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Background: In studies exploring the patient mixes of general practitioner (GP) trainees, gaps were repeatedly found, as there were disparities between the patient mixes of GP trainers and trainees. This reduces the opportunities of trainees to acquire enough competence. Aims: To investigate whether steering the patient mix can be effectuated by instructing medical receptionist, trainer and trainee, and to study the effects of this intervention on trainee's self-efficacy (SE) and knowledge. Method: Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). After a six-month basic registration period, 73 trainees were randomized. Patients with skin conditions and psychosocial conditions were actively assigned to trainees in the intervention group (n=35) during two successive periods of three months. The patient mix was measured by extracting data from electronic patient records. Learning outcomes were measured by SE questionnaires and by a knowledge test. Results: No increase was found in patient volume and diversity of the steered conditions in the intervention group as compared to the control group. However, the percentual increase of exposure to skin conditions was greater in the intervention group. No difference in skin SE and psychiatric knowledge was found. The increase of psychosocial SE was greater in the intervention group. In a regression analysis, patient volume was a significant predictor of both skin and psychosocial SE. Conclusions: Despite the difficulty in implementing steering in daily practice, tailoring the patient mix to the individual learning needs of trainees could be considered. © 2013 Informa UK Ltd.

Objective: The aim of this study is to test the acceptance and efficacy of an individualised text messaging (SMS)-based intervention to support smoking cessation in apprentices of vocational schools. Methods: The SMS program MyWay, which generated individualised text messages to support smoking cessation based on an online assessment and a weekly SMS assessment, was developed. The text messages were based on the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change and sent to the programme participants over a period of 3 months. The programme was tested in 62 school classes at 6 vocational schools in Bremen, Germany, where 1 086 apprentices participated in an online assessment addressing demographic and smoking related variables. Results: A total of 415 persons (38%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria "daily cigarette smokingo", "ownership of a cell phoneo" and "regular use of text messagingo". Of these, 210 persons (51%) participated in the programme. A 6-month follow-up telephone interview for the evaluation of the SMS programme and the assessment of smoking-related variables could be conducted in 125 (60%) of the 210 programme participants. Compared to the baseline assessment, the smoking prevalence (7-day-point prevalence abstinence, 11%) and the intention to stop smoking (p<0.01) were higher at the 6-month follow-up. Furthermore, cigarette craving was lower at 6-month follow-up among persons who still smoked at this point in time (p<0.01). Conclusions: In comparison to other smoking cessation services, this intervention approach allows us to reach a substantial part of smokers in vocational schools. The text messaging programme is promising for the support of smoking cessation in young adults. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

The role of micro-and small businesses in promoting economic development has been well documented (Robson et al. 2009). In sub-Saharan Africa, most of these businesses are found in the informal sector (Adams 2008; Schneider 2008). In Ghana, informal sector employment represents about 80% of the total private sector labor force, a similar proportion to that found in other African countries (Debrah 2007; Palmer 2007). 1 However, although the informal sector makes a major contribution to the Ghanaian economy, government support for enterprise development has largely focused on the formal sector (Robson and Obeng 2008). A report on job creation and skill development in Ghana noted that rising educational levels are producing higher levels of earnings in the informal sector (World Bank 2008). While such developments are encouraging, it is also evident that many of Africa’s microenterprises still lack the necessary human and financial resources to “make the leap” out of traditional market niches (Dia 1996, 155). This long-standing issue is prompting calls for new forms of educational provision to help business owners to develop their enterprises (Adams 2008). © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

Background. The 2-year internship period for medical graduates began in South Africa in 2005 and has never been formally evaluated. Objective. This study assessed the perceptions of community service medical officers (COSMOs) working at district hospitals (DHs) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to determine whether the 2-year internship programme had adequately prepared them for community service (CS). Method. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted regarding the perceptions of COSMOs working at 22 district hospitals in KZN. Data were collected in July 2012, using a questionnaire based on the core skills and knowledge detailed in the Health Professions Council of South Africa intern log book. All eight domains were self-assessed and a score of 4 out of 5 indicated an ability to work independently. Results. Of the COSMOs, 78% (60 out of 89) completed the questionnaire. Most felt well-prepared for CS in all disciplines, but critical gaps in knowledge and skills were identified in paediatrics, orthopaedics, anaesthetics and obstetrics. In addition, 75% of respondents (45 out of 60) expressed a need for additional training in the disciplines of ear, nose and throat (ENT), urology, ophthalmology and dermatology. Conclusion. The 2-year internship has provided the basis for independent medical practice in DHs. However, certain critical skill gaps need urgent attention, particularly in obstetrics and anaesthesia. Areas of weakness in ENT, urology, ophthalmology and dermatology could be addressed by including these specialities as a compulsory rotation in surgery, medicine or family medicine during internship training.

This article discusses governance issues, the role of work-based learning and private sector’s participation to facilitate the transition from training to work. Advantages and disadvantages of work-based learning are presently not sufficiently considered in developing and transition countries. This entails governance and implementation of work-based learning and the consequences for world of work-related competencies and for the learners. Donors and researchers address mostly public vocational education and training (VET) structures. This makes cooperation easier, but it neglects an important share of formal and nonformal training activities. The contribution of the private sector as a recognised social partner to transition is still not very well considered in approaches for more efficient VET governance and for better pathways to employment. Future research should analyse the multifacets in private sector’s participation to create recognised and legal forms of social partnerships. The article contributes to this question analysing as well some basic principles of work-based learning. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013.

This book presents a comprehensive analysis of the similarities and differences of contemporary human resource management systems, processes and practices in the two increasingly important economic great powers in Asia. It covers the full range of human resource management activities, including recruitment, retention, performance management, renumeration, and career development, discusses changing industrial relations systems, and sets the subject in its historical, social and cultural contexts. It examines newly emerging strategies, and asssesses the extent to which human resource management systems in the two countries are coverging or diverging. © 2013 Alan R. Nankervis, Fang Lee Cooke, Samir R. Chatterjee and Malcolm Warner. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: Apprenticeships and traineeships are beneficial vocational pathways for people with disabilities as they include work-based training and provide nationally recognised formal qualifications. While vocational education and training (VET), particularly apprenticeships and traineeships, has been found to benefit people with disabilities, graduate outcomes are not well documented over time. OBJECTIVE: Identify economic and related outcomes among a cohort of apprenticeship and traineeship graduates with and without disability in Australia from a prospective longitudinal study. METHODS: A total of 489 participants completed the first of three annual surveys. A disability group (DG) consisted of 404 graduates and 85 graduates constituted a comparison group (CG). RESULTS: Positive employment and economic outcomes were reported. DG apprenticeship graduates and DG traineeship graduates who obtained full-time employment following graduation had outcomes comparable with CG participants. The findings identified many other similarities in outcomes between the DG and CG. CONCLUSIONS: There are strong graduate employment and related outcomes for apprentices and trainees with disabilities. Findings from the second and third waves will shed further light on the sustainability of outcomes over time. © 2013 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.

That humans would make provision for the development of their offspring is to be expected, given the length of time between birth and maturity we experience as a species. And there is evidence from early in recorded human history of provision for apprenticeship and markets in training and instruction. Nevertheless, it is only in the last few centuries that provision of formal instruction and schooling has become widespread and indeed has become a gauge of potential for economic development. Economists since Adam Smith, if not earlier, have argued that the performance of an economy has been infiuenced by the education of its work force (Johnson 1937). These developments call for consideration of both the causes and consequences of the rise of education in historical perspective. © 2013 selection and editorial material, Robert Whaples and Randall E. Parker.

The German College of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (DEGAM) convened an international commission to assess current vocational training for Family Medicine in Germany. The commission compared their findings to the standard issued by the European Community. It was concluded, that most criteria were not met. Compared to other disciplines, Family Medicine is neglected and suffering from a negative image. Trainers are accredited on purely formal criteria, there is no preparation regarding educational principles, nor is there financial recompensation for their work. Training programmes do hardly exist, salaries in Family Practice are lower than for hospital rotations. Chambers of Physicians are in charge of vocational training in Germany, but they prevent family physicians from determining their own training objectives and methods. © Deutscher Ärzte-Verlag.