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The introduction of teamwork in enterprises raises the question of the appropriate personnel development measures. The objectives of such measures should be to place practical, on-the-job learning in (and in interaction with) the group at the centre of attention while at the same time encouraging the development of an in-company learning culture. The authors identify innovative concepts for developing the competence of employees in group-oriented forms of work organisation. The book provides an overview of the current state of research; the CD-ROM documents the results of a scientific study that accompanied an implementation concept. Show less

Introduced as a lever to stimulate employer investment in apprenticeships, the apprenticeship levy was seen by many as a positive step towards increasing spending on skills development by English businesses. However, has it led to an improvement in employer take up of apprenticeships and a more diverse range of people choosing to progress their skills though apprenticeships or has it encouraged employers to divert funding away from other skills investment to pay the levy, or worse not pay it at all and write it off as a tax? Since its introduction in 2016 the levy is predicted to have generated somewhere between £2.2 and £2.6bn of funding per year from approximately 50,000 companies in England. However, in the first year of its operation just 8 per cent of the levy was estimated to have been spent. This figure has seemingly increased by the end of 2018 but without transparent reporting of apprenticeship levy spend, we are all left in the dark about the true extent to which employers have taken it up.

To help make sense of the different reports about apprenticeship take up, we spoke to 765 businesses about what barriers they still face in taking on apprentices and whether, given the opportunity, they would like to be able to flex what they can spend their levy on. The good news is that there is real willing amongst businesses to make the best use of their levy investments if they are enabled to. However, the findings also made it clear that much more needs to be done to create the right environment for businesses and individuals to really benefit from their increased investment in skills development.

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[This report] focuses on employer investment in formal training for workers in the context of the broader postsecondary education and training system and the primary institutions involved in skill development in the United States. Along with colleges and universities, employers are the main providers of formal training in the United States. In this brief report, [the authors] analyze how much employers spend on formal training, what they spend formal training dollars on, and how spending on formal training varies by workers' educational attainment, age, and industry sector. Formal learning or training features a scheduled, regimented series of learning or training sessions, typically administered by an assigned trainer. Informal learning or training, by contrast, occurs through experience on the job.

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Australian studies of enterprise training during the mid-1990s found that while training practices varied considerably between industry sectors and individual firms, formalised training and learning practices were more likely to be found in larger organisations. These studies also found that the major drivers of training in organisations were workplace change and innovation, and the need to implement quality assurance processes and adapt to new technology. More recent studies of training practices in organisations conducted by the National Centre of Vocational Education Research (NCVER) have confirmed the importance of these factors. These studies have also found that the shift to self-managing work teams, and the need for firms to maintain competitive advantage have required training which is focused on working closely with customers, suppliers and distributors. Also highlighted has been the widespread use of generic skills training focused on communication, negotiation, problem solving, mentoring, coaching, and skills required for innovation and the self-management of learning and career development. While evaluation of workplace training has generally been neglected, the implementation of competency-based training approaches has allowed evaluation to occur more readily. For example, as workplace training becomes more individualised and linked to individual performance reviews, line managers and individuals will evaluate the training approaches. This paper reports on a study that compares current and past practices and investigates the operation of other major drivers of workplace training and evaluation of training approaches.

Author's abstract reprinted with permission. Show less

This paper examines Germany’s Dual System of vocational education and training (VET) in the context of modernisation of Germany’s educational system. The German VET system is perceived as a conservative framework which resists radical change. This paper holds that modernisation must not only mean adapting the training system to economic and technicla developments, but also keeping up those educational and social functions which form an essential part of the philosophy of the Dual System. Show less

Neighbourhood Houses in Australia are community place-based organisations that provide education, support services, and develop responses to local issues with local communities. The practices within Neighbourhood Houses are informed by community development. Yet knowledge, understanding and practices of community development vary across the workforce. In 2019, Neighbourhood Houses Victoria commenced a programme of professional learning for the workforce.

This paper draws on data from an impact evaluation and examines the benefits and barriers to embedding a professional learning programme in community development within its workforce. Using practice theory to examine the tensions and contradictions inherent in delivering professional learning in neoliberal times of managerialism and accountability in not-for-profit organisations. The contradictions of practice will resonate with organisations seeking to implement a professional learning across a broad range of human service organisations such as settlement houses, human services and community education settings. We claim most not-for-profit workforces are impacted by the discursive practices of neoliberalism such as contractual arrangements and the adoption of business practices to comply with funding requirements. These compliance requirements contrast with the philosophy and practices of community development and have the potential to impact on professional learning and the practices within these workplaces.

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The Employer Skills Survey (ESS) has run biennially since 2011, providing a vital source of intelligence on the skills issues employers face. ESS traditionally has an inward-looking focus assessing the current skills position and skills needs of employers. It has sat alongside the Employer Perspectives Survey, which is primarily outward-looking, covering provision of and engagement with the wider skills system. In ESS 2019, the two surveys were, in effect, merged, by incorporating EPS questions as modules. In total, 81,013 respondents across England, Northern Ireland and Wales responded to the survey.

This report focuses on findings relating to training and workforce development, making up one of four thematic reports to supplement the core ESS findings on skill-shortage vacancies, skills gaps and key training measures. Most of the training measures reported are based on the full sample of 81,013 respondents across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Some topics were modularised in order to integrate the EPS questions, including questions covering employer provision of training designed to lead to vocational qualifications and the extent to which employers sought advice on skills and training-related issues. In total, 16,057 respondents were included in this module. In addition, a separate follow-up survey explored the investment employers had made in providing training to employees in the previous 12 months (the Investment in Training Survey).

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In the Autumn of 2019, many businesses across the UK were struggling to access and retain the skills they needed, impacting on productivity and growth while, at the same time, annual business investment in training was falling year on year. In response, [British Chambers of Commerce] BCC convened the Workplace Training and Development Commission to consider the question 'How can we achieve a world-class system for retraining and upskilling our workforce to take advantage of rapid changes in technology, working practices, and industrial and consumer trends?' The commission's inquiry into workplace training and development confirms what research data and business feedback has been saying for many years - the skills system is not working for employers or the workforce. Pervasive skills shortages are damaging business productivity and employers still face too many barriers to accessing the training they need. Part of the solution is to boost the capacity of workplaces to act as sites of learning and incentivise more businesses to invest in training and reskilling the adult workforce. At the same time, the education system must ensure that young people enter the workplace with the basic and soft skills they will need to be successful.

Businesses recognise they have a responsibility to invest in the skills of their adult workforce, yet too few firms are doing so proactively. Overall, business investment in training is falling year-on-year and, more recently, the impact of the Coronavirus [COVID-19] pandemic on revenues and cashflow has reduced resources for training and associated costs still further, jeopardising a skills-led recovery. The speed and scale of the post-pandemic economic transformation also requires a skills system with the agility to respond to high levels of unemployment, the trading down of skilled workers in the labour market, and the overall impact on employment opportunities for low skilled workers. Now, more than ever before, businesses need an agile skills system that helps them to continuously train and develop their workforce in response to the evolving business environment. A skills-led recovery will support business to innovate, and be more productive and competitive, but everyone in the workplace must be included in the transformation journey. Our report focuses on a long-term vision for the skills system and the steps we need to take as businesses and policymakers to get there.

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This journal is produced specifically for managers, consultants and researchers who need to know and understand more about the latest thinking in the fields of organisational learning and training. It presents articles of approximately 1,000 words for practitioners and researchers to digest current information quickly. It is published six times a year. Show less

Operating in Steinbach, Manitoba, Loewen Windows has broadened its commitment to develop the skills of its workforce and those of the local community. The company aims to maintain a workplace culture where diversity and multiculturalism are valued. To that end, it provides all workers with tools, education, and development opportunities to help them succeed. The company's Foundation Skills Program was designed to promote opportunities for workers to upgrade their English-as-an-additional-language skills as well as to improve literacy skills. To achieve its goals, Loewen partnered with SALLSA (now called SEELS—South Eastman English and Literacy Services), a community group whose activities address the language shortcomings of local immigrants. The partnership allows Loewen to access government funding, which covers 50 per cent of the instructors' fees. Loewen expects that these literacy development efforts will help develop the leaders that will be required for the sustainable growth of the organization. The Organizational Effectiveness and Learning case studies examine outstanding education and lifelong learning programs and initiatives. This case study addresses the impact of workplace literacy and essential skills on workplace health and safety.

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