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Purpose: The transfer of training has been identified with the effectiveness of training. The purpose of this work is to analyse the impact of training stages (training needs analysis, application and evaluation) as they relate to training transfer. Design/methodology/approach: The study participants correspond to a sample of 116 teachers with managerial responsibilities (management teams and department heads) from 17 secondary schools in Spain. This work hypothesises five significant relationships: needs analysis and application of training, application and transfer of training, evaluation and analysis of training needs, evaluation and application of training and evaluation and transfer of training. The hypotheses were tested using structural equations, namely, the partial least squares-structural equation modelling technique and SmartPLS version 3.2.9.

Findings: The relationships between application and transfer of training, between evaluation of training and needs analysis, application and transfer of training are positively contrasted. The relationship between the analysis and application of training is not contrasted. Originality/value: This work analyses the relationship between the training process's different phases (analysis, application and evaluation) in the training output (training transfer) and emphasises the role of evaluation in the training process.

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Understanding vocational learning and transfer is vital to European citizens. We need to understand how transfer works, which factors influence it, and how these factors affect employee behaviour. Research in online training specific to Southern Europe is needed to move the field forward. The Unified Model of Motivation for Training Transfer (MTT) was proposed to understand behaviour change after training. It conceives three phases: (1) forming transfer intentions, (2) actualizing implementation intentions for transfer, and (3) strengthening transfer commitment. We analysed initial transfer intention and transfer following online training in three Spanish organisations. We used an ex post facto prospective design with one group (n = 204). We applied the online version of the Initial Transfer Intention questionnaire (ITI) three days before the training, and the Transfer Questionnaire (TrQ) three to four months after the training. Training consisted of 22 online courses offered by the three participating organisations. A cluster analysis and post hoc analysis were performed. We identified three groups (k = 3), indicating that there were significant differences in the means between employees with low and high intention to transfer. Results showed a greater difference in the factor profile between participants with LowPT and HighPT. We identified common characteristics among people with low levels of transfer; this information can help understand what type of employee will transfer less and provide cues on how to prevent this from happening in future training activities. Limitations and recommendations for research and practice are discussed.

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This book comprises contributions from the disciplines of educational science, business administration and psychology that discuss practice-related questions on learning transfer in organizations. It examines contemporary practice and provides insights in support of improvements in the design and evaluation of further training measures conducive to the transfer of learning. The book also details theoretical models on learning transfer in further vocational training and evaluates further training measures on different levels based on relevant criteria.

Edited excerpts from publication.

The chapters are as follows: Introduction / Kathe Schneider (pages 1-3); Transfer of learning in German companies / Kathe Schneider, Maria Paltz and Helmut Stauche (pages 5-22); Enablers and inhibitors of learning transfer from theory to practice / Karima Bouzguenda (pages 23-44); Learning transfer in organizations: an adaptive perspective centered on the learner and the development of self-regulation / Jean-Francois Roussel (pages 45-64); A systemic perspective of training transfer / Constantine Kontoghiorghes (pages 65-79); Integration for training transfer: learning, knowledge, organizational culture, and technology / Doo Hun Lim and Brent Nowell (pages 81-98); Training transfer in teachers training program: a longitudinal case study / Francesco Pisanu, Franco Fraccaroli and Maurizio Gentile (pages 99-120); Evaluation of training transfer factors: the FET model / Pilar Pineda-Herrero, Carla Quesada-Pallares and Anna Ciraso-Cali (pages 121-144); The measurement of transfer using return on investment / Paul Donovan (pages 145-168); Conclusions / Kathe Schneider (pages 169-170). Show less

The aim of this study was to investigate the transfer of learning of professional competences from vocational colleges to the workplace context in vocational education. Concretely, the study examined the relations between the professional competences learned at school and the use and further development of those competences at the workplace during the practice module in vocational education programmes in Spain. The study analysed individual, educational design and work environment factors that facilitate or hinder transfer of learning. The study took a multidimensional approach to professional competences by observing four dimensions: hard-specific, hard-generic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. The data collection drew from a questionnaire administered to students of vocational education programmes after they had completed the practice module scheme. A moderation analysis was applied to observe the effect of individual, educational design and workplace factors on the relation between the competences learned at school and those used at the workplace. The findings showed that compulsory placement, school-work alignment, work-based supervisor, access to resources and task complexity are significant moderators between the competences learned at school and those used at the workplace. The study highlights the coherence between the school and workplaces and work environment characteristics as factors conducive to transfer of learning.

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Purpose - Nowadays, the evaluation of training results in large groups with limited resources is one of the challenges of organizations. This paper aims to provide a methodological approach to facilitate evaluation of training among large groups. The paper presents the tools and the results of an evaluation of a whole training plan on the rational use of medicines addressed to 1550 health professionals in Spain. Design/methodology/approach - Two questionnaires were administered to the trainee in order to evaluate transfer of training: one questionnaire upon finishing the training session and another one two months later. A total sample of 351 subjects was obtained from 53 different training programs linked with the rational use of medicines. Findings - Results show that most of the trainees have improved their professional performance, especially the duties related to the selection and use of medicines. Key factors for transfer, such as motivation and support from the organization, which are present when the transfer is higher, are also detected. Practical implications - The research offers an easily applicable tool that can be used by organizations with few resources available for evaluation. The tool allows evaluating the maintenance of the acquired learning, the particular changes in professional performance that prevail in time, and the factors that contribute to such changes Originality/value - This study provides a model to evaluate transfer of training that can be useful for practitioners and researchers who want to evaluate training effectiveness among large groups. It also contributes relevant information about the health sector and about large organizations with a lot of working offices, which could help advancing towards improving the effectiveness of training.

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The experience of workplace learning is a key part of [vocational education and training] VET studies, because it offers the students the opportunity to put into practice the skills they are learning at school; and it allows them to acquire other skills that are closely linked to the organisational context. [The authors'] aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of VET workplace learning in the Barcelona area, through the measurement of factors that hinder or facilitate learning for VET students in a real workplace. [The authors] used a quantitative method, and present descriptive results and multiple regression analyses in order to offer a global vision of effectiveness factors in workplace learning as well as a causal factor model. This evaluation focus, based on effectiveness factors, can provide some useful hints to design an effective workplace learning system and turn the workplace experience into a learning opportunity.

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One of the priority areas of the CEDEFOP 'Observing innovation in vocational training' project is to study and assess innovation developed as part of the Leonardo da Vinci program. This report on environment-related vocational training in Europe provides specialised information and recommendations for practice and is intended to assist policy makers in the implementation of innovative vocational training initiatives and researchers in the continuing study of this field. The report provides: (1) an explanation of the structure and methodology of the study; (2) an overview of the current state of environment-related vocational training in ten Member States; (3) a presentation and evaluation of case studies of innovative vocational training initiatives from the States; (4) an analysis of environment-related qualification requirements for specific target groups and discussion about the possibility of good practice transfer to other Member States; and (5) an estimate of new employment created through environment-related occupations. Show less

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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