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An organisation's ability to learn, to harness collective intelligence and to translate that learning rapidly into action in response to environmental challenges is the ultimate competitive advantage in the constantly changing context of the information age. It is an indicator of the organisations' resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty and change. Improving an organisation's capacity to learn will only have the desired impact on performance if it improves employee engagement at the same time. In this paper, we introduce the concept of learning power into the context of the workplace, drawing on what has been learned from its application in education and recent studies in the corporate and community sector in the UK and beyond. The seven dimensions of learning power were identified by Deakin Crick, Broadfoot and Claxton (2004, Assessment in Education Principles Policy and Practice, 11, 247-272) in the development of the effective lifelong learning inventory (ELLI), an assessment tool designed to enable learners to become aware of their own learning power and to turn diagnosis into strategies for improvement. We present the psychometric properties and the validity and reliability statistics of ELLI as the Learning Power assessment tool for learners in the world of work and community, based on an adult workplace population of over 5000. Finally, we explore the implications of these ideas and practices for learning in corporate organisations.

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This paper uses an employer survey of Northern Ireland (NI) service sector small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) to assess the nature and extent of labour market shortages arising from a lack of basic skills among the 16–25 year old workforce. Relative to literacy and numeracy skills, employers were found to place a slightly heavier weight on the more generic skills of attitude, communication and motivation. The rate of skills related to unfilled vacancies among service sector SMEs was found to exceed that of high-tech/ high value-added sectors which have traditionally been the focus of policy makers; it was also found that in instances where such skill shortages were due to a lack of basic literacy/ numeracy skills they exerted a negative impact on productivity performance. While employers were found to be highly supportive of existing delivery frameworks they were also open to alternative methods of basic skill acquisition based around the interests of young people and delivered outside the traditional qualifications framework. Finally, the lack of awareness among employers of a number of basic skills accreditation schemes and awarding bodies raises serious questions with respect to the effectiveness of such programmes.

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International workers are a growing category of employees in the hospitality industry of Northern Ireland (NI). The retention and skills shortages of the industry are significant factors in facilitating this increase. Thus, international workers could be an invaluable new source of labour for the hospitality industry, provided that they are properly looked after and managed. However, little is known about the number of people moving to Northern Ireland to take up work in the hospitality industry. This paper sets out to answer some of the 'unknowns' - including nationality, demographic characteristics, educational, employment and economic background. The paper draws on data collected through a survey of migrant workers in nine hotels in Northern Ireland and focus groups with migrant employees in all of the survey establishments. Issues of social integration within the workforce and the wider community as well as the future that migrant workers see for themselves are discussed from a human resource perspective.

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The research involves examination of trade union involvement in training and education in the [National Health Service] NHS which is explicitly linked to skills development, career structures and underpinned by a lifelong learning framework. The data derive from case studies of seven NHS organizations in England. Previous research indicates how [Public Sector Trade Union] UNISON-employer learning partnerships provide high-quality education programmes for non-traditional learners and represent a process of institution building. This paper indicates the challenges for workplace activists to be involved in skills development in the context of workforce modernization and in the absence of formal learning partnerships.

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This paper explores whether the relationship between union learning representatives (ULRs) and employer-provided training is influenced by ULR characteristics and management support. Using linked employer-employee-worker rep data from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey, the results demonstrate that a large proportion of ULRs have not spent any time on issues associated with employee training in their representative role in the past 12 months. Training incidence is however no higher in workplaces where there is an 'active' ULR than elsewhere. In both the public and private sectors training incidence is higher where there is a 'hybrid' ULR fulfilling other representative roles as well as the ULR role, rather than a 'dedicated' ULR. In addition, training incidence is higher in the public sector where ULRs are newer to union representation and it is higher in the private sector where the ULR has 10 years or more rep experience. Training incidence is also higher in the public sector where the ULR has access to office facilities.

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