages between schools and the Employment Service or between schools and CETA Councils or other appropriate community or youth organizations. 8. The Adult Period: Prior recommendations centered mainly on young people in the secondary and postsecondary years because the most acute need is there. But the isolation between education and work also hurts adults. Nature women entering or reentering the labor force, veterans, employees affected by technological or market changes, and people whose abilities are developing or whose interests are chang- ing, would benefit from increased flexibility in and dove- tailing of school and work. We recommend that our three Departments study and report to you on ways to assist adults with the problems resulting from the isolation of work and education. The study would include continuing education, nontraditional education and improvements in the environment of the workplace. These eight recommendations are mutually supportive. They would make easier the movement from school to work and back FORD RALD 6 again. But even more important, the quality of our education and our work would be raised. More of our learning in the early years would come from experience, in recognition of the fact that education is diminished when it is confined to schooling. And more of our work in the middle years would provide for learning, even to the point of further schooling, in recognition of the fact that we need to change and want to grow during these years. Study and practice would be encompassed by a new community of learning. Approve Disapprove BUDGET PRIORITIES Given current economic circumstances, we plan to begin this initiative with existing funds. The Departments participating have substantial research and program funds, some of which will be redirected toward implementation of this initiative and coordinated with similar funds from other agencies. More- over, in the FY 1976 budget, some agencies' requests and OMB decisions were made with the initiative in mind. We identified some critical limitations in our ability to shift existing funds. We also feel that some additional funding would take advantage of the receptiveness we found throughout the country. to get a good start toward our goals. In future years, therefore, we may request additional funds in support of this initiative. Bire Secretary of Commerce Secretary of Labor /Education Secretary and of Health Welfare GERALD FORD B EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503 June 13, 1975 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT FROM: Paul H. O'Neill Ohain SUBJECT: Work and Education I agree with Jim Cannon's observations about the vagueness and lack of specifics in the paper submitted by the Secretaries. However, I doubt that asking them for more information will result in a significantly better product. Therefore, I recommend that you: 1) Approve their recommendation to continue your personal leadership through speeches, etc. 2) Disapprove their recommendation to establísh a Cabinet Committee but agree to add the Secretaries of Agriculture and Defense and the Director of Action to their working group; constituted as a sub-committee of the Domestic Council. 3) Defer their recommendation to create a Council on Education and Work until they supply more specifics. 4) Approve their recommendations for directions. 5) Instruct the Secretaries to give you a specific action plan within four weeks for each of the areas you have approved. 6) Instruct the Secretaries to provide you with reports every six weeks indicating the progress they are making against the objectives established in their action plans. FORD GERALD Allen: Lissy Memo? U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20210 SEP 18 1976 MEMORANDUM FOR: JAMES M. CANNON FROM: MICHAEL H. MOSKOW mim SUBJECT: Progress Report on Work and Education Initiatives On August 30, 1974, the President directed the Secretaries of Labor, Health, Education and Welfare and Commerce to identify and demonstrate new ways in which local insti- tutions of education, business, labor and government could collaborate to ease the transition for young people between school and work. This is the progress report you recently requested from us. DOL Activities The Department of Labor's efforts in support of this initia- tive have centered on the four major objectives described below and listed in Appendix A. I. Bring together work and education through direct improvement of institutional linkages The most important activity is an $890,000 project with the National Manpower Institute to establish a consortium of a minimum of 15 communities which will serve as models of local work and education collaboration, and to establish an information network to serve all communities interested in generating similar efforts. The project began in February, 1976, and should be completed in Fedruary, 1978. The Employ- ment and Training Administration also added 400 counselors in local employment service offices to help find jobs for youth this summer ($800,000) and is currently supporting a special counseling service for youth with the Wisconsin Job Service ($249,000). In addition, the National Alliance of Businessmen operated a Vocational Exploration Program ($225,000) for the DOL last summer, underwriting wages for up to 30 youth in each of 10 cities while they explored various occupations. GERALD FORD LIBRARY - 2 - II. Review Federal Regulations and Policy to (a) reduce barriers to youth employment, and (b) improve program services to youth The Employment Standards Administration is making special efforts to disseminate information to employers on laws and regulations affecting youth employment. In addition, the Employment and Training Administration is reviewing and plans to republish its regulations for the summer job program in time to encourage CETA prime sponsors to improve youth work experience next summer. III. Improve the dissemination and use of occupational and career guidance information DOL will continue to support the National Occupational Information Service in eight pilot states and provide as- sistance to other states to develop their own systems to aid those making career choices. New efforts are also being made to develop means of making existing Bureau of Labor Statistics data on youth employment useful to local needs. IV. Research and Demonstration The research will be directed predominantly toward demon- stration activities, the largest of which, "Project 70,001", involves placement of youth in sales and distribution positions in 10 communities. DOL is also carrying out a project to synthesize the findings of ten years of opera- tional research in the problems of youth in the workplace. Problems There have been major problems in defining the scope of work and agency roles in support of the initiative. In part, this has been brought about by the fact that during the last two years each of the three Departments has been directed by three different Secretaries. To give the DOL effort em- phasis and continuity, Secretary Usery has now formally established the DOL project staff by issuing a Secretarial Order and has suggested similar action to Secretaries Richardson and Mathews. During much of the early work of the Project, line agency staff in all departments did not perceive a clear mandate to commit themselves, their Departments or their resources to the initiative. At the request of Secretary Usery, -3- the steering committee now consists of the three personal representatives of the Secretaries. It is important that these secretarial representatives continue to receive the full support of all elements of their departments. A third area of concern has been staff assigned to the Project. Since December, DOL has had 2 1/2 full-time employees working on the Project. In June 1976 DOL allocated seven positions to staff the initiative. During this period, staff support from other Departments has been minimal. Should you wish, I am ready to provide you further infor- mation on the results of this effort. APPENDIX A WORK AND EDUCATION INITIATIVE DOL ACTIVITIES Activities $ Committed or Estimated Schedule Objective I Bringing Together Work and Education Activities Ongoing or Completed National Manpower Institute - 15 Work and Education Councils and Information 2/15/76 - Exchange $ 890,754 2/28/78 American Association of Com- munity and Junior Colleges (AACJC) Labor/Community College Service Center to Promote Cooperation and and Innovation 79,000 National Alliance of Business- men (NAB) in Conjunction with HRDI-- Vocational Exploration Program Pilot Summer Program for Disadvantaged in-School 6/11/76 - Youth (300 slots) 225,000 9/1/76 Employment Service 1. Summer Employment of Job Counselors (400 positions) 800,000 6/76 - 9/76 2. Wisconsin Job Service 5/1/76 - Team Approach 249,416 4/31/77 Total 2,244,170 Activities Under Negotiation AACJC Work and Education Council (s) 75,000 9/30/76 NAB Work and Education Council (s) 300,000 9/30/76 $ Committed or Estimated Schedule NAIEC National Association for Industry Education Coop- eration -- Promotional Film $ 75,000 10/30/76 FICE Federal Interagency Com- mittee on Education Devel- opment of Pamphlet on In- novative Funding of Work Contractor in Experience Programs 5,000 process of (DOL Share) being selected Total $ 455,000 Total Objective I - $2,699,170 Objective II - Review of Federal Regulations and Policy Activities On-going or Completed USES Program Letter Issued Promoting Cooperative ES - High School Program NA In-House Analysis of Employer Liability Problems Associated with Work - Experience Programs NA Total Objective II - NA Objective III - Occupational Information Activities On-going or Completed National Occupation Information Service (8 States) 3,000,000 On-going since 1974 American Personnel and Guidance Association Workshops in Con- 2/10/76 - junction with OIS 21,438 5/15/77 Feasibility Study and Design of Curricula Development on Occupational Information 9,900 9/76 - 12/76 Total Objective III $3,031,338 $ Committed or Estimated Schedule Objective IV - Research and Demonstration Activities On-going or Completed Project 70,001, Ltd. Placement and Support Programs in Sales 2/15/76 and Distribution $628,000 2/14/77 George Washington University Linked Classroom and Exper- iental Learning in 4/1/76 - Allied Health Field. 480,000 3/30/77 Epilepsy Foundation Place- ment Program 544,789 Funded 8/76 Pennsylvania State University Study on Estimating Proba- bility of Youth 9/11/76 Transition 24,000 9/1/77 ASPER In-House Project on Probability of Youth Transition 10,000 8/76 8/77 BLS Study on Factors In- fluencing Success in the Labor Market 55,000 Council for Opportunity in Graduate Management Educa- tion (COGME) to Encourage 10/1/75 - Minority Study in Management 300,000 9/30/78 ETA R&D Pull-Together of 7/1/76 - Youth Programs 14,650 11/1/77 Total 2,056,439 Activities Under Negotiation Agreement with Interagency Panel on Adolescence for Support to Initiative NA American Council on Education Feasibility Study on Awarding Educational Credit for BAT Registered Apprenticeship Programs Total Objective IV - $ 2,056,439 Total DOL $ 7,786,947 Related Activities Carried Out by Other Agencies Department of Commerce 1. The Department of Commerce is holding a National Conference of 100 private sector representatives on October 7, to ratify a 10-point plan for allocation of private sector resources for youth careers which Secretary Richardson will advocate publicly. 2. Commerce has published the transcripts and its summary analysis of testimony taken in local public hearings held in five cities around the country. Department Health, Education and Welfare 1. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare has established a policy level task force to pull together a tight set of activities to contribute to the Education and Work objective. This now awaits Sec- retary Mathews's decision. If approved it will serve as the basis for an integrated HEW-DOL-DOC objective/activity set. 2. The National Institute of Education sponsored a major conference on School to Work in February 1976 in Washington, D. C. 3. The National Institute of Education has commissioned three papers on Community Councils as part of the Work and Education Initiative Planning Effort. An inter- agency meeting to discuss these papers is planned for winter 1976. 4. The U. S. Office of Education is sponsoring the Commissioner's National Conference on Career Education in Houston, Texas, November 7-10, 1976. The Depart- ment of Labor is playing a direct role. National Commission on Manpower Policy 1. The Manpower Commission sponsored a meeting on School to Work transition in February 1976. Eleven policy papers were commissioned for that meeting. These have now been published by the Commission in one volume entitled: From School to Work: Improving the Transition 2. A September 22-24, 1976 Regional meeting of the National Commission in Atlanta, Georgia will focus on youth issues related to manpower policy.