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Summer
2001 Vol. 45, Number 2
Grab Bag
Download the PDF
(157K)
Grab Bag from past issues
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One-stop clicking for career videos
Are you looking for a career? America’s
Career InfoNet video library helps you glimpse the
possibilities. America’s Career Infonet now offers nearly
200 online occupational videos. Each video lasts just over a
minute and features a narrator describing the occupation,
its benefits and drawbacks, the training and personal
attributes it requires, and its typical work settings.
And if a picture is worth a thousand words,
streaming video is an even better bargain. As the narrator
speaks, a short movie shows a variety of people doing the
work described.
The video library describes careers of every
type, from childcare to physical therapy to working for the
merchant marines. The videos are online at http://www.acinet.org/acinet/resource/videos.htm.
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Animal-related work injuries
Charging bulls, stinging bees, biting dogs,
falling fish—animals can be surprisingly dangerous to
workers. According to BLS, more than 75,000 workers were
injured—375 fatally—on the job by animals from 1992 to
1997.
Cattle were the animals most dangerous in an
attack, with charging bulls causing 68 of the 141
cattle-related fatalities during the 1992-97 period. The
next most dangerous were equine animals, including horses
and donkeys, which were involved in 104 fatalities. Many of
these fatalities came from falling from a horse.
Insects stung and spiders bit about 36,000
workers on the job. The most serious illnesses resulted from
bees and wasps stinging allergic workers. Spider, fire ant,
and scorpion attacks were rarer, but their venom injured
even non-allergic workers.
Domestic animals were hazardous, too. Most
of the 13,800 injuries to workers by dogs came from attacks.
But dogs also caused drivers to swerve off the road and
technicians and veterinarians carrying heavy breeds to
strain muscles. Overall, cats were less dangerous than dogs;
most of the 4,6000 cat-related injuries came from biting and
scratching.
Even seemingly harmless animals posed a
threat. Fish injured 2,500 workers. More than half of those
injuries came from fish falling on workers during
processing.
Find more details about animal injuries in
"Are Animals Occupational Hazards?" in the fall
2000 issue of Compensation and Working Conditions.
Copies of the issue are available for $12 ($15 foreign) from
the Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh,
PA 15250; (202) 512-1800. You can also download the article
from the index online at http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/home.htm.
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How women dropouts boost their earnings
It’s well known that high school dropouts usually earn
less than high school graduates. But according to a recent
study of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, women who
leave high school before graduating can increase their
earnings significantly if they pass the GED—the general
educational development test, also known as the high school
equivalency test—and attend vocational school.
Women who dropped out between 1979 and 1984 and who
passed the GED were earning 25 percent more—about $1,328—a
decade after leaving high school than dropouts who didn’t
pass the test.
Adding a year of training brought results that are even
more dramatic. Women who attended vocational school for 1
year earned about 50 percent more than women who had neither
a GED nor training. For each year of training, women earned
an average of $1,239 more (in 1990 dollars) 10 years after
leaving high school. That means a woman with 2 years of
training usually earned about $2,480 more per year than a
woman with no training.
The study tracked women who passed the GED 3 years after
leaving high school. To learn more, see "‘Second-chance’
strategies for women who drop out of school" in the
December 2000 issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
Single copies are available for $13 ($16.25 foreign) from
the Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh,
PA 15250; (202) 512-1800. The article also is available
online at http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2000/12/art2full.pdf.
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Camp jobs
The season of s’mores and spooky stories
around campfires is upon us. Summer is peak time for camping—and
camping employment. If you’re interested in finding a
short-term assignment as a camp counselor or a full-time
career in the cabins, the American Camping Association has
free information to help.
The Association publishes a booklet of job
openings and maintains an online database of more than 6,000
camp jobs. Most summer camp jobs— such as camp counselor,
art instructor, lifeguard, cook, sports instructor, and
nurse—are short term. But a few positions, including camp
director and tour director, are year round.
To order a free copy of the Summer Camp
Employment Opportunity Booklet and learn more about camp
careers, write the Association at 5000 State Rd. 67 North,
Martinsville, IN 46151-7902; call (765) 342-8456; or visit
online at http://www.acacamps.org/jobs.htm.
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Phoning for career aid
Looking for career help? Now, you can find employment programs and benefits in your area by calling one toll-free number.
America’s Workforce Network, at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, offers a Nationwide employment help line. Callers are referred to apprenticeship programs, technology training, career guidance services, unemployment insurance, accommodations for disabled workers, and just about any other employment-related program in their State.
For fastest service, be ready to give your area code and Zip code. Service is available in English, Spanish, and hundreds of other languages. Try the toll-free help line at 1 (877) US2-JOBS (872-5627). For TTY service, call 1 (877) TTY-JOBS (889-5627).
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Money for travel mongers
Tourism is big business, employing hotel
managers, tour guides, travel agents, market researchers,
and others who sell trips and adventure. If the business of
vacations and lodging interests you, the National Tourism
Foundation offers money for your career journey.
The Foundation awards scholarships ranging
from $500 to $5,000 to people studying a subject related to
tourism. Students attending 2- or 4-year colleges and
universities are eligible to apply. A list of more than 200
internship opportunities also is available from the
Foundation.
To apply for scholarships and internships,
write the Foundation at 546 E. Main St., Lexington, KY
40508; call toll free, 1 (800) 682-8886, ext. 4251; or visit
its website, http://www.ntaonline.com.
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