Search Results for
"learning"

The pre-eminence of knowledge and skills as the sources of wealth creation and economic growth is one of the major issues in business at the beginning of the twenty-first century. As a result, Human Resource Development has been propelled into a central role in management thinking. However, this has not always been reflected in practice since many of the methodologies for monitoring and assessment continue to reflect the previous importance of fixed capital, the industrial society and the quantity of labour employed. The police service like other public services has had to ensure that its staff is skilled to undertake an ever more complex role within society. This has traditionally been delivered through typical organisational training processes. The value of learning as opposed to training is rarely proposed. The 'soft' benefits of education, elements like critical thinking and emotional intelligence as well as learning, are rarely given sufficient emphasis. However, increasingly organisations are realizing the benefits of creating an open environment that allows informal learning to flourish. This article will explore the concepts of traditional training within policing before reviewing as a case study the introduction of a work-based and experiential learning paradigm within police development.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the debate surrounding quality of training as it has unfolded in Australia and how concerns about high non-completion rates have entered the debate. Design/methodology/approach - This paper bases its discussion of quality in VET training on analysis of qualitative data collected from focus groups and one-on-one interviews conducted with employers, Institutes of Tertiary and Further Education, registered training organisations, trade unions and local, State and Commonwealth government representatives located in the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia. Findings - The paper shows that throughout many parts of the world a growing concern has emerged about the quality of training for apprentices and trainees in what has become an increasingly deregulated environment dominated by private interests. In Australia, where non-completion rates can be as high as 50 percent of those who commence training, government leaders at both State and Federal levels are taking a renewed interested in understanding the relationship between quality of training and non-completion rates. The paper finds that data suggesting training quality in Australia is being threatened by fully on-the-job training, the narrowing of training skills, the loss of transferable skills and a lack of training. It argues that these factors have contributed to high rates of non-completions among apprentices and trainees and that poor regulation of quality standards, government subsidies to employers and training organisations and abuse are contributing to these quality problems. Originality/value - The paper presents useful insights into the relationship between quality in training and attrition among apprentices and trainees in regional Australia. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to show that The Netherlands offers an interesting case of apprenticeship as part of an elaborated system of vocational education, combining school and workplace learning. For reaching objectives of vocational education with regard to effective problem solving on the job and work process knowledge the quality of workplace learning is essential. Design/methodology/approach - The research in this paper is explorative. It is based on policy analysis, literature review and meta-analysis of recent research on workplace learning, done by the authors and some colleagues. New theoretical approaches on workplace learning are used to throw new light on developments in Dutch apprenticeships. Findings - The paper finds that governments as well as schools and companies are attempting to uphold the quality of learning in apprenticeships. More intensive interaction between workplaces and vocational schools are developed. Still, there are two main issues in dispute: the quality of workplace learning (content, guidance, assessment) and the quality of the connection between workplace and school-based learning, despite attempts to make VET more practice oriented and to improve connections between school and work. Practical implications - The paper shows that VET innovation should pay more attention to quality improvement and connectivity of work-based learning by establishing quality criteria for work-based learning places, by enriching workplace learning and by designing curricula, which integrate learning places as well as learning experiences. Originality/value - The value of the paper is delivering new insights on apprenticeships by confronting new theories with the Dutch case. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to: first, outline the features of the contemporary apprenticeship system, and its performance in terms of the numbers starting and completing programmes; and second, to report the findings of empirical research which sought to identify the characteristics of effective apprenticeship. Design/methodology/approach - Two contrasting sectors were selected to identify aspects of provision that generate "success": "engineering", which has a long tradition of apprenticeships and "business administration", which has a shorter history of involvement. Four organizations, two from each sector, were selected from those, which had gained the highest grade in the formal inspection of apprenticeship provision undertaken by the Adult learning Inspectorate. Interviews were carried out with training personnel and investigated issues such as the organisation's rationale(s) for employing apprentices; the costs and benefits associated with the approach; the structure of the training and the pedagogical processes employed; and the links between the programme and career progression. Findings - The findings in the paper indicate that effective apprenticeships are strongly associated with a sustained organisational commitment to apprenticeship. This stems from an identifiable business case to recruit and train young people and a concern with their personal (long-term) as well as job-specific (short-term) development. This approach is manifested through the development of programmes which ensure that apprentices participate in a wide range of co-ordinated and progressive work and learning opportunities. Originality/value - The paper identifies a range of good practice features emerging from the case studies and discusses the prospects for extending this approach to other industries and occupations. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to examine the ways in which Australian companies can achieve high quality apprenticeship and traineeship systems in a time of labour shortage through close attention to the recruitment and development of apprentices and trainees. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on six qualitative case studies in a range of industries and occupational areas, carried out as part of an international project on apprenticeship. Findings - The paper finds that there are significant differences among companies in the skills and experience that they bring to the processes of recruiting and developing apprentice and trainees. Poor skills appear to lead to poor outcomes in terms of quality of apprentices and trainees while investment of skills and time leads to high quality outcomes that may significantly add value to the company. The effects of shortcomings in this area may be exacerbated in a tight labour market. Research limitations - The research in this paper is limited by the depth of the case studies which primarily rest on in-depth interviews with senior managers. The research could be extended by further case studies that include interviews with apprentices and trainees. Practical implications - The paper shows that companies employing apprentices and trainees need to be very clear about why they are employing them and the development strategies that will be put in place. The inclusion of off-the-job training at a training provider adds a safety net that is particularly important for inexperienced companies. Originality/value - The value of the paper lies in its use of detailed empirical examples to illustrate successful and less successful ways of managing apprentices and trainees. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

This paper looks at how computer- and video-based epistemic games can help provide career preparation experiences for young people. Epistemic games are a simulation of professional training in game form. As such, they help players try on or assume different professional identities and learn to think and act like professionals in that community. First, journalism is explored as a community of practice. Second, a study of a journalism-based epistemic game called science.net with middle school students is shared, demonstrating the learning potential of this approach. The value of a practicum for career preparation and transition planning is discussed, and readers are challenged to consider how epistemic games might benefit students with disabilities who are preparing to enter the work force. © 2007 Technology and Media Division of the Council for Exceptional Children.

This paper explores the interrelationships between identity and learning for adult learners participating in vocational education and training programmes situated within workplaces. Identity is understood to be integral to learning. A theoretical position for understanding identity is developed using a narrative standpoint. Adult learners are understood to bring particular dispositions to workplace learning, in particular, their previous experiences and biographies of learning. The notion of wounding learning practices is articulated to discuss the impact of adult learners' previous encounters with learning. These previous experiences may contribute to weaker identities and dispositions to learning in the workplace. Individuals' identities and relationships to learning impact upon their current and future engagement with affordances of workplace learning. Three significant pedagogical practices, from a two-year workplace training programme involving adult learners from a regional Australian town, are offered as insights into the interrelationships of identity and learning. In doing so, this paper contributes to the discussions of identity construction through workplace learning. Adult educators are invited to reflect on the potential pedagogic practices which might contribute to and foster the reconceptualisation of learners' identities and their participatory trajectories within the workplace. © 2007, © 2007 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Objectives To ascertain the requirements in restorative dentistry that undergraduate dental students have to fulfil in order to sit the finals examinations in dental schools in the UK and Ireland and to compare those requirements with the competencies stipulated by the GDC in The first five years.Methods Fifteen anonymised questionnaires, of open and closed question design, were sent by post to academics in the university departments of restorative dentistry in each of the undergraduate dental schools in the UK and Ireland. The first section concerned numerical information regarding total numbers of procedures that were required to be completed in undergraduate restorative dentistry. The second section was designed to ascertain information as to how decisions are made with respect to an undergraduate's readiness to sit the finals examination in restorative dentistry (such as continual assessment and/or competency assessments).Results A total of 15 replies were received for analysis, a 100% response rate. Several institutions emphasised that they do not have 'requirements', but provide guidelines as to what should be achieved. Six institutions did not have set numerical requirements for direct placement restorations or bridges. The number of direct placement restorations required at the other nine institutions ranged from 50 to 160. Five institutions did not have numerical requirements for dentures; four institutions did not set numerical targets for crowns, veneers, inlays/onlays or endodontics. In institutions where numerical requirements were not used, forms of competency assessments were completed. The requirements across all institutions for periodontology, integrated treatment planning and completed cases were ill-defined.Conclusions This study shows that there is a wide disparity amongst institutions in the UK and Ireland with regards to finals requirements in restorative dentistry. Ideally, such requirements should be similar between institutions and should be closely mapped to the GDC's required learning outcomes (The first five years) for the UK institutions. © 2007 Nature Publishing Group.

Research on gender and education is somewhat limited in Scotland, and research that explores the further education sector from a gender perspective is particularly lacking. This paper argues for such work, and underlines its importance given the prominence of FE in the Scottish policy context as a key contributor to the knowledge economy and lifelong learning agendas of the Scottish parliament. The argument is also made that research on gender - including masculinities - may have particular salience in Scotland because of specific cultural assumptions and practices that inhibit the recognition of women in management. The paper reports on a small pilot study of senior women managers in the further education sector in Scotland, and draws on their experiences to advocate further research that is attentive to the gendered nature of organizations and the interrelationship of masculinities and managerialism.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that the quality of learning in German apprenticeships can be increased without raising costs under certain conditions. It starts with a contextual description of apprenticeship in the dual system, showing that this insight is of central importance, since employers in Germany are increasingly withdrawing from apprenticeship provision. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a case study-methodology and shows one selected case out of 24 presented. The selected case is then related to the findings of the other cases explored. Findings – The findings in the paper imply that quality of apprenticeships can be improved without an increase in costs, challenge the classical economics of apprenticeship. “Grounded” indicators of quality in apprenticeship are formulated: learning in productive work processes is a core characteristic of apprenticeships; the productive work apprentices engage in needs to follow a well thought through sequential logic; learning is based on a high degree of autonomy; learning is embedded into the business process; client satisfaction provides an important quality benchmark; commitment to occupation and the company can provide a source of responsibility and quality; and professional competence is the ultimate goal of learning. Research limitations/implications – The results in the paper were further processed into a self-evaluation tool assisting companies in their cost-benefit calculation. The developed standardised instrument was not tested in an international context. Both instruments presented could be further validated by taking up the view of multiple stakeholders and comparing results with alternative methodologies of assessing the learning quality. Practical implications – The paper suggests an intensified integration of apprenticeship training into productive work processes. In order to turn this into quality learning the complexity of tasks needs to be increased over the course of apprenticeship. Originality/value – The paper proposes a new look at the costs of apprenticeships. Therefore, it is of interest to researchers and managers with an interest in apprenticeship training. © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited