An alternative technical education system : a case study of Mexico

Many developing countries have relied on the varied forms of diversified secondary technical education as the main venue for training skilled workers and mid-level technicians. But there have been numerous and strong critics against this mode of technical education. As an alternative, the Mexican government established the CONALEP system (el Colegio National de Educacion Profesional Tecnica), a new vocational and technical education system) in the late 1970's. This report tests the viability of the system by evaluating CONALEP graduates'labor market performance in comparison with other forms of education. It also supplements the scant literature on the transition from technical education to work and on the use of technical skills. Although it is a Mexican program, the special features of the CONALEP system bear policy implications for other countries as well. With globalization and the rapidly changing technology requirements of the Mexican economy, however, this alternative form of technical secondary education faces new challenges, notably adjustment of its curriculum to changing market circumstances and improvement of its external and internal efficiency.Teaching and Learning,Curriculum&Instruction,Gender and Education,Primary Education,Tertiary Education

Development Cooperation for Economic Integration of East and South Asia.

This study aims to analyze the rationale, trends, and scope of development cooperation in connection with economic integration, especially among countries in East and South Asia. It reviews the development of multilateral, regional, and bilateral economic integration efforts and discusses the rationales for development cooperation in the context of economic integration. It then reviews the history and patterns of aidfortrade around the world during the period 1973-2005, drawing lessons for future directions of aid-for-trade.economic integration, development cooperation, aid-for-trade, East Asia, South Asia

Productivity increases in SMEs : with special emphasis on in-service training of workers in Korea

This paper is about the evolution of an innovative in-service training program and its effects in Korea. In many developing countries, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play important roles in outputs, exports, and employment. Therefore, governments have used various policy instruments to promote productivity of SMEs through in-service training of their workers. However, those policy tools have not been effective to date. An exception to this general trend was found in Korea. The Government of Korea tested a pilot in-service training project and achieved significant results.The government encouraged SMEs to organize themselves into training consortiums (TCs) and provided them with institutional and technical assistance by financing employment of training specialists who manages human resources development of TC-member SMEs. Since mainstreaming, nevertheless, the progress of the TC program has been less than magnificent. Some factors responsible for the lukewarm achievements are analyzed and policy measures for reinvigorating the program have been suggested, together with some lessons learned.Education For All,Primary Education,Access&Equity in Basic Education,Tertiary Education,Water Education

The Impacts of On-the-Job Training on Labor Market Outcomes Dual Training System in the Philippines

This paper estimates the impacts of the Philippine Dual Training System (DTS) on labor market outcomes using a recent survey that tracked graduates from DTS and non-DTS programs provided by vocational training institutes. DTS programs partner with local employers to combine on-the-job training (OJT) with the conventional school- or center-based instructions, while non-DTS programs consist solely of the latter. The estimation results in Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Design show a significantly positive impact on the most-recent monthly earnings. Quantitatively, the impact on the most-recent monthly earnings attributable to DTS is large, that is, more than 75% increase relative to the average non-DTS program graduate earnings, and the impact significantly increases with the OJT intensity, measured by the number of hours of in-company training and work. The above results indicate that the OJT part of DTS is the essential contributor to higher earnings of the DTS graduates

Training Levy-Rebate Incentive Scheme and SME Training Consortium Program to Address Unemployment and Low Productivity in SMEs – A Korean Policy Case

This case study examines the origin, aims, execution, and achievement of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Training Consortium Program in Korea. The success of the Korean government in addressing the issues of low productivity and unemployment in the SME sector stands as an exemplary case for many developing countries. The demand for improved human resources in the growing export-oriented and industrializing Korean economy was effectively achieved by government intervention that promoted an increased role of private players in training markets. These conducive and flexible reforms in the skills development policy, which were brought about in response to the international financial crisis and the changing market needs, caused a structural change in the existing traininglevy incentive system and created an institutional mechanism for SMEs to engage voluntarily and collectively in training their workers. Furthermore, the institutional mechanism effectively addressed the financial and institutional bottlenecks of SMEs in training their workers and the inequitable situation that developed between large enterprises and SMEs in the operation of the workers’ training levy-rebate system

Fiber Type Specific Presence of GIutathione Transferase Isoenzymes in the Rat SkeIetaI Musele Tissue

Glutathione transferases (GST) are a group of enzymes, majorly responsible for biochemical detoxification by conjugating glutathione to a set of hydrophobic ligands. The tissue isoenzyme pattern of the enzymes has been well illustrated with their significance of histological localization. But in the cases of muscle tissue, the GST isoenzyme pattern has not yet been clearly studied. In the present experiment, we have carried out an immunohistochemical analysis on the distribution of GST isoenzymes using anti GST-P and anti GST-L antibodies on cardiac, smooth and skeletal muscle tissues. The results showed that the intestinal smooth muscle and cardiac muscles are very weakly immunostained for both anti GST-L and P antibodies. In contrast, major bundles of skeletal muscles were positively responsive to GST-L antibody. Therefore, we compared the expression of GST-L in the muscle tissues of the soleus and plantaris, which were composed dominantly of type I fiber and type II fiber, respectively. The data indicated that only type II fibers in the plantaris muscle tissue were positive to GST-L antibody, which was confirmed by specific ATPase staining. And the soleus muscle, consisting mainly of type I fibers, contains a higher amount of GST-P isoenzyme than the plantaris muscle. Therefore, it can be suggested that the expression of GST isoenzyme can be used as a type-specific marker for the type II fiber of skeletal muscles. And moreover, the differential pattern of GST isoenzymes in those muscle tissues according to fiber types may contribute to explaining the differences in fatigue-sensitivity of muscles to exercise

Severe bimaxillary protrusion with adult periodontitis treated by corticotomy and compression osteogenesis

This paper describes the case of a 50-year-old female with a Class 11 malocclusion who presented with severe bimaxillary protrusion and generalized alveolar bone loss due to adult periodontitis. The treatment plan consisted of extracting both upper and lower first premolars and periodontal treatment. Anterior segmental osteotomy (ASO) of the mandible and upper anterior segment retraction using compression osteogenesis after peri-segmental corticotomy (Speedy orthodontics) was performed. Correct overbite and overjet, facial balance, and improvement of lip protrusion were obtained. However, a slight root resorption tendency was observed on the lower anterior dentition. The active treatment period was 9 months and the results were stable for 27 months after debonding. This new type of treatment mechanics can be an effective alternative to orthognathic surgery. (Korean J Orthod 2009;39(1):54-65)This study was partly supported by the Korean Society of Speedy Orthodontics, Alumni fund of the Department of Dentistry and Graduate School of Clinical Dental Science, The Catholic University of Korea.1