WorkAmerica

Recommended supplement

 

The National Alliance of Business (NAB) is a business-led nonprofit organization dedicated to building a competitive American work force by enhancing the skills and knowledge of workers to meet the needs of business. This seemingly governmental goal is one undertaken by what is now called an NGO, or NonGovernmental Organization, dedicated to the social good, in this case, the NAB. The NAB wants to help build an internationally competitive work force dedicated to continuous improvement; it's the old treadmill thing-if you are not working to keep up then you automatically fall behind. Today, the key to American business competitiveness lies in a quality work force-where every citizen should be educated and trained to world-class standards beginning in the classroom and continuing in the workplace.

WorkAmerica, the NAB's monthly newsletter, keeps you informed about the latest initiatives by business leaders to improve work force quality in communities nationwide. It highlights the best practices of community-led efforts in education reform, training, and quality work force programs. Through analysis of data and work force trends, and spotlights on innovative corporate practices, WorkAmerica helps organizations define solutions to business work force quality issues. Another source of good reference material is the NAB's Legislative Update, which comes out 10 times a year. This newsletter also focuses on work force-related developments in Congress that affect human resources policies and practices. It covers such topics as OSHA, pensions, education standards, job training, immigration, employee participation teams, health benefits, and so on. Workforce Economics is another valuable NAB publication devoted to economic analysis of work force development policies and investments.

If you have a predilection to peer into the future, you may wish to get a copy of Workforce Development Trends, published by the NAB. It profiles the current and future national work force.

OK, how many of you know when to celebrate National Manufacturing Week? Thought so. In 1998 it was the third week in March. If you want to learn about manufacturing, and you should, join the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), (202) 637-3000; fax: (202) 637-3402.

The NAM celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1995. It has been the foremost voice in Washington for industry since 1895. Today, it speaks for more than 13,500 member companies and subsidiaries that provide nearly 80 percent of the manufactured products and manufacturing jobs in the United States. The NAM advocates policies that promote economic growth and efficiency in American industry. The Manufacturing Institute is the educational and research affiliate of the NAM; you can call it at (202) 637-3107; or www.nam.org on the Internet.

The NAM is a particularly good reference source because it has a catalog of excellent publications, which can be obtained by calling (800) 637-3005. One of the catalogs is Complying With the ADA: A Small Business Guide to Hiring and Employing the Disabled (Catalog # 0220-24-02):

Designed especially to serve the practical needs of small business owners and managers who can't afford the high-powered lawyers to interpret the Americans With Disabilities Act's (ADA's) provisions, this simple 210-page handbook shows exactly how to meet the ADA's guidelines on hiring and employing-easily and economically.

Incidentally, if you're civic-minded, you may wish to join The Newcomen Society of the United States. This publicly supported, tax-exempt, education foundation was founded in 1923. The society's name perpetuates the life and work of Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729), the British pioneer whose invention in 1712 of the first practical atmospheric steam engine brought him lasting fame in the field of the mechanical arts. The Newcomen engines paved the way for the Industrial Revolution. The purposes of the Newcomen Society are to:




WorkAmerica
www.nab.com
info@nab.com
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WorkAmerica


For more information, call
National Alliance of Business
Phone: (202) 289-2888