Job-related Training Research Articles

Employee Turnover in MFIs: Reasons & Remedies

At present day’s employee turnover is one of the challenging issues in microfinance sector of Bangladesh. Excessive turnover is not only pricey, but it can create a bad reputation in the MFI sector and among the job seekers. Excessive turnover may be harmful to an MFI's productivity if experienced and efficient employees are often departing and the employee encompasses a high percentage of beginners. The impact of turnover has received substantial attention by the senior management and human resources professionals of the sector. So it is time demand to know the reasons those influence employee turnover and also know the remedies how we can reduce the rate of employee turnover rate. So an attempt was taken by this study to know the reasons and remedies of employee turnover in microfinance sector of Bangladesh. The study found that the average turnover rate of permanent employees in nine reputed MFIs in 2012, 2013 and 2014 were respectively 13.79%, 12.74% and 10.96% and the average turnover rate of contractual employees in seven MFIs in 2012, 2013 and 2014 were respectively 25.43%, 21.92% and 15.93%. The major reasons for employee turnover are: salary and other financial benefit are comparatively less than other MFIs; terminated for corruption or fraudulent; terminated for violation of service rules; no overtime financial benefit; excessive working load; transfer to distant district from home district; for family reason; not having promotion after being deserve it etc. The key remedies for reducing employee turnover are: should fix up a competitive salary and other financial benefit harmonizing with the other competitor MFIs; promotion and salary increment policy should be transparent; should have provision of proper reward for good work and proper punishment for ill work in MFIs; should have financial benefit for overtime work; having automation and online network facilities in all branches; to provide necessary job related training to a new recruited employee; having facility of leave encashment; having provision of financial support or loan for employee at the time of his emergency, transfer to nearest district from home district etc.

Two to Tango: The Determinants of Workers’ and FIrms’ Willingness to Participate in Job-Related Training

This paper estimates the determinants of workers’ and firms’ willingness to train. While previous studies imposed assumptions on firms’ ability to force workers into training, I show that such assumptions are unnecessary for identification, are rejected by the data, and lead to biased estimates. I find that different training rates between workers with various levels of education are mainly due to differences in workers’ willingness to participate in training. Different training rates across age are primarily driven by differences in firms’ willingness to train certain groups. These results give clues about the successfulness of policies aimed at increasing training participation.Two to tango: the determinants of workers’ and firms’ willingness to participate in job-related training

Work-Related Learning and Skill Development in Europe: Does Initial Skill Mismatch Matter?

This paper provides more insight into the relevance of the assumption of human capital theory that the productivity of job-related training is driven by the improvement of workers' skills. We analyse the extent to which training and informal learning on the job are related to employee skill development and consider the heterogeneity of this relationship with respect to workers' skill mismatch at job entry. Using data from the 2014 European Skills Survey, we find – as assumed by human capital theory – that employees who participated in training or informal learning show greater improvement of their skills than those who did not. The contribution of informal learning to employee skill development appears to be larger than that of training participation. Nevertheless, both forms of learning are shown to be complementary. This complementarity between training and informal learning is related to a significant additional improvement of workers' skills. The skill development of workers who were initially underskilled for their job seems to benefit the most from both training and informal learning, whereas the skill development of those who were initially overskilled benefits the least. Work-related learning investments in the latter group seem to be more functional in offsetting skill depreciation than in fostering skill accumulation.

Effects of human resource development practices on service quality of services offshore outsourcing firms

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of human resource development (HRD) practices on the quality of service of services offshore outsourcing firms in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approach– Survey methodology was used and 402 respondents who fulfilled the selection criteria set for the study responded. To examine the hypothesised relationships structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation was performed using AMOS 16.Findings– The analysis yielded two component factor structure for HRD practices, which were termed as talent engagement and job-related training. It was found that both talent engagement and job-related training significantly positively predict the quality of service. The study provided empirical data to support the contention that organisations should develop and engage capabilities of employees to enhance the quality of service.Originality/value– Characteristics of service business demand the effective use of human resource. Therefore, it is expected that the findings of this study will provide useful information for academics and practitioners to make informed decisions on the influence of HRD practices on the quality of service.

Transfer of learning

Purpose – This paper aims to analyse transfer of learning to workplace regarding to job-related training courses. Training courses analysed in this study are offered under the professional training for employment framework in Spain. Design/methodology/approach – During the training courses, trainees completed a self-reported survey of reasons for participation (time 1 data collection, N = 447). Two months after training, a second survey was sent to the trainees by email (time 2 data collection, N = 158). Factor analysis, correlations and multiple hierarchical regressions were performed. Findings – The results of this study demonstrate the importance of training relevance and training effectiveness in transfer of training. Results indicated that relevance, the extent training courses were related to participant’s workplace activities and professional development, positively influences transfer of training. Effectiveness, training features which facilitated participants to acquire knowledge and skills, also has a significantly positive influence in transfer of training. Motivation to participate and learning-conducive workplace features also have a positive influence in transfer of training. Originality/value – This study contributes to the understanding of transfer of learning in work-related training programmes by analysing the factors that influence transfer of learning back to the workplace. The study has practical implication for training designers and education providers to enhance work-related training in the context of the Professional Training for Employment Subsystem in Spain.

The joint relationship between organizational design factors and HR practice factors on direct care workers’ job satisfaction and turnover intent

Human resource (HR) practices, such as training and communication, have been linked to positive employee job commitment and lower turnover intent for direct care workers (DCWs). Not many studies have looked at the combined interaction of HR practices and organizational structure. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between organizational structure (centralization, formalization, and span of control) and HR practices (training, horizontal communication, and vertical communication) on DCW's job satisfaction and turnover intent. Data were collected from 58 long-term care facilities in five states. We used latent class analysis to group facility characteristics into three sets of combinations: "organic," "mechanistic," and "minimalist." We used multivariate regression to test the relationship of each of these groups on DCW's job satisfaction and turnover intent. After controlling for state, organizational, and individual covariates, the organic group, which represents decentralized and less formalized structures and high levels of job training and communication, was positively related to job satisfaction and negatively related to intent to leave. On the other hand, the minimalist group, which is characterized by low levels of job-related training and communication, showed no significant differences from the mechanistic group (referent) on job satisfaction and intent to leave. These findings imply that managers in long-term care facilities may want to consider adopting organic, decentralized structures and HR practices to retain DCWs.

Iterative augmentation of a medical training simulator: Effects of affective metacognitive scaffolding

Experiential training simulators are gaining increasing popularity for job-related training due to their potential to engage and motivate adult learners. They are designed to provide learning experiences that are directly connected to users' work environments and support self-regulated learning. Nevertheless, learners often fail to transfer the knowledge gained in the simulated environment to real-world contexts. The EU-funded ImREAL project aimed to bridge that gap by developing a suite of intelligent services designed to enhance existing training simulators. This paper presents work that was a subset of this research project, reporting the iterative development and evaluation of a scaffolding service, which was integrated into a simulator for training medical students to perform diagnostic interviews. The study comprises three evaluation phases, comparing the pure simulator to a first version with metacognitive scaffolding and then to a final version with affective metacognitive scaffolding and enriched user modelling. The scaffolding service provides the learner with metacognitive prompts; affective elements are realized by an integrated affect reporting tool and affective prompts. Using a mixed-method approach by analysing questionnaires (N = 106) and log-data (N = 426), the effects of the services were investigated with respect to real-world relevance, self-regulated learning support, learning experience, and integration. Despite some limitations, the outcomes of this study demonstrate the usefulness of affective metacognitive scaffolding in the context of experiential training simulators; significant post-simulation increases in perceived relevance of the simulator, reflective note-taking, overall motivation, and feeling of success could be identified. Perceived usability and flow of the simulation increased, whereas overall workload and frustration decreased. However, low response rates to specific functions of the simulation point to a need to further investigate how to raise users' awareness and understanding of the provided tools, to encourage interaction with the services, and to better convey the benefits of using them. Thus, future challenges concern not so much technological developments for personalizing learning experiences, but rather new ways to change user attitudes towards an open approach to learning systems that enables them to benefit from all offered features.

Occupation-related long-term sensory training enhances roughness discrimination but not tactile acuity

Extensive use of sensorimotor properties has been shown to lead to use-dependent plasticity in the human motor cortex as well as sensory areas. The sensory consequences of these cortical changes, however, remain widely unclear. We were interested whether job-related long-term haptic training is measurable in terms of changes in haptic perception (active touch exploration) in manual physiotherapists (PT). To that end, the haptic thresholds of PT (students and employed) and registered osteopathic manual therapists (OMT; PT with postgraduate specialization) were measured and compared to age- and sex-matched control groups. Additionally, tactile acuity (passive static touch) was assessed using grating domes. PT and OMT had superior mean haptic thresholds compared to the control group, suggesting an increase in sensitivity through use. An age-related decline in haptic perception capacity occurred only in the control group, suggesting that the job-related training of the manual therapist groups may have slowed their age-related decline. Contrary to our expectation, we found significantly poorer mean haptic threshold results in the PT student group than for the controls. No significant differences or changes in tactile acuity were found for any of the groups (students and professional). The present results demonstrate use-dependent plasticity in manual therapists. Furthermore, the results underline the known effect of a superior discrimination ability of haptic as opposed to tactile perception.

How Persistent Is the Occupation-Education Mismatch in Canada?

This paper investigates the duration of overqualification in Canada, the time-varying probability of leaving overqualification, and the wage consequences associated with the transition. The paper also applies a survival analysis approach to examine the impact of key driving factors on the probability of transitioning from overqualification to a job match using a proportional hazard (Cox) model. The analysis shows that within a 5-year period, an overqualified worker has a 22 percent probability of transitioning to an occupation that matches the education level. The probability of transition also decreases quickly over time, thus lowering the chances of finding a job match after 12 months. Regression analyses also provide evidence that overqualified workers with short tenure are more likely to transition than workers with medium to long tenure. Finally, job-related training nearly doubles the chance of transitioning out of overqualification.

Personal Protective Equipment Use among Students with Special Health Care Needs Reporting Injuries in School-Sponsored Vocational, Career, and Technical Education Programs in New Jersey

Students with special health care needs (SHCNs) and individualized education plans (IEPs) may be injured more often in vocational, career, and technical education (CTE) programs. No research to date considers personal protective equipment (PPE) use among students with SHCNs in school-based programs reporting injuries to agencies. Data from 1999 to 2011 on PPE use among injured students in CTE programs in public schools and private secondary schools for the disabled were analyzed; students with SHCNs were distinguished by IEP status within New Jersey Safe Schools surveilance data. Among students with IEPs using PPE, 36% of injuries occurred to body parts PPE was meant to protect. Likely injury types were cuts-lacerations and burns for students with IEPs using PPE and cuts-lacerations and sprains for students with IEPs not using PPE. Females with IEPs using PPE were injured less often than males across ages. Results suggested students with SHCNs with IEPs need further job-related training with increased emphasis on properly selecting and fitting PPE.

Fundamental resource dis/advantages, youth health and adult educational outcomes

Recent studies find lasting effects of poor youth health on educational attainment but use young samples and narrow life course windows of observation to explore outcomes. We apply a life course framework to three sets of Health and Retirement Study birth cohorts to examine early health status effects on education and skills attainment measured late in life. The older cohorts that we study were the earliest recipients of U.S. policies promoting continuing education through the GI Bill, community college expansions and new credentials such as the GED. We examine a wide range of outcomes but focus on GEDs, postsecondary school entry and adult human capital as job-related training. We find that older U.S. cohorts had considerable exposure to these forms of attainment and that the effects of youth health on them vary by outcome: health selection and ascription group effects are weak or fade, respectively, in outcomes associated with delayed or adult attainment. However, poorer health and social disadvantage in youth and barriers associated with ascription carry forward to limit attainment of key credentials such as diplomas and college degrees. We find that the human capital – health gradient is dynamic and that narrow windows of observation in existing studies miss much of it. National context also matters for studying health-education linkages over the life course.

It is not just a matter of having the time: job-related training participation of Hong Kong employees

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 cultural approach to examine the pursuit of job-related training of Hong Kong employees. The characteristics of the labour market institutions (unions, employers’ organisations and government regulations) in Hong Kong are important contextual factors for understanding job-related training which local employees arrange for themselves. Analyses of survey data collected from a random sample of employees show that time constraints due to long working hours and heavy family responsibilities were not crucial in affecting training participation. Instead, higher education level, experiences of new skills requirements at work and intrinsic job values have positive effects on whether or not employees arranged training for themselves. The training undertaken involved generic rather than firm-specific workskills. We argue that the pursuit of training and the preference for generic workskills need to be understood against the labour demand situation and the relatively free labour market in Hong Kong. The paper ends with theoretical and policy implications of the study.

A Case Study of Instructional Contributions of Community and Government Secondary School Administrators in Pakistan

The study examined the instructional contribution of a community and government school administrator in Pakistan. While using qualitative tools to generate data, the research exclusively examined the administrators’ engagements in such instructional processes as conducting class visits, arranging inschool professional development programs, and contributing to curriculum enrichment. The study noted that as compared to government administrator, the community administrator seemed more active in the instructional processes of his school. The detachment of the government administrator from classroom practices had many implications that also influenced the quality of education in the government school. On the basis of the findings of this study, I maintain that the efficiency of school administrators is contingent upon multiple elements, such as provisions of job related training, introduction of an effective accountability tool, support of instruction oriented educational officials, and contribution of community/parents The study suggested Pakistan should address the above-mentioned elements when defining the instruction-oriented role of school administrators in the country.

Stability or change? Effects of training length and time lag on achievement goal orientations and transfer of training

Over the past 30 years, numerous studies have examined the differential influences of achievement goal orientations on transfer of training, with heterogeneous results. The present study used meta-analytic methods (k=17 with 38 effect sizes, N=2917) to correct the true score population correlation estimate between achievement goal orientations and transfer of training for sampling error and error of measurement. For this purpose, goal orientations were conceptualized in the following three dimensions: mastery goal orientation (ρ=0.40), performance-approach goal orientation (ρ=0.02), and performance-avoidance goal orientation (ρ=−0.12). A second aim was to examine stability and change by testing the effects of training length and time lag on these population correlation estimates. A weighted least squares multiple regression indicated no statistically significant effects; a nested effect of training length and time lag was also nonsignificant for all three goal orientations. These findings suggest stability in the achievement goal orientation–transfer of training relationships. Practical implications for job-related training programs and avenues for future research are discussed.

An Analysis of Labour Market Outcomes in the European Union Objective One Funding Area in Great Britain

Jones M. K. and Skilton L. An analysis of labour market outcomes in the European Union Objective One funding area in Great Britain, Regional Studies. This paper uses data from the Labour Force Survey (1995–2005) to examine the short-run impact of European Union Objective One funding on local labour markets in Great Britain. The evidence from a difference-in-difference analysis reveals that employment and job-related training gaps between the Objective One and non-Objective One area narrowed during the funding period. Further investigation, using a range of control groups, suggests that this cannot be attributed to Objective One status per se. However, there is substantial variation across the four funding areas: Objective One status had a positive effect on employment in South Yorkshire and on job-related training in Wales.

Positive Side Effects of a Job-Related Training Program for Older Adults in South Korea

The objective of the current study was to evaluate empirically positive side effects of a job-related training program on older adults' self-esteem, depression, and social networks. A total of 70 older adults participated in the study after completing the Older Paraprofessional Training Program developed and provided by the Continuing Education Center in a university in Korea. The one group pretest-posttest design was employed to test the positive side effects of the program. The results of paired samples t tests statistically support that there are significant changes in self-esteem, depression, and social network after completing the program. The findings of the study are discussed in relation to the evaluation and development of job-related training programs for older adults.

Education and training

Education is an essential part of any society and helps with economic, social and political growth as well as the development of society in general. Increasingly in the UK people’s experience of formal education is no longer restricted to their years at school. There has been an expansion in further and higher education as more people in the UK continue in full-time education. Qualifications achieved at school are increasingly supplemented by further education and job-related training to equip people with the skills required by a modern labour market. This chapter discusses educational expenditure, the qualifications of the workforce and the stock of human capital. This is followed by sections which examine education and educational achievement from early years through compulsory and post-compulsory education to adult learning and training.

Teaching and Learning about Teaching and Learning

The Art of Teaching and Learning: Best Practices from a Master Educator. By Patrick Allitt. Chantilly, VA: The Teaching Company, 2010. 12 hours of DVD material plus paperback course guidebook. This is not a traditional “book” review, but a consideration of a series of 24 half-hour lectures designed to consider a significant range of teaching issues, primarily in higher education. Its publisher, The Teaching Company offers nearly 400 high-quality non-credit courses in a variety of media on everything from music appreciation to particle physics. History Professor Patrick Allitt, who directed Emory's Center for Teaching and Curriculum, is the primary lecturer. Allitt draws additional material from interviews with six colleagues at very different institutions. Among them are faculty in dedicated business programs, medical schools, and specialists in offering various introductory courses to large lecture halls full of students. Also included are clips of classroom activities and student interviews. Allitt is a somewhat gawky Brit with a tendency toward monotonic presentation, not some siren-voiced svengali capable of teaching managerial ethics, forensic entomology, or quantum computing to heads of cabbage by dint of pure charisma. If he can teach teachers about teaching, it will be the result of skill and insight, and not intangibles or non-transferables. This set of lectures has real value, though some areas are covered more effectively than others, and some suggestions should generate real controversy. The course promises something for everyone in the realm of education. Allitt tries, albeit mostly unsuccessfully, to make connections between instruction in higher education and teaching challenges in other venues, like job-related training. The value of these lectures is not their reach across educational contexts, but in the breadth …

Weiterbildungsmotivation älterer Mitarbeiter in der Elektroindustrie – Eine explorative Studie / Motivation for job-related training of elder employees in electrical industry – An exploratory case study

Abstracts Berufliche Weiterbildung älterer Mitarbeiter findet in Deutschland nur in geringem Ausmaß statt. So investieren Firmen ab einem gewissen Alter ihres Personals kaum mehr in dessen Bildung, aber auch ältere Mitarbeiter selbst werden häufig als weiterbildungsabstinent und damit bildungsfern bezeichnet. Die vorliegende explorative Studie in der Elektro- und Elektronikindustrie mit 328 Arbeitnehmern untersucht in einem ersten Schritt diesen Mythos der Weiterbildungsabstinenz und Bildungsferne mittels eines standardisierten Leistungsmotivationsinventars zur Messung der Weiterbildungsmotivation. Die Ergebnisse machen deutlich, dass die Meinungen in der öffentlichen Diskussion damit nicht bestätigt werden können. So zeigen sich Mitarbeiter über 50 Jahren durchaus als hoch motiviert in der beruflichen Weiterbildung, was noch stärker auf höher gebildete Personen zutrifft. Ebenfalls zeigen Männer eine höhere Lernbereitschaft als Frauen. Im Hinblick auf die demografische Entwicklung und dem dadurch zu erwartenden höheren Beschäftigungsanteil der über 50-Jährigen scheint mindestens die Motivation und die Lernbereitschaft der älteren Mitarbeiter den aktuellen wirtschaftlichen Änderungs- und dadurch Weiterbildungsbedürfnissen nicht im Wege zu stehen.

The causal effects of organizational internal labor market on firm-specific learning – the mediating effect of willingness to internal transfer

While most of the research work addressed the internal labor market (ILM) issues from the aspect of internal and social equity point of view, our current research is, however, aimed to present the ILM model from the angle of learning the employees' firm-specific and job-specific skills. We took one step further to explore the determinants of firm-specific learning within the organizational ILM using three main criterion comprised of (1) job-related training, (2) advancement via sequence of jobs, and (3) long-term attachment to the organization. With a survey tackling the willingness to transfer internally among employees as our mediator, questionnaires were disseminated among the five traditional manufacturing industries selected in Taiwan. Our statistical results not only demonstrate the positive direct effects of all the dimensions of ILM on firm-specific learning, but also testify the indirect positive effects of ILM through willingness for internal transfer on firm-specific learning.