Regrettably, as documented in a new paper, Not Free, Not Fair: An Assessment of the 20 May 1990 Elections in Romania, recent events in Romania have vindicated these fears.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center for Security Policy | Violence In Romania: Early Returns On The Communists�� Rigging Of The May Elections

According to FranNet , a company that offers a free educational process and personal franchise assessment to match individuals with franchise opportunities, of nearly 1, 300 franchisee placements the company made between 2006 and 2010, 92 percent were in business after two years, compared to 64 percent of other small businesses.

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They should be free of the "bureaucratic box ticking assessment" and "micro-level" prescription that he says is a feature of current vocational qualifications.

BBC: Apprenticeships 'should last a year', report says

The Cisco program provides schools with a cost-free, Web-based curriculum, an assessment system and training for teachers.

CNN: School-to-work programs: High hopes, low turnout

If you want to eventually rise to a leadership position, try an online leadership assessment tool (search for "leadership self assessment" and you'll find a slew of free ones).

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So the more parents are claiming free meals, the better a school appears to be doing in its annual "performance and assessment" report.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Poor families 'miss out on free food'