Manpower Information Systems: A Review and Synthesis of Information of FY 74 Projects Supported under Section 131 (a) of Part C of the Vocational Education Amendments (P.L. 90-576)

This review of 17 projects funded during fiscal year 1974 under part C of the Vocational Education Amendments of 1968 for the priority "Manpower Information and Systems" (MIS) begins with an examination of the priority statement under section 131 (a) of part C and a classification of projects by the five categories in this statement. (The five categories determined by section 131 (a) were improving manpower projections, matching job requirements to skills of workers, improving the accuracy of manpower projections, translating manpower forecasts into programs/curriculum, and interfacing vocational education with economic development.) Following project classification, a framework (developed from the five categories) for examining the MIS projects is discussed. Elements of this framework are listed and explained. The major portion of this report is a brief description of each of the projects' accomplishments, highlighting the purpose, source of data, and findings. Conclusions resulting from the review of the final reports comprise the final section of this report. Two of the conclusions presented follow: (1) The manpower information and system priority was stated so broadly that it excluded little in the way of project focus or methodology, consequently, project reports were extremely diverse. (2) In the process of preparing the review and synthesis report, one question was raised several times "What are the best manpower information and system techniques for the Nation, State, or local level?" The reports did not provide an answer to this question. (SH)