Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the empirical body of knowledge regarding the role of universities today. In addition, it aims to investigate the topic of personal development planning (PDP) programs, under a different perspective borrowed from marketing theory, namely, the "self-brand orientation" approach.…

Discusses the development of information technology (IT) in teachers' professional work and its development within organizations based on examples in the United Kingdom. Highlights include Project INTENT, to improve IT in teacher education; dimensions of professional development; personalized strategies for staff development; individual and group…

Striving to be learning organization, Imperial Oil of Canada focused on organizational, divisional, and individual capability development. Lessons learned include the following: (1) all levels of employees are potential professionals; (2) learning must be continuous; (3) intrinsic motivation and commitment are essential; and (4) organizational…

"Take Ten" enables Sheffield (England) city council employees to take 10 days of paid educational leave for a staff development program that focuses on developing individual communication and interpersonal and teamwork skills, offering new perspectives on public service work, enabling work experiences to be shared, and broadening…

Ruskin College and Oxford City Council collaborated on a course to develop council employees' skills and confidence in 12 2-hour sessions in workplaces and a residential weekend at the college. The brevity and dual locations prompted a change to five full days entirely at the college. (SK)

In a recent experience in the Manitoba provincial government, an active, varied, and largely homegrown system-wide "open systems" approach for the design and delivery of staff development and training became operational in only 18 months. The development and implementation of the strategy and some significant results are recounted.…

A British study verified whether the educational participation of Ford Motor Company's manual workers significantly increased following introduction of the Employee Development and Assistance Program (EDAP) and identified the features that contributed to its success. Over the past 15 years, studies of working class adults' educational…

Portfolios are increasingly being used to demonstrate competence and to show development needs among employees in organizations. This book explains what a portfolio is and how it links with the current training revolution taking place through the introduction of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in Great Britain. It shows how portfolios…

This document describes the early childhood services program in Alberta, Canada and its goals for accomplishment with children, within families, and in the community. Early Childhood Services (ECS), Alberta Education, is concerned with the provision of a coordinated system of local, regional, and provincial programs and services to meet the…

Three articles address various issues concerning staff development. Topics discussed include challenges facing professional development in higher education; who has responsibility for staff development; and implications for staff development based on a survey of Non-Advanced Further Education (NAFE) in England and Wales. (LRW)

Reviews research on the role of reflection subsequent to action research in the professional development of teachers. Discusses the use of reflection as a part of the learning process. Calls for partnerships within collaborative organizations that provide opportunities for interaction and reflection. (CFR)

This paper reports on some speculations arising from a long-term research project which utilizes data from teachers' autobiographies in understanding the nature of teachers' knowledge and development. The work is part of an increasing body of research which uses biographical methods to aid in understanding teachers' lives, careers, cultures, and…

The United Kingdom higher education system is being encouraged to provide opportunities for students to acquire key skills/employability skills and to become better learners with a greater awareness of their individual learning needs, including the need to develop habits that will lead to lifelong learning. A number of issues need to be resolved…

The nine papers in this volume represent a majority of the presentations at a conference that examined in detail employee development (ED) initiatives from Europe and North America. An introduction provides a contextual background to the vocational training and education debates characterizing policy development in the European and North American…

This publication focuses on the vignette studies done as part of an evaluation of the development of those transferable and personal skills which had been given prominence by the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) in Scotland. It presents results of a qualitative study of individual practices. Four vignettes are based on…