Outsourcing in the training and development industry has been steadily increasing and shows no indication of slowing (Surgue & Kim, 2004). Gainey and Klaas's study shines light on the role of interfirm trust in effective outsourcing relationships. This reaction addresses a methodological question of the effect of the rating target on the results,…

Six theoretical perspectives on work design are examined for their contributions to our understanding of how work is organized and designed in organizations: sociotechnical systems theory, process improvement, adaptive structuration theory, the job characteristics model, technostructural change models, and activity theory. A critique of these…

This descriptive exploratory study sought to assess the values priorities of individuals and groups across various HRD occupational specialties. Findings showed that, in general, respondents felt the most important guides to the practice of HRD should be those emphasizing performance-related outcomes. However, results also showed meaningful…

Over the past several decades, the demand in California for college-educated workers has grown. But the supply of college graduates has not kept pace with demand, and it appears that this "workforce skills gap" will not only continue but widen. This study examines the causes, magnitude, and likely consequences of the potential mismatch…

There is a persistent concern over mismatches between the degrees awarded by universities and the needs of the job market. Although there are shortages of graduates in some fields, many university graduates have difficulty finding jobs that make good use of their education. This has been discussed in newspaper articles, in education and business…

The text for this article derives from Antonio Gramsci's Prison Notebooks, which contain the central elements of his extensive critique of education in Benito Mussolini's Italy. In prison from 1926 to 1937, he produced a remarkable amount of writing on many political and cultural subjects, all of which were scribbled out in student notebooks and…

Organizational life evokes joy, hate, anger, despair, curiosity, and esteem, yet as far as management is concerned, emotions are disruptive, dysfunctional, and derailing. In spite of managerial reluctance to embrace the emotional self as a relevant aspect of the worker, emotion makes everyone human, and organizations weigh on workers' emotional…

This article proposes the need to address scaffold instructions from a situated learning perspective. Based on an empirical study of how apprentice bakers learn their trade, it is claimed that studies of learning at the workplace yield important insights into our understanding of scaffold instructions. Seen from the perspective of the apprentices,…

The sweeping impact of our times has affected all segments of society, universities included. Society's perception is that universities have not responded to changes, and criticism has been directed at tuition costs, access and willingness to reach out to the community. Yet universities are key if this country is to maintain its leadership as an…

The prevailing discourse informing most Canadian training and labor market policy assumes a positive link between individuals' training and their labor market returns in the new knowledge economy. The primary objective of the study is to test the current rhetoric by developing a statistical model of women's job-related training. Training…

This update contains analyses of legislative initiatives being tracked by the staff of the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC). At its December 15 meeting, CPEC staff provided an update on the priority higher education legislation, including recent amendments. A matrix of bills monitored by CPEC staff is included. Contents…

This update contains analyses of legislative initiatives being tracked by staff of the California Postsecondary Education Commission. The positions shown for each bill are those adopted by the Commission at its June 9, 2009 and earlier meetings. A matrix of bills monitored by CPEC staff is included. Contents include: (1) Access; (2) Affordability;…

College attainment is increasingly important to the U.S. economy as the workforce demands education and training that properly prepare citizens for success in the global, knowledge economy. Lumina Foundation for Education has embraced a single, specific goal that will help address the economic and social trends that cloud this nation's future. Its…

Advanced Education and Technology provides strategic leadership for the development of the next generation economy in Alberta through the provision of accessible, affordable and quality learning opportunities for all Albertans and support for a dynamic and integrated innovation system. This paper provides the highlights of the business plan of the…

The purpose of the study was to compare the practices used by HRD professionals to evaluate web-based and classroom-based training programs within seven Korean companies. This study used four components of evaluation to examine how HRD professionals evaluated web-based and classroom-based training programs in their organizations and compared the…