The emergence of a digital economy has changed companies' business and talent model. However, the gap between supply and demand for digital skills and talent poses a serious dilemma for many companies: do they acquire tech start-ups as a talent strategy or reinvent the company as a tech firm, hire new digital talent and reskill current employees?…

Research has revealed the importance of trust to schools and pointed to the central role that principals play in cultivating within-school trust, yet less is known about the ways that principals cultivate such trust. Moreover, divergent perspectives and varied contexts for examining trust have limited the transfer of trust scholarship to practice…

Analysing data from the 2005 National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) Survey of Employer Use and Views of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) System, this report looks at the reasons why employers train their workers. Four different types of training are focused on: vocational qualifications; the employment of apprentices…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between workplace learning and psychological variables, such as learning competency, motivation, curiosity, self-esteem and locus of control, and organizational variables, such as centralization of power, formality, merit system and communication. The studied population consisted entirely…

Evaluation of a hospital's performance appraisal system collected data from 74 survey responses and 39 interviews. Staff comments revealed varying degrees of involvement with and commitment to the process. The need for employees and supervisors to formulate, implement, and review training and development plans jointly was emphasized. (SK)

Internationally, governments are keen to identify and enact policies to encourage increased contributions from enterprises for the skill development of their employees. However, the goals for these policies often remain unclear and the means of securing these purposes are vexed. Drawing on a review of international literature and interviews with…

The article examines reasons for the decline in use of quality circles in higher education. A 1988 survey of eight universities and colleges using circles in 1986 found that because quality circle principles were violated, similar problems (such as inadequate training, problematic group membership, and exclusion of supervisors) were encountered at…

Two key principles in recognizing, empowering, and tapping the potential of "behind-the-scenes" college and university employees are discussed: finding leaders among them and linking the role of backstage employees to the core mission of the institution. A third and essential ingredient is administrative consistency in applying these principles.…

Against a background of concern about staff recruitment and retention in social services in the UK, the authors examine one model of employer support for staff undergoing professional training alongside their employment. It is argued that support for these mature students needs to be broader than that normally offered within educational…

Among the 156 employees of a Canadian corporation, group initiatives and ropes courses were equally effective at improving overall trust toward their organization. However, the ropes course diminished acceptance of others' ideas, while group initiatives built acceptance. The ropes course enhanced encouragement of others' efforts, while group…

This article argues that a sound performance evaluation system benefits the employee, supervisor, and organization by providing a written record of efforts, by motivating employees, and by maximizing employee growth potential. It proposes that such performance evaluations are compatible with the Total Quality Management approach. Principles of…

An evaluation examined how the Danish leave schemes, an offer to employed and unemployed persons who qualify for unemployment benefits, were functioning and to what extent the objectives have been achieved. It was found that 60 percent of those taking leave had previously been unemployed; women accounted for two-thirds of those joining the scheme;…

In 1990, a study was conducted to holistically evaluate the activities of the Employee Development Program at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) and to determine if employee groups differed significantly in their evaluations of the effectiveness of the activities. Of the 114 full- and part-time board-approved employees of PVCC, 86 (75%)…

A reflective self-assessment process was used to evaluate Project RISE, a 1-year, federally funded workplace literacy project. The goal of the evaluation was to help staff understand their collective experience in a way that might help them to serve their clients more effectively in the future. A list of the most critical problems faced by staff…

A case study in program evaluation that demonstrates the effectiveness of qualitative research methods is presented. Over a 5-year period, the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities in Ohio offered a baccalaureate program (University Without Walls) to local employees of a national manufacturing firm. The institutional research office…