Early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings offer an opportunity to provide children with a solid beginning in all areas of their development. The quality and efficacy of these settings depend largely on the individuals within the ECCE workforce. Policy makers need a complete picture of ECCE teachers and caregivers in order to tackle the persistent challenges facing this workforce. The IOM and the National Research Council hosted a workshop to describe the ECCE workforce and outline its parameters. Speakers explored issues in defining and describing the workforce, the marketplace of ECCE, the effects of the workforce on children, the contextual factors that shape the workforce, and opportunities for strengthening ECCE as a profession.

Each year, more than 33 million Americans receive health care for mental or substance-use conditions, or both. Together, mental and substance-use illnesses are the leading cause of death and disability for women, the highest for men ages 15-44, and the second highest for all men. Effective treatments exist, but services are frequently fragmented and, as with general health care, there are barriers that prevent many from receiving these treatments as designed or at all. The consequences of this are seriousâ€"for these individuals and their families; their employers and the workforce; for the nation's economy; as well as the education, welfare, and justice systems. Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions examines the distinctive characteristics of health care for mental and substance-use conditions, including payment, benefit coverage, and regulatory issues, as well as health care organization and delivery issues. This new volume in the Quality Chasm series puts forth an agenda for improving the quality of this care based on this analysis. Patients and their families, primary health care providers, specialty mental health and substance-use treatment providers, health care organizations, health plans, purchasers of group health care, and all involved in health care for mental and substanceâ€"use conditions will benefit from this guide to achieving better care.

Building on the revolutionary Institute of Medicine reports To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm, Keeping Patients Safe lays out guidelines for improving patient safety by changing nurses' working conditions and demands. Licensed nurses and unlicensed nursing assistants are critical participants in our national effort to protect patients from health care errors. The nature of the activities nurses typically perform â€" monitoring patients, educating home caretakers, performing treatments, and rescuing patients who are in crisis â€" provides an indispensable resource in detecting and remedying error-producing defects in the U.S. health care system. During the past two decades, substantial changes have been made in the organization and delivery of health care â€" and consequently in the job description and work environment of nurses. As patients are increasingly cared for as outpatients, nurses in hospitals and nursing homes deal with greater severity of illness. Problems in management practices, employee deployment, work and workspace design, and the basic safety culture of health care organizations place patients at further risk. This newest edition in the groundbreaking Institute of Medicine Quality Chasm series discusses the key aspects of the work environment for nurses and reviews the potential improvements in working conditions that are likely to have an impact on patient safety.

Understand how to continuously organize people, skills and resources to meet changing business needs and forecast for future workforce supply and demand.

Tools and strategies for hiring, training, supporting, and motivating the fast-growing modern mobile workforce, which in 2011 will surpass 1 billion worldwide Clemons, a leading training solutions innovator, outlines the eight essentials for creating and sustaining a passionate and productive mobile work force Includes sections on choosing the right technologies to enable and empower mobile workers

Attract top talent and energize your workforce with a MAGNETIC CULTURE “Sheridan outlines simple but powerful steps to take in creating and maintaining an organization that fosters an environment with similar attraction.” —Marshall Goldsmith, Ph.D., international bestselling author of MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There “A compelling case for and guide to the creation of a high engagement/high performance workforce.” —Douglas R. Conant, retired president and CEO, Campbell Soup Company; New York Times bestselling author of TouchPoints “It’s impossible for any company to have a monopoly on talent. But it is possible to have the best culture. Sheridan shares insights and best practices for creating an engaging culture where associates can grow and thrive.” —Frits van Paassche n, president and CEO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “A long time ago I discovered that when employees are passionate about their work, customers are passionate about the company. Kevin Sheridan knows that secret too. His insights on finding the right people and getting them engaged can change your culture forever.” —Quint Studer, founder of Studer Group, 2010 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient “This book is filled with practical ideas, illuminating case stories, and fresh perspectives to stir employee engagement in any organization.” —Pamela Meyer, Ph.D., author of From Workplace to Playspace: Innovating, Learning and Changing through Dynamic Engagement About the Book: The perils of a disengaged workforce are well known—low productivity, high employee turnover, and failure to meet organization-wide goals. Less well known is what to do about it. How do you create a workforce that is always ready, able, and eager to take the organization to the next level? You have to create a MAGNETIC CULTURE. As CEO of leading employee survey and HR consulting firm HR Solutions, Inc., Kevin Sheridan knows how it’s done—and in Building a Magnetic Culture, he shares all his secrets. Building a Magnetic Culture explains what engages and motivates employees and how to create an environment in which employees can thrive. Drawing on years of research and real-world examples from his consulting experience, Sheridan gives you the strategies and tactics you need to transform your company by creating and sustaining a Magnetic Culture. Providing benchmarking and best practices, as well as interviews with executives and HR professionals at companies that boast the highest levels of employee engagement, Sheridan outlines an easy-to-follow plan that: Attracts the most talented people—and retains them Makes employees feel they are part of the value that their organization creates Increases Employee Engagement and drives productivity Boosts creativity and problem solving According to HR Solutions’ own employee survey results, actively engaged employees show four times more satisfaction in their work and are four times less likely to leave than disengaged employees are. Is there a reason not to make building a Magnetic Culture your top priority? Simply put, organizations that place a high value on actively cultivating a culture of engagement stand apart from their competition and enjoy superior business results.

Skilled technical occupationsâ€"defined as occupations that require a high level of knowledge in a technical domain but do not require a bachelor's degree for entryâ€"are a key component of the U.S. economy. In response to globalization and advances in science and technology, American firms are demanding workers with greater proficiency in literacy and numeracy, as well as strong interpersonal, technical, and problem-solving skills. However, employer surveys and industry and government reports have raised concerns that the nation may not have an adequate supply of skilled technical workers to achieve its competitiveness and economic growth objectives. In response to the broader need for policy information and advice, Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce examines the coverage, effectiveness, flexibility, and coordination of the policies and various programs that prepare Americans for skilled technical jobs. This report provides action-oriented recommendations for improving the American system of technical education, training, and certification.