The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa states that public servants must deliver services to improve the general welfare of the citizens. The public servants therefore have a duty to the citizens to deliver effective and efficient public services that will be to the satisfaction of the citizens to improve their well-being. However, this…

Technical services departments are increasingly expected to do more with less, which means that finding a balance between meeting service demands and developing staff knowledge and skills is more challenging than ever. Today's next gen catalogs, changing cataloging rules, and diverse formats and delivery models demand that technical services…

Participation in job-related training as part and parcel of lifelong learning is widely advocated. While many empirical research about job-related training of employees are about advanced western economies, little is known about advanced Asian economies. To fill this void in the literature, this study applies the human capital, institutional and…

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the challenges facing Irish organisations in the training and development of non-Irish workers. It analyses the importance of fluency in the host country's language and the approach taken by organisations in relation to language training. In-depth semi-structured interviews provide significant insights for the…

This paper reports the results of a survey of more than 2000 managers examining perceptions of skills gaps in a range of Australian firms. It finds that three quarters report a skills gap, and almost one third report skills gaps across the whole organisation. Firm size and industry differences exist in perceptions of the effect of the skills gap…

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…

This report provides the technical details on the modelling aspects of identifying significant drivers for the reasons for using certain types of training and for the choice of training types. The employed data is from the 2005 Survey of Employer Use and Views of the VET system (SEUV). The data has previously been analysed in NCVER (2006). This…

Line managers in empowering (n=58) and nonempowering (n=37) British companies were compared. Although "empowered" managers felt better equipped to supervise, they appeared undertrained and unmotivated to develop staff. "Empowerment" was often indistinguishable from work intensification. (SK)

The role of Australian corrections officers has changed considerably, with a move toward professionalization and higher education requirements. Management training and career development programs are part of the multidimensional learning opportunities now being offered to corrections officers. (SK)

Investors in People (IIP) is a British national standard for quality in training and development. Evaluation of companies achieving IIP recognition identified business benefits that resulted from the process. (SK)

A survey of 261 Irish human resource development (HRD) professionals indicates that some HRD responsibilities have devolved to line managers, but less than in other countries. Most conduct systematic needs analysis (especially larger, private sector firms) and rely on informal evaluation mechanisms. (SK)

A study investigated the nature and characteristics of 68 staff working in employment services for people with a disability in New South Wales, Australia. Results indicate higher than usual staff turnover and that 53% had no previous professional experience working with people with a disability. Training needs are emphasized. (CR)

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…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider whether the shift from training to learning is related to employment categories using a categorisation popularised by Robert Reich. Design/methodology/approach: Collation and analysis of existing CIPD research information and assessment of labour statistics. Findings: An examination of the national…

An advisory group's study of the training needs of people working in countryside conservation and recreation in Great Britain recommends that: (1) employers and training providers make available training that balances the three strands of management (resources, people, and the system), ensure that staff acquire the full range of key skills and…