Book By UB Faculty, Staff And Students Examines Effects of Work-Based Learning

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Thanks to a collaborative effort by faculty, staff and students at the University at Buffalo, a recently published book may give students new hope for improving their chances of finding permanent employment after graduation.

The new book, titled "Winning Ways: Best Practices in Work-Based Learning" (Prakken, 1997), traces 25 routes to success of prominent educators, public-policy experts and industrial trainers.

It was edited by Albert J. Pautler, Jr., professor of educational organization, administration and policy, and Deborah M. Buffamanti, director of the Geographic Information and Analysis Laboratory in the Department of Geography.

It concentrates on how students who take advantage of work-based learning opportunities, such as internships, apprenticeships and cooperative education, often get an edge over others in finding jobs in today's market.

Other UB faculty contributors to the book include Katherine Gerstle, assistant dean and administrative director of the MBA program in the UB School of Management; Jerry Newman, professor of organization and human resources, and Conrad Toepfer, professor of learning and instruction.

Former UB graduate students Michael Lillis, Sterne Roufa, John Thompson and Scott Sweetland also contributed to the book.

It is the third in a series of four planned by Pautler that deal with work-based learning. Other books in the series are "Vocational Education in the 1990s: Major Issues" (Prakken, 1990) and "High School to Employment Transition: Contemporary Issues" (Prakken, 1994).

"Winning Ways" examines the effects of recent changes in technology, the nature of work and the economy of work-force education. It also describes training philosophy and practices at American and Canadian companies.

According to Buffamanti, formerly a corporate trainer at Centennial College in Ontario, the book will help students understand how learning relates to earning, as well as help leaders from all educational entities in their ability to teach students how success in a scholastic setting influences success in the real world.

Pautler, a respected authority in the field of vocational-education administration and curriculum development, serves as a consultant to many organizations, including General Motors, DuPont and the U.S. departments of Labor and Education.

Buffamanti is a resident of Clarence Center. Pautler is a resident of Williamsville.