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Although the influence of workplace practices and employees’ experiences with training effectiveness has received considerable attention, less is known of the influence of workplace practices on training evaluation methods. The purposes of this study were to: (1) explore and understand the training evaluation methods used by seven Taiwanese companies benchmarked for their excellence; and (2) compare Kirkpatrick’s and Swanson’s training evaluation models with practices used by the benchmarked Taiwanese organizations from a cross-cultural perspective. Five themes emerged from in-depth interviews, extending our understanding of training evaluation in the benchmarked Taiwanese organizations.

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This study promoted self-learning and participatory learning processes in the Lumpaya Community of Thailand to facilitate the development of local public policy to reduce the problem of poverty. The process used action research utilizing practice and learning from that practice. This research serves as an example of how a human resource development (HRD) intervention, knowledge management, can be applied in a context that extends beyond individual organizational boundaries to strengthen the community.

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This invited feature article presents the perspectives of five highly recognized and influential [human resource development] HRD scholars who are also past and present leaders within the Academy of Human Resource Development. These scholars were asked to reflect on the past and present research in an area of their interest and expertise and they have each offered projections for the next 25 years of HRD research in their respective areas.

The pieces of work within this article are: Pursuing 'ability' / Darlene Russ-Eft; Developing individual and organizational learning capacity / Karen E. Watkins and Victoria J. Marsick; Conceptualising the HRD researcher and practitioner roles / Ronald L. Jacobs; National human resource development (NHRD) / Gary N. McLean.

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While a definition of human resource development (HRD) is controversial, it has traditionally been defined in the context of the individual, the work team or the organisation. There is, however, an emerging emphasis on HRD defined as a national agenda, often in the past labelled as manpower planning or human capital investment. Within the context of HRD, these terms are, however, viewed as limiting and narrow. Within the growing concept of open systems thinking, it is becoming evident that there is a need for a unified, synthesised approach to such planning. National human resource development (NHRD) is emerging in some contexts as the answer to this problem. NHRD is seen incorporating and going beyond traditional country-wide five-year development plans. Several countries in the Pacific Rim (and beyond), including the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and New Zealand, have developed a radical approach to NHRD. The purpose of this paper is to explore NHRD through the specific experiences of these countries with NHRD.

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Valid and reliable standardized assessment of nursing competencies is needed to monitor the quality of vocational education and training (VET) in nursing and evaluate learning outcomes for care work trainees with increasingly heterogeneous learning backgrounds. To date, however, the modeling of professional competencies has not yet evolved into procedures that would meet large-scale assessment (LSA) standards in VET. To empirically test a proposed structural model for client-directed nursing competence and to estimate psychometric properties of a newly developed video- and computer-based test (CBT) to inform subsequent LSA in nursing VET, 402 final-year nursing students from 24 German schools responded to a 77 item CBT. Multi-dimensional [item response theory] IRT modeling was employed to test the subdomain structure and estimate students' competencies in geriatric nursing.

The standardized CBT measures nursing students' client-directed care competence with acceptable precision (WLE=0.76) and does so across the whole range of observed proficiency levels. Structural validity was supported by substantive contributions of test items from all proposed process-oriented subdomains, practice field scenarios, as well as items with and without reference to emotional demands. However, it was not possible to empirically separate the diagnostic, practical or communicative subdomains, probably reflecting parallel, recursive and hierarchical care processes in complex care situations. On average, students in [the] sample attained 45 per cent of the maximum test score so it is a demanding assessment of nursing competence. An extensively piloted, valid and reliable CBT is suggested to assess nursing students' client-directed care competencies at the end of the third year of the VET program.

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This research examined leadership development (LD) and leadership development programs (LDPs) in three selected Thai businesses. The research purpose was to identify and explore the features, leaders' competencies, activities and programs, key elements, and critical issues of LDP in these organizations. A case-study approach was employed as the research method. The data were collected through company documents, questionnaires, and interviews of managers who were directly responsible for leadership development in their organization. Three levels of LDPs were commonly found among the studied companies: those organized for supervisors, managers, and executives. Leaders' competencies were derived from the companies' vision, mission, and values, business drivers, and top management judgment. Development activities included formal training, development activities, and self-initiative undertakings. Common key elements of LDPs were support from top management, adherence to human resource development (HRD) and business strategic plans, and emphasis on coaching and mentoring. The critical issues included top management trust in employees' abilities; competence and independence of local internal staff; evaluation of LDP effectiveness; level of engagement by potential company leaders; and costs of building, executing, and evaluating LDP.

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This empirical study, using Western concepts incorporated into the Dimension of Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) instrument and data collected from 919 employees in nine companies located in Guangdong Province, China, explored organizational learning culture in Chinese business settings. Findings suggest that the DLOQ is applicable to the Chinese context, and demographic variables, such as age and educational level, and the type of ownership of Chinese companies (state-owned enterprises and privately owned enterprises), show differences in organizational learning culture. Discussions and implications are provided.

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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to validate two scales, the factors predicting transfer (FPT) and the effectiveness questionnaire (CdE), in the Spanish Public Administration (SPA). Design/methodology/approach: The FPT was administered at the end of the training, and the CdE four months after training. Participants had attended one of the 62 trainings offered by the SPA. With 1,457 participants, exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 728) and confirmatory factory analysis (CFA) (n = 729), randomly assigned, were performed on the FPT, and CFA (n = 726) was applied to the CdE. Findings: A 30-item and four-factor solution emerged for the FPT through the EFA, which was confirmed by a good model fit through the CFA. A seven-item single-factor solution was confirmed for the CdE. Measurement invariance for the mode of instruction and gender was accepted for both instruments.

Research limitations/implications: Further research should be done in a more heterogenous sample that includes private organizations, different sectors and sizes. In the human resource development (HRD) field, these results suggest, in line with previous research, the existence of underlying constructs of factors of transfer that migrate across cultures. Practical implications: The potential use of the FPT is the diagnosis of factors of transfer, and for the CdE, evaluation of the transfer of interventions at the behavioral level. The instruments are suitable for research and practice that compares online and in-class training. Originality/value: The study performs the first rigorous analysis of measurement instruments to evaluate factors that predict transfer in Spain.

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As developing excellent global leaders should be an urgent priority of companies in the global business world, there has been considerable research in this area. Despite this, there is limited research on the systematic global leadership competency structure reflecting both on its levels and dimensions and on specific competencies. The purpose of this article is to create a theory-based integrative framework that can be used to identify the competencies comprising global leadership. To accomplish this purpose, an integrative literature review was employed on competency theory and global leadership, resulting in the development of an integrative framework for global leadership competency. The framework, with three levels and four dimensions, established in this article contributes to corporations in providing a means of developing company-specific models of global leadership competency. Also discussed are implications for future human resource development research and theory building.

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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiences of first-generation [FG] college graduates in the USA, as they transitioned from higher education into employment in the private sector. First-generation college graduates are from families in which neither parent had a bachelor's degree. Design/methodology/approach: This paper used phenomenology to gain an understanding of the transition experiences of first-generation college graduates employed within the corporate sector.

Findings: First-generation status influences the experiences of students beyond college and limits their awareness of and access to graduate employment. Lack of college education in the family affects the graduates' career decision-making, familiarity with corporate culture and expectations, preparedness for the corporate sector and restricted access to people with the ability to ease their entry into the sector. These translate into transition outcomes such as starting at entry-level positions not requiring a college degree, delayed access to graduate-level positions, having to engage intentionally in additional efforts to reach graduate-level positions and potential to be discriminated against during the recruitment process, albeit unintentionally. Research limitations/implications: Is first-generation status yet another structural contextual factor that influences career decision self-efficacy? Is the influence of FG status common across sectors? Longitudinal studies need to be conducted across sectors, regions and countries.

Practical implications: There is a need to sensitize faculty and career service staff to career-related challenges of first-generation students and for programs and policies that increase awareness of these students regarding professional environments and expectations. There are social justice implications for recruitment strategies and overcoming discrimination. Originality/value: This paper explored first-generation college graduates' experiences, an issue hitherto not explored in depth.

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