Showing papers in "International Journal of Training and Development in 2013"

Evaluating training programs: development and correlates of the Questionnaire for Professional Training Evaluation

Abstract: Psychometrically sound evaluation measures are vital for examining the contribution of professional training to organizational success in a reliable manner. As training evaluations tend to be both time-consuming and labor-intensive, there is an increasing demand for economic evaluation inventories. Simultaneously, evaluation measures have to meet psychometric standards. The present paper develops a time-efficient training evaluation questionnaire that (1) has psychometrically sound properties; (2) measures more than the participants’ reactions; and (3) is widely applicable across different training contents, thus allowing for comparisons of training programs within and between organizations. The Questionnaire for Professional Training Evaluation is primarily developed for use in practice but is also applicable to field research and covers short-term as well as long-term training outcomes. Analyses based on a total of n = 1134 employees show the stability of the factor structure and hint at the questionnaire's differential and discriminant validity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Self-regulated learning in the workplace: strategies and factors in the attainment of learning goals

Abstract: The research reported here is an exploratory qualitative study aimed at identifying professionals' self-regulatory strategies underpinning the planning and attainment of learning goals in the workplace and showing how a number of organizational factors affect these strategies The rationale for the study is that existing research tells us little about how professionals regulate their learning, largely because much of the literature on the self-regulation of learning has been conducted with pupils and students in schools and universities rather than with professionals

Effects of work environment on transfer of training: empirical evidence from Master of Business Administration programs in Vietnam

Abstract: Practical application of newly gained knowledge and skills, also referred to as transfer of training, is an issue of great concern in training issues generally and in master of business administration (mba) programs particularly. This empirical study examined the influence of the trainees’ work environment on their transfer of training, taking into account the role of trainees’ transfer strategies. The study was conducted on 167 trainees from eight mba programs in vietnam in 2007–2008. Path analysis and structural equation modeling were applied to examine the effects of potential factors on transfer of training. The results showed that work environment factors such as supervisory support, job autonomy and preferred support (support as needed by the trainee) were significantly associated with the training transfer. Additionally, trainee's use of transfer strategies mediated the work environment and training transfer relationship.

Why do firms train? Empirical evidence on the relationship between training and technological and organizational change

Abstract: We explore the relationship between training and innovation using key insights from the resource-based approach, organizational learning and labour studies. By using data from 304 large enterprises in Italy, the study highlights a twofold role of training in favouring technological and organizational changes. First, training plays a role in allowing the acquisition and the assimilation of new knowledge. Consequently, firms in which the provision of training is part of a bundle of high-performance management practices are more likely to undertake technological and organizational changes and to develop new competencies internally. Second, training supports firms in the assimilation of technological and organizational changes. Consequently, firms that undertake these changes exhibit a superior participation rate for employees and greater time intensity of their training programmes. Firms' inclination to develop new competencies internally does not affect, however, the intensity of training, thereby suggesting that organizational learning processes do not start by a broad involvement of employees in formalized training programmes.

The consequences of transfer of training for service quality and job satisfaction: an empirical study in the Malaysian public sector

Abstract: The significance of transfer of training to organizations has been acknowledged by many studies. However, the consequences of transfer of training, particularly for employees, have still not been adequately explored. The present study was conducted to address this gap. Specifically, it explores the relationship among transfer of training, service quality and job satisfaction. Data for this study were collected through surveys of employees, their supervisors and their colleagues. Data were analysed using structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that transfer of training is positively and significantly associated with both service quality and job satisfaction.

Fostering intrapreneurial competencies of employees in the education sector

Abstract: Boon, J., Van der Klink, M., & Janssen, J. (2013). Fostering intrapreneurial competencies of employees in the education sector. International Journal of Training and Development, 17(3), 210-220.

The nature of employability skills: empirical evidence from Singapore

Abstract: This paper concerns the changing nature of employability skills, moving from the original life skills or basic skills concepts to the increasingly work-oriented interpretation. The early concept of employability skills linked employability skills to job readiness and holding down employment. However, the work-oriented focus is increasingly linking the impact of employability skills to organizational (or performance) outcomes, which in turn are linked to workers' career mobility and wage gains. This paper makes use of recent skills utilization data in Singapore to map out the relationship between employability skills and mobility. It shows that employability skills in Singapore are increasingly job context related, going beyond just holding down a job. As such, mobility is likely to be influenced by the extent to which employability skills are shared between industries. Recognition of the context-related nature of employability skills has led to the modification of workforce development training in Singapore in order to meet the needs for greater employability skills effectiveness through ‘contextualized’ training provision.

Return on investment for workplace training: the Canadian experience

Abstract: One of the central problems in managing technological change and maintaining a competitive advantage in business is improving the skills of the workforce through investment in human capital and a variety of training practices. This paper explores the evidence on the impact of training investment on productivity in 14 Canadian industries from 1999 to 2005. Our productivity analysis demonstrates that in 12 out of 14 industries, training had a positive effect on productivity. However, when the analysis is put within a financial context, the return on investment was positive in only four industries. Faced with negative rates of return, why should managers in most of the industries in the study promote investment in training? Probably the best explanation is that new technology requires an investment in training. The investment in training is necessary just for the firm to maintain its current labour productivity. Employee turnover necessarily impedes the efficacy of training, because trained workers leave, and untrained workers arrive. Thus, training in this instance again is necessary just to maintain current labour productivity.

The career path to instructional design project management: an expert perspective from the US professional services sector

Abstract: There are well-documented competency standards for instructional/training designers and for project managers. However, there is little research about what skills and abilities employers expect from those seeking to become instructional/training design project managers, particularly within specific industry sectors. Focusing on the US professional services sector, the sector in which firms have a global impact and in which human capital is the largest asset, this article addresses the ‘must have’ skills/competencies, characteristics and organizational conditions associated with career advancement from instructional designer to instructional design project manager by means of an expert study that is grounded in an in-depth literature review. In addition to enhancing knowledge of instructional designers’ competency development for career advancement in the professional services sector, this study also offers some concrete recommendations and implications for research and practice.

Employability skills and the notion of 'self'

Abstract: The following paper compares how employability skills are framed in Germany and the UK, and how this translates into a demand on individuals for additional skills formation. Both countries represent contrasting systems in terms of how labour market and training systems are organised. Through this approach [the author] will explore: (1) the national embedding of the concept of employability; (2) the connection between employability, employability skills and competence as guiding concepts of learning and skills formation; (3) the role of the individual in realising employability; and, finally, (4) the role of employers in mediating employability demands.

Teachers’ beliefs about using a professional development plan

Abstract: Professional development plans (PDPs) have recently been introduced in Dutch schools to support teachers’ professional development. However, teachers’ beliefs regarding the use of PDPs have not been systematically researched, whereas research on the use of PDPs indicates that the implementation is not always successful and depends on how use is perceived by users. Some teachers may doubt the usefulness and purpose of a PDP, and this might influence their reactions to its intro- duction. Using Fishbein and Ajzen’s theory of planned behav- iour, the current study explored teachers’ characteristics (such as age and years of experience in education) and their beliefs about intention to use a PDP. Clusters of teachers with similar characteristics and beliefs were identified to permit the design of interventions specific to each cluster. Semi-structured inter- views were conducted to reveal these beliefs and characteristics for a sample of 41 teachers working in schools where using a PDP was mandatory. The results showed that most teachers had a positive attitude towards using a PDP. However, because using a PDP was mandatory, they felt pressured to produce one. Moreover, it was not a priority. This was because of their high workload. The present study contributes to the literature by adding knowledge of teachers’ beliefs about the use of PDPs. This knowledge may help the PDP to become a more effective device in promoting teachers’ professional development.

Employability development in the context of doctoral studies: systemic tensions and the views of key stakeholders

Abstract: While the employability of doctoral candidates has been a topic of much discussion, the views of key institutional stakeholders on it are little understood. In order to address this gap, this study explores the perceptions of doctoral candidates, supervisors and researcher developers through semi-structured interviews. This small scale exploratory study adopted Activity Theory as an analytical lens in order to explore the key components of the employability development process and the tensions that might arise as a result of their interaction. Tensions identified relate to mismatches between the perceptions of key stakeholders and external requirements, drawbacks of employability development support as well as engagement of community members and low awareness of the rules that underpin the employability development process. The paper argues that in order for the employability agenda to be successful it needs to become an integral part of doctoral learning process.

International briefing 29: training and development in Kazakhstan

Abstract: The Republic of Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia, to the south of Russia and to the north-west of China. The continental location of Kazakhstan is in the centre of the Eurasian lands mass, between 45 and 87 degrees east longitude, 40 and 55 degrees north latitude. Kazakhstan occupies an area equal to 2724.9 thousand sq. km. and stretches east from the Caspian Sea and Volga plains to the Altai Mountains, from the foothills of Tien Shan in the south and southeast to the Western Siberian lowland in the north. The extent of its territory from the west to the east exceeds 3000 km, from the south to the north 1700 km. In the east, north and northwest Kazakhstan borders with Russia (extent of the boundary of 6467 km), in the south – with the states of central Asia – Kyrgyzstan (980 km), Uzbekistan (2300 km) and Turkmenistan (380 km), and in the southeast – with China (1460 km). The total length of the borders of Kazakhstan composes almost 12.2 thousand km, including 600 km in the Caspian Sea in the west. Kazakhstan is the second largest state in terms of territory to emerge from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In December 1991, when Kazakhstan declared its independence from the USSR, the government and the economy were still closely tied to the Soviet’s centralized economic and managerial system. Kazakhstan is politically moderate, its multi-national population divided roughly in half between indigenous ethnic Kazakhs and other ethnic groups – Russians, Germans, Ukrainians, Uygurs, Chinese, Koreans – as well as dozens of other small ethnic groups. In December 2010, the total population was 16.4 million of whom approximately 53.4 per cent were Kazakhs, 30.0 per cent Russians, 3.7 per cent Ukrainians, 2.5 per cent Uzbeks, 2.4 per cent Germans, 1.7 per cent Tatars, 1.45 per cent Uighurs, and 4.9 per cent others (Asian Development Bank, 2010). In terms of religious identification, roughly 47 per cent of the population professed Islam, whereas 46 per cent was Russian Orthodox or Protestant. Soon after declaring its national independence, the Kazakh language was adopted as the official state language of Kazakhstan. Roughly 40 per cent of the population of the country lists Kazakh as their principal language, whereas about 40 per cent of the population lists Russian as their principal language. In practice, most

Wages and skills utilization: effect of broad skills and generic skills on wages in Singapore

Abstract: Many people go for training to upgrade their skills which is hoped to pave the way for better pay. But what are the kinds of skills that really affect wages? Employers have emphasized the value of generic skills such as interpersonal and communication skills, teamwork and problem solving. Does possession of these skills translate to at least the same or better wages as compared with having broad skills represented by educational qualifications and job-related training? This paper, arising from the research project on the Skills Utilisation in Singapore, aims to answer which skills can have more influence on wages and which job-related training in terms of training duration can have more impact on wages. Using ordinal logistic regression, our findings show that educational qualification and initial training time can influence wages as well as utilization of leadership, planning and problem-solving skills.

The role of training in the evaluation of public programs

Abstract: Nearly all private, government and non-governmental organizations that receive government funding to run social or health promotion programs in the United States are required to conduct program evaluations and to report findings to the funding agency. Reports are usually due at the end of a funding cycle and they may or may not have an influence on the continuation of program funding. The final evaluation report (FER), as the end-of-funding-cycle report is often called, generally relates the intervention and evaluation results of the funding period and has a dual purpose. It is considered an element of accountability (Compton et al., 2001) and should give the program and its stakeholders direction for the future (Patton, 1997). All too often though, this is not the case. Evaluators have voiced myriad concerns about the many issues related to reports and their usage (Hoefer, 2000). In their study of a random sample of American Evaluation Association members, Torres et al. (1997) found that evaluators are generally discontent about reporting and about the fact that their reports are often misused or not used at all. The authors (p. 110) report that the three main factors evaluators cited for impeding success in communicating and reporting evaluation findings were ‘insufficient time available to devote to communicating/reporting (53 percent)’, clients being unclear about their communication and reporting needs (47 percent) and clients and audiences being unresponsive to communication and reporting efforts (40 percent). These facts are especially disconcerting if we consider that many local programs, such as the local tobacco control programs in California, operate on multi-year policy objectives that often build on previous accomplishments and lessons learned. Evaluation reports could be a valuable instrument for moving projects forward if stakeholders and project staff would make good use of evaluation findings (Rossi et al., 2004). We may be facing a vicious cycle whereby clients or programs do not value reports very highly,

International Briefing 28: Training and Development in Quebec.

Abstract: This briefing examines training and development in Quebec, a province of Canada. Quebec has three main features that distinguish it from the rest of North America: (1) the majority of its population is French-speaking; (2) there is extensive government regulation of the labour market; and (3) it has the highest level of unionised workers in North America. This briefing outlines the educational system, then examines the legislation that makes it compulsory for organisations over a certain size to invest in training and development. Training investment by small and medium sized enterprises is examined due to their importance in the Quebecois economy. A general description of Quebec is also given.

International briefing 30: training and development in Iraqi Kurdistan

Abstract: This briefing is an exploratory study with the primary aim of analyzing the current status of human resource development (HRD) in the public sector of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). It evaluates the provision of training strategies and identifying the challenges and future opportunities to the implementation of an institutionalized process. It uses a qualitative approach in which two complementary types of data sources are employed. Data were analyzed using iterative thematic content analysis. This paper suggests that the factors that have posed as obstacles to effective and efficient professional development and training include: lack of a practical HRD model and systematic process specific to KRG's public sector, absence of evaluation procedures, weak civil service training institutions, and corruption. To try to provide a complete picture of HRD in Iraqi Kurdistan, an attempt is also made to describe the relatively undeveloped private sector.

International briefing 31: training and development in Mexico

Abstract: This paper examines training policies in Mexico. We present the main characteristics of Mexico's educational and training systems, examining both public and private policies, and analyse how they impact on productivity and development. We highlight Mexican efforts overall in promoting education and training and conclude that greater levels of investment are required to boost skills and productivity. In short, both the level of education of the active population and the percentage of trained employees need to be increased.