The Human Resources Development Review 2008: Education, Employment and Skills in South Africa (HSRC Press) is the second edition in a series of overviews of Human Resources Development (HRD) published by the Human Sciences Research Council. With critical data and rigorous essays covering the cross-sectoral field of HRD, it provides crucial information relating to the development of skills, education and training which is so vital to the expansion of the South African economy. Featuring the best possible collection of reliable data available, the publication probes the educational disconnections that threaten socio-economic sustainability, In doing so, prominent researchers and academics attempt to find answers to some of the pertinent questions and challenges facing the education-economy relationship in South Africa.The Human Resources Development Review 2008 follows the inaugural HRD Review released in 2003. The main purpose of both Reviews is to put in place a significant information infrastructure for use by the state and HRD researchers across education, training, science, industry, employment and labour market policy domains. While significant changes have occurred in the field of HRD since the release of the first edition, much of the shape of the 2003 Review is used to build the 2008 publication. In the current edition, economic growth and the corresponding dip in the education and training sphere is a notable feature. The misalignment of educational output with economic need is thus a key issue covered in the publication. The categorisation of skills into three distinct bands: high, intermediate and entry-level, is also an important conceptual distinction that shapes the Review series.The publication provides comprehensive coverage of the context in which HRD takes place, the supply of education and training and practical overviews of several professions.In the section titled Context, the chapters provide an overview of the education-economy relationship, the South African economy and economic policy, employment shifts, the social and human context, the impact of HIV/AIDS, the informal economy and science and technology policy.In the Supply section, topics include public expenditure on education, early childhood development, adult basic education and training, public schooling, FET colleges, higher education, enterprise training and public sector training.The series of chapters in the High Skills and the Professions section provide comprehensive overviews of several professions including financial services, veterinarians, pharmacists, social workers and engineers, as well as intermediate workers in the services and tourism sectors.The publication concludes by looking at public sector initiatives aimed at providing entry-level skills for unemployed workers through the Expanded Public Works Programme.The Human Resources Development Review 2008: Education, Employment and Skills in South Africa (HSRC Press) will prove invaluable to government officials who are responsible for decision-making in HRD. It will assist training practitioners in the sector education and training authorities (SETAs) and in the private sector with their responsibilities for delivering relevant and high-quality training. And lastly, the analysis presented in all 25 chapters will be of immense use to those academics studying and researching in the field of South African education and training.Human Resources Development Review 2008 is edited by Andre Kraak and Karen Press and is published by the HSRC Press. The HSRC’s HRD information infrastructure has two components. The first is the series of Reviews in print. The second is an internet-based Data Warehouse providing multi-year data tables extracted from HRD Reviews, as well as an easy-to-use search tool. From Febryary 2008, these can be downloaded for free from http://hrdwarehouse.hsrc.ac.zaCopies of all of HSRC Press published titles are available from leading booksellers nationally, and from the online bookshop at www.hsrcpress.ac.za.For a review copy of the book, or to make contact with the editors or contributors, contact:Karen BrunsMarketing ManagerHSRC PressContact Details:Karen BrunsHSRC Press+27 21 466 8022kbruns@hsrc.ac.zawww.hsrcpress.ac.za