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This paper explores training services for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries, focusing on training related to entrepreneurship and management skills for self-employment, including combinations with vocational or technical skills. The paper highlights the important role of the private sector in the supply of training as well as the obstacles faced by SMEs and private trainers. It concludes that the training market for SMEs has not developed to its full potential ‘because there are ‘uneducated’ potential customers on the one hand and sceptical suppliers on the other’. The contents are: Introduction; What do we mean by ‘private training’?; A hypothetical picture of the supply of private training; Frequently asked questions about private training; Key challenges faced by private trainers; Issues on the demand side; A hypothetical picture of the training market; Implications for interventions; Conclusion. Show less

This publication reports on a study which set out to develop a strategy to improve e-learning in Korea. The study is based on an analysis of existing literature on e-learning and surveys of e-learning providers, participants of e-learning and the general public. The chapters are: Introduction; e-Learning: concepts and characteristics; e-Learning in Korea; Public perception and demands for e-learning; Policy direction and strategies for e-learning. Show less

Substantial recent growth in the number of Indigenous businesses means that the need for business-related skills in the Indigenous population will be greater than ever. This report reviews the existing literature relating to Indigenous students and business-related studies in Australia, and provides a snapshot of Indigenous students' participation in, and completion of, business-related higher education courses. Data from the Higher Education Statistics Collection are analysed, in conjunction with evidence on labour market outcomes of Indigenous and non-Indigenous graduates from the 2011 Census and the Australian Graduate Survey, to identify examples of strategies to engage Indigenous students in business-related courses. This analysis is complemented by extensive consultations with 15 of the 40 institutions involved in providing management and commerce courses in Australian universities. Indigenous support centres are an important factor, as are modes of teaching for the courses in question. A number of universities suggested working with industry to create more employment opportunities and support Indigenous role models in associated occupations (e.g. as is already occurring in the accountancy profession). Given the lack of participation of Indigenous students in enabling courses in this field of study, it is likely that Indigenous students will need to augment their level of proficiency in the basic competencies required for successful completion of their studies.

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This book examines the challenges facing education in African countries, within the context of globalisation. It is suggested that developing a notion of learning-led competitiveness is a crucial part of any response to globalisation, as well as allowing the performance of education and training institutions to be monitored. Three areas of concern are brought together in this book: debates about the impact of globalisation on development thinking and practice; responses to globalisation in educational development; and national experiences in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. An analysis of the intersections between education, training and enterprise development is given, and possible future approaches for policy, practice and research are identified. Show less

Purpose – This paper seeks to discuss the challenges faced when trying to integrate entrepreneurship education in the training system, with a particular focus on vocational training. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected through in-depth interviews, document reviews and focus group discussions. The respondents were drawn from [Vocational Education Training Authority] VETA headquarters – training director, centre managers, entrepreneurship instructors in the centre, and a section of final year students who were purposely selected. Other stakeholders in vocational training in Tanzania were also consulted. Findings – The findings were organized around key themes of the research as per the set objectives. The emerging views showed some of the following issues as the major challenges facing the authority in its effort to integrate entrepreneurship training in the programme: time too limited to cover the core subjects; Form iv leavers and standard vii trainees have different understanding levels; financial/budgetary constraint; few instructors with relevant skills; lack of role models of successful former trainees who are practising entrepreneurs; course too theoretical, lacking the component of field studies; and the course too boring compared with other mainstream courses. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was too small to be wholly reliable for generalizing the findings to a similar problem. However, the insights gained are a crucial basis for further research and give some variables to be investigated on their significance in shaping entrepreneurship training, especially in a developing country like Tanzania. Originality/value – The research provides knowledge that was lacking as far as entrepreneurship training and vocational training are involved. Other studies, especially in Tanzania, focused on the quality of technical training and the infrastructural resources rather than business-related skills.

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This report explores a project on business innovation and support (BIS), which looked into the feasibility of developing a service, led by the further education (FE) sector, to support company development and innovation. The feasibility study was conducted between February and July 2004 by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The research examined: the potential benefits of the development of BIS to various kinds of companies; the place of the service alongside other forms of business support; the extent to which the service was already in place and the steps needed to consolidate and develop it; the risks and advantages of developing BIS in relation to the other activities of the college or learning provider; and the nature of the support required to secure quality and capacity in its delivery. The study found that such a service was positively viewed by most small businesses and that a great deal of such support was already operating, although informally and often unrecognised, in many colleges and training providers.

A summary report of findings is indexed at TD/TNC 84.437. Show less

This paper analyses and reports the results of a questionnaire survey of teacher perceptions, knowledge and attitudes in respect of education and industry links arising from placement in industry. The questionnaire items were derived from a previous (interview) study conducted in 1988/89, enabling a measure of change to be made. The questionnaire was sent to a random national sample of secondary and primary schools. A response rate of 43 per cent was achieved. The study found that all teachers ranked general basic skills as the highest priority outcomes from education. Attitudes to business were largely positive, though there were concerns about business ethics. There were several differences between primary and secondary respondents' views of the nature and frequency of pupil contacts with the world of work and since 1989 secondary contacts had increased while primary contacts had remained stable. There was a positive association of length of teacher placements with their perceived value. Teachers generally felt there should be stronger links with local employers, though primary teachers were less enthusiastic. Teacher knowledge of link organisations was generally high. These findings are discussed as problematic in respect of phase differences, of the nature of the Teacher Placement Service's objectives in a flexible labour market, the effectiveness of teacher placement, and differing values attached to placement by senior and junior staff.

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In 1991, the World Bank published a major policy study on skills development, 'Vocational and technical education and training: a World Bank policy paper' (indexed in VOCED at TD/IRD 88.310). Ten years later, the Africa Region of the World Bank commissioned a series of studies about skill development in sub-Saharan Africa: to update information about the status of technical-vocational education and training in the region; to explore issues and recent developments; and to provide lessons and policy messages to guide skills development in the region. The review included 14 thematic studies, a synthesis and a literature review.

This synthesis report consolidates the key findings and policy messages coming out of the thematic studies. The principal finding is that private sectors contribute a lot more than governments to developing labour skills in most sub-Saharan African countries. There are three sources of private sector skill development: enterprises, private training providers and private informal sector apprenticeships. The main recommendations to emerge from this study are that the public sector should: complement, and not duplicate the training provided by the private sector; help build the training capacity of the private sector; use public financing for neglected groups; reform public training by changing financial and management incentives; and strengthen the analytical base for policies on training. The contents are: Executive summary; Introduction and background; Labour market context and development; Public sector training provision; Private training provision; Enterprise-based training; Informal sector training; Resource mobilization; Financial transfer mechanisms.

The final synthesis report is indexed at TD/IRD 88.275. Show less

Enterprise based training has many advantages over preparation either in schools or vocational and technical institutes (VTIs). The authors emphasise that it is clear from the literature that an element of theory training is a further vital ingredient in skill development, and that there is more than one model of best practice. While there have been recent reforms in on-the-job training in many countries, such reforms have taken a variety of paths. This chapter also discusses the more general trend towards the questioning of the role of the state and a stress on the efficiency of market forces. The concern in this chapter is primarily with the informal sector. The authors argue that changes in training practices within the formal sector have had an indirect impact on the models of training which have been generated within the informal sector. When looking at the informal sector, the authors examine existing models of training which have been generated within the informal sector. They also consider attempts, with varying degrees of success, both to intervene in and to mimic such models. Finally, some interventions which attempt to develop appropriate modern models are explored. The authors discuss enterprise based training and the role of the informal sector in several developing countries including Ghana and Uganda.

This publication is indexed at TD/TNC 62.213. Show less

The demand for international training derives from global market forces and the pressures such forces exert on labour markets. The paper analyses competitive market forces within the global economy, multinational firms, and the United States (US) labour market to provide a framework for a projective model of international training demand in the US until the year 2005. The demand for internationally trained employees is estimated to be 1.65 million by 2005 - or an average annual increase of 75 000. Fifty-seven per cent of the training will be for employees who traditionally are trained in institutions of higher education. This implies a 17 per cent annual increase in training supply for all training at all levels through the year 2005.

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