Provision Of Skills Research Articles

What factors determine household food security among smallholder farmers? Insights from Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ABSTRACTFood insecurity persists in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Guidelines are required to inform the formulation of programmes dealing with this challenge. Literature identifies various factors, such as agricultural skills, as key determinants of household food security. This study examines linkages between agricultural skills and household food security in farming households of the Tugela Ferry irrigation scheme in the Msinga Local Municipality. Data was collected from a random sample of 250 farming households by means of a structured questionnaire. A Tobit regression model was employed to examine the determinants of household food security. The study found that factors like household size, marital status, education level, gender, total livestock units, household income, farming experience, credit use and competence levels in fertiliser measurement have the potential to reduce household food insecurity. The study concludes that provision of agricultural skills may improve households’ food security and that interventions may improve smallholder farming productivity.

Conspiracy Against The Public? Occupational Regulation in the UK Economy

20% of UK employees require a licence from government to practice their chosen occupation. This proportion has doubled in the last fifteen years. A further 20% of workers are certified by government agencies, and such certification is often necessary for employment. Occupational regulation is usually justified by the need to protect an uninformed public from incompetent or unscrupulous practitioners. However, regulation has increased when consumer information has been expanding rapidly, and there are new ways of ensuring quality and value for money. Another argument for government involvement is that there is a market failure in the provision of skills, which leads to lower productivity. But increased regulation has not achieved much, and there are other ways to promote skill acquisition. Regulation and licensing is sometimes a knee-jerk response to a sudden problem, rather than a thought-through policy, and often occupational organisations themselves are the driving force for regulation as a means of keeping out competition. The case for occupational regulation has traditionally been strongest for professions, such as medicine and the law, which require many years of study. But new technology is undermining the traditional arguments for exclusivity for professional practitioners. Evidence from various countries suggests that occupational licensing raises pay levels for most regulated occupations, reduces employment and does little to raise quality. Restrictive barriers to entry to occupations block off better-paid work from some disadvantaged groups and reduce social mobility. A thorough review of the effectiveness of occupational licensing is needed. Such a review should reduce government intervention generally, but where some intervention is still required, registration is often preferable to licensing, certification to registration, and private accreditation to state certification. More onus should be placed on employers and consumers to decide on suitable qualifications for a job, and less on external regulatory bodies which have agendas of their own.

Practice and Attitude towards Orthodontic Services by Pedodontists and General Practitioners

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the provision of orthodontic skills among general and pediatric dentists. Methods: The study included 344 subjects, who were given a questionnaire that included information like experience of practice, type of orthodontic appliances used, frequency of orthodontic patients treated yearly, etc. Mean scores of all the questions were calculated using student’s t test and one-way ANOVA test at p value <0.05. Results: In general, percentage of participants practicing orthodontics was 22.1%. It was observed that more number of pedodontists were involved in orthodontic treatment than general dentists. Removable appliances were frequently used for patients. The prevalence of practicing orthodontic treatment was mostly observed in more experienced practitioners. Conclusion: The frequency of providing orthodontic treatment was significantly higher amongst pediatric dentists. However, orthodontic courses should be made available for the dental practitioners for further excellence.

Human capital and university–business interactions: an example from the wine industry

Research on university–business interactions has thrived in recent years, influenced by some very successful examples where they have led to the emergence of world-class clusters. However, this paper will argue that in less developed regions the most important contribution that universities can make to their regional economies is the supply of skilled human capital. Through the case study of the wine industry in Portugal, it will argue that this supply of human capital can have a significant impact on the absorptive capacity of firms, particularly SMEs. It will therefore seek to make an important contribution to academic research in this area, by outlining a relatively neglected research area. It is also relevant for policy-makers and practitioners, as it argues that innovation and regional development policies should pay more attention to the need to match skills provision by higher education institutions to business needs among SMEs.

Does Loan Size Matter for Productive Application? Evidence from Nepalese Micro-finance Institutions

This paper examines the loan size and its productive application after involvement in micro-finance programme in western development region of Nepal. The paper is based on primary sources of data collected through structured questionnaires. The survey includes 500 clients from four districts of western development region both from government and Private microfinance institutions. The study shows that there is positive association between size of savings and loans, size of savings and loan application, current loan size and ethnicity, loan size and duration of membership, and finally loan size and its application. It has been found that clients who have taken small size of loans, they have mostly spent their loans on domestic purposes and found poor application of loans in micro-business whereas big loan size clients have greater application of loans in productive sectors. Micro-finance institutions should increase loan size (as per the provision of monitory policy) with necessary entrepreneurship skills that will help to enhance productive application of loans however, strict monitoring and supervision is essential. Thus, MFIs should give equal priority for non-financial services such as financial literacy and provision of entrepreneurship skills through government and non-government organizations that ultimately helps to utilize micro-credit into productive sectors.Repositioning Vol.1(1) 2016: 63-72

Faculty Development Initiatives as a Tool to Prevent Physician Burnout

Introduction: Physician burnout resulting from personal and professional distress has been increasingly reported among practicing physicians, the consequences of which can be pervasive for both physicians and the patients they treat. We hope that employing initiatives within our gastroenterology (GI) division's faculty development program can work to: (1) prevent physician burnout, (2) reinvigorate engagement with the provision of patient-centered care, and (3) promote personal and professional well-being among faculty physicians. Methods: We created a survey for GI faculty physicians to garner information about attitudes towards physician burnout, and strategies that may help physicians combat burnout through faculty development initiatives. Results: Twenty-eight GI faculty completed the survey. The number of years in practice among participants was: 43% for 1-5 years, 21% for 6-10 years, 4% for 11-15 years, and 32% for 15+ years. Eighty-two percent (23/28) reported having interacted with a colleague who they believed to be experiencing burnout. Forty-eight percent reported experiencing at least 1 of 3 criterion of physician burnout sometimes or always (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization toward patients, or low personal accomplishment), with emotional exhaustion being most commonly experienced (71%). An unhealthy work-life balance and increased patient volume and patient-care responsibilities were considered to contribute most heavily to burnout (75% and 68%, respectively). 57% (16/28) strongly agreed that physician burnout may adversely impact patient care and patient-care outcomes. 86% (24/28) believed that faculty development initiatives specifically focusing on combating physician burnout would be worthwhile, and 64% (18/28) believed that initiatives, including OSCEs (objective structured clinical examinations), focusing on enhancing patient-centered care skills are valuable. Sixty-eight percent (19/28) of faculty would like to participate in faculty development initiatives that focus on issues related to physician burnout. Conclusion: Promoting faculty development initiatives that focus on identifying, managing, and preventing physician burnout would fill a void for faculty physicians. Faculty felt that it is crucial to have a program with a dedicated focus on enhancing their patient-centered care skills. This report may better inform GI faculty development programs wishing to marry personal and professional well-being with the provision of effective patient-centered care skills.

Self-management education for rehabilitation inpatients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Although inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects patients' psychological well-being, previous educational programs have failed to demonstrate effects on psychosocial outcomes and quality of life. Therefore, we developed a group-based psychoeducational program that combined provision of both medical information and psychological self-management skills, delivered in an interactive manner, and evaluated it in a large, cluster-randomized trial. We assigned 540 rehabilitation inpatients suffering from IBD (mean age 43 years, 66% female) to either the new intervention or a control group comprising the same overall intensity and the same medical information, but only general psychosocial information. The primary outcome was patient-reported IBD-related concerns. Secondary outcomes included disease knowledge, coping, self-management skills, fear of progression, anxiety, depression and quality of life. Assessments took place at baseline, end of rehabilitation and after 3 and 12 months.The psychoeducational self-management program did not prove superior to the control group regarding primary and secondary outcomes. However, positive changes over time occurred in both groups regarding most outcomes. The superior effectiveness of the newly developed psychoeducational program could not be demonstrated. Since the intervention and control groups may have been too similar, this trial may have been too conservative to produce between-group effects.

Factors Influencing Perception of Microenterprise Activities by Women in Turkana Community in Kenya

The role of micro and small-scale enterprises sector (MSEs) in the development process has been at the centre of development debate for the last three decades in Kenya and elsewhere in the developing world. Economic hardship experienced in the formal sector in Kenya, and indeed in other developing countries have contributed to the enthusiasm now associated with MSEs sector. Increasingly, the sector is perceived as critical component of much needed skills, employment and generation of livelihood for growing number of people within urban as well as rural sector. Non- Governmental Organizations, Church based organizations and relevant lines Government Ministries have played a major role in business development in Turkana community, assisting mainly women and youth to start and manage group businesses. The commonly used mode of assistance is the provision of finance and financial management skills, as well as connecting client with market outlets. Despite all these efforts businesses collapse as soon as the assisting organization has pulled out. This study sought to contribute to this effort through determining factors influencing perception of Microenterprise activities by women in Turkana community in Kenya. The study was based on survey research design. The study was conducted through interview using a structured questionnaire with a five point Likert–type scale. The target population was all women in Turkana community and a sample of 80 respondents were interviewed to determine to what extent cultural factors, socioeconomic factors, access to credit and government programs influence perception of Microenterprise activities by Women in Turkana Community. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data. Findings were presented using frequency and percentage tables. Statistical package for social scientists was used in analyzing Quantitative data. Qualitative was transcribed, organized into various emerging themes and reported. The study found out that family care and cultural based stereo-type roles have made it difficult for youth and women to engage in micro enterprise activities, respondents did not have relevant skills and training in business and due to low educational level the youth and women micro entrepreneurs had not appreciated access to credit as an engine for business development.

Dementia informal caregiver obtaining and engaging in food-related information and support services.

As dementia progresses, caregivers increasingly have to manage the decline of food-related abilities with little outside information or input from support services The provision of food coping skills and knowledge can lessen the burden on caregivers. However, there is little research on caregivers' perspectives on food-related services. This paper reports on a qualitative study to investigate informal caregivers' experiences of, and views on, food-related information and support services in dementia. Twenty informal caregivers were interviewed and the transcripts from these interviews were analysed using both deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Four categories emerged. 'Direct food-related Information', covers written material, training, 'Direct food-related informal support': lunch clubs, 'Indirect non-food related formal support services' covers respite services and domestic help at home. Finally 'no services required' covers those who did not feel they needed any form of intervention due to confidence in managing food-related processes or having no change in dementia progression and food responsibility. Most caregivers will need different levels of information and support at different stages of dementia. It is necessary therefore to undertake ongoing individual assessment of food information and support needs.

The Circumstantial Media Activist: An Analysis of the Relation between Media and Political Representation

Alternative or radical media are kinds of media production common among social movements whose members do not see their causes represented in mainstream media. This is the case of the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST), which since 1984 has created media outlets and produced content for different platforms, later becoming active in the area of media and communication rights in Brazil. Based on fieldwork carried out in 2013 and 2014, this article proposes that a perspective of communication rights is attentive to the structural configuration of the media landscape and not only to the provision of technology and production skills. This study shows that collective action and promotion of structural change are still relevant alongside new technologies.

Key Competences in Organic Production Management

Management in organic production, as a method applying holistic approaches and answering the dimensions of sustainable development through an overall process management, requires a number of competences that should be considered in developing curricula in different types of training and educational institutions. The investigation takes into account strategic priorities for sustainable development, knowledge-based economy and smart specialization accenting the significance of provision of knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship encouragement and innovations’ transfer. The paper aims at exploring modern challenges to organic management and summarizing basic training needs. On that basis it tries to draw general conclusions about organic management competences and proposals of building competences in organic management. The study analyses the needs of training in organic sector, and particularly management of small and medium-size farms, in connection to the application of business continuity management. A portfolio of organic management competences is presented showing the need of providing broad and specialized knowledge in organic management curricula and especially assuring acquisition of soft skills. The paper proposes a framework and three model training programs in organic management – for colleges and universities, for vocational schools / centers and for life-long learning training programs. It concludes that competence-based learning should be applied through student-oriented and integrated approaches. The investigation considers the need of binding training to the innovation processes and transfer of innovations establishing a close connection to the scientific research – in needs’ analyses, development, evaluation, transfer of innovations into practice and permanent feedback. That way, the research lays down the bases of a common standard that could be developed and used to guarantee the quality of training in organic management as a process of planning, organization, implementation and evaluation answering trainees’ needs and establishing close links to practice. A future standardization will give competitive advantages to applying institutions and will provide trust in trainees.

Skills in South Africa: The journey towards credible planning

ABSTRACTSince 1994 the state has instituted active labour market policies to redress the apartheid skills legacy. The skills planning challenge continues to be how to coordinate efforts for the provision of the right skills to support inclusive economic growth, ensuring an alignment is achieved between what is required in the labour market and the supply from the education and training system. This article traces the South African journey of skills planning from late apartheid until the current time period in 2014 through a historical analysis of the political economy. The analysis reflects on the relationship between state formation in South Africa and the role of the state in directing skills development, and in the more recent period how skills planning responds to both the demands of the economy and ameliorating the historical legacies of education and skills exclusion.

How to motivate adults with low literacy and numeracy skills to engage and persist in learning: A literature review of policy interventions

Low basic skills levels of adults are a complex policy problem which has neither straightforward causes nor solutions, and successful interventions are still relatively rare. Tackling serious literacy and numeracy weaknesses among adults is challenging, partly because the task itself is difficult, and partly because even if accomplished successfully, the returns on the investment (of expertise, time and money) are uncertain. The Survey of Adult Skills, an international investigation conducted in 22 member and two partner countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as part of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), has revealed that a considerable number of adults possess only limited literacy and numeracy skills. Governments now recognise the need to upskill these adults in order to maintain national prosperity. This literature review examines current evidence on policy interventions for adults with low literacy and numeracy proficiencies to pinpoint what has so far proven to motivate adults to join and persist in basic literacy and numeracy learning. The author identifies three approaches which seem promising in helping to address individual learners’ needs: (1) adapting instruction to learners’ needs by means of regular assessment (formative assessment); (2) complementary e-learning (blended learning); and (3) contextualisation of basic skills provision both at work and at home (workplace learning and family literacy). The central challenge is to put the evidence to work.

The Private Sector and the SDGs: The Need to Move Beyond ‘Business as Usual’

AbstractIn September 2015, world leaders gathered in New York to endorse the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Ban Ki‐moon asserts that the SDGs signal a ‘paradigm shift for people and the planet’ (UN : para. 24). Significantly, under this new agenda there are expectations that businesses, government and civil society actors will be equally responsible for progressing a more sustainable path forward. Many assert that the private sector has particular strengths to bring to bear in delivering on the SDGs, including innovation, responsiveness, efficiency and provision of specific skills and resources. Interestingly, the business sector had a strong role in influencing development of the SDGs. In this paper we discuss the challenge being put forth to business actors by the SDGs, reflecting on both the potential for more sustainable and responsible practices and on the limits to change. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Negotiating varieties of capitalism? Crisis and change in contemporary British and German labour migration policies

ABSTRACTJust a decade ago, the liberal British and cautious German approaches to labour migration policy (LMP) counted as institutional spillovers of two opposed varieties of capitalism. Since 2014, however, Germany has offered one of the most liberal labour migration legislations across the rich world, while the Coalition government in London has severely curbed the rules of admission. Is the explanatory power of capitalist variation already exhausted for comparative labour migration policies? To what extent has the economic crisis disrupted policy paths? By adopting a cultural political economy perspective, this paper examines the interaction of crisis discourses and capitalist varieties in explaining LMP changes. A comparison shows that Britain treats the liberal market economy’s openness to foreign workers as a root cause for a deeply felt migration control crisis and seeks to tame firms’ profitability strategies with restrictive policies. By contrast, German decision-makers have come to view the skill provision mechanisms of the coordinated market economy as key cure to the perceived demographic crisis, liberalising migration routes alongside this economic coordination model. Overall, the paper dethrones capitalist varieties as seemingly deterministic informants of labour migration policies. Instead, policies have both the aim and capacity to negotiate national capitalisms according to shifting notions of crisis.

Ectopic Pregnancy in a Referral Hospital in the Volta Region of Ghana West Africa

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is still a global problem for women of reproductive age with increasing burden of the disease and increasing mortality especially for women living developing world like Africa. In Ghana studies evaluating the burden of ectopic pregnancy have been conducted in major centres like Korle-Bu and KATH but few in other centres. This study tends to evaluate the prevalence, clinical presentation and finding of ectopic pregnancy in a referral hospital in the Volta region of Ghana. Methodology: This was a 3 years (2013-2016) retrospective review of all gynaecological admission in the Volta regional hospital. All ectopic pregnancy cases/ record were identified, retrieved and information on the socio-demographics, clinical presentations, intraoperative findings and outcome of surgery were all extracted for analysis. Result: A prevalence of 2.05% (53/2582) was recorded over the study period. 58.5% (31/53) of the women were married and between the age group of 21 - 30. 47.2% (25/53) had primary school education. Lower abdominal pain was common in 98.1% (52//53), 69.2% (37/53) had vaginal bleeding while 96.4% (51/53). Fallopian tube pregnancy was seen in 96.2% (51/53) while 3.8% (2/53) were abdominal pregnancy. Tubal rupture and heamoperitoneum were seen in 73.6% (39/53) of the women. 78.4% (40/51) of the fallopian tube pregnancy occurred at the ampulla. All the women in this study were successfully managed with radical surgery. Conclusion: There is still the need to evaluate the prevalence of ectopic pregnancy in the region. Proper education of women of reproductive age and provision of equipment and skills to enable early diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy is very necessary in ensuring less radical and traumatic management with less implication on fertility of women post-surgery.

Environmental Science: the interdisciplinary STEM field

The recognition of Environmental Science (ES) academic programs as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is important to the role ES will play in scholarship and in socio-economic development. The National Science Foundation, other federal agencies, and many academic leaders recognize ES as a STEM discipline. However, some state agencies and academic colleagues do not. This article builds the case that ES is a STEM discipline, is a “rigorous science,” and provides in-depth treatments of science disciplines. In general, ES qualifies as STEM education for four reasons: ES is grounded in the scientific method and the process of discovery, ES is empirical and predictive, ES is rigorous in its provision of specific skills for analytical analysis, and ES provides students with critical thinking skills. We develop viewpoints that the interdisciplinary field of ES is a mature science that appeals to students and prepares them for meaningful careers. Recognition and classification of ES as a STEM discipline provides a crucial link for their funding, provides career opportunities and research initiatives for students and faculty members, and gives those from ES academic programs standing in the science-based discussions for advancing sustainability in a rapidly changing world.

The role of emotions in the reduction of HIV/AIDS stigma among physicians in training

ABSTRACTScientific literature has systematically documented the negative effects of social stigma for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). HIV/AIDS stigma has the potential to negatively impact self-care strategies for those already affected, and simultaneously hinder prevention efforts to deter the emergence of new infections. When health professionals manifest these negative attitudes access to quality health-care and prevention strategies can be seriously affected. Scientifically tested interventions to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma among health professionals are still scarce. Although the number of tested interventions has increased over the past decade, few of them target Latino health professionals or Spanish-speaking populations. Furthermore, although some of those interventions have been reported as effective for stigma reduction, more work is needed to better understand the underlying variables that account for the reduction of stigma attitudes in those efforts. The SPACES intervention has been documented as an effective HIV/AIDS stigma-reduction intervention focusing on health-care professionals in training. The intervention, which is delivered in Spanish, has been previously tested with medical students in Puerto Rico and shown significant results in addressing negative attitudes toward PLWHA. The main objective of this study was to document the underlying variables that fostered reduction of HIV/AIDS stigma due to participation in the SPACES intervention. Results evidence that health professionals in training who participated in the intervention (n = 507) had less stigmatizing attitudes toward PLWHA due to an increase in their positive emotions toward this population. In light of these results, we discuss the importance of engaging health professionals in HIV/AIDS stigma-reduction interventions that go beyond the provision of information and skills for interacting with PLWHA, and address the emotional component of HIV/AIDS stigma.

Perception of Woment Towards Adoption of Micro Enterprise Activities Among Rural Women in Turkana Community - Kenya.

The role of micro and small-scale enterprises sector (MSEs) in the development process has been at the centre of development debate for the last three decades in Kenya and elsewhere in the developing world. Economic hardship experienced in the formal sector in Kenya, and indeed in other developing countries have contributed to the enthusiasm now associated with MSEs sector. Increasingly, the sector is perceived as critical component of much needed skills, employment and generation of livelihood for growing number of people within urban as well as rural sector. Non- Governmental Organizations, Church based organizations and relevant lines Government Ministries have played a major role in business development in Turkana community, assisting mainly women and youth to start and manage group businesses. The commonly used mode of assistance is the provision of finance and financial management skills, as well as connecting client with market outlets. Despite all these efforts businesses collapse as soon as the assisting organization has pulled out. This study sought to contribute to this effort through determining perception of women on adoption of micro enterprise activities in Turkana community. The study was based on descriptive survey research design. This was conducted through random sampling and snow ball sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire with a five point Likert-type scale was applied to 80 respondents to determine to what extent cultural factors, socioeconomic factors, access to credit and government programs influence perception of women towards adoption of micro enterprise activities. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data in the form of frequencies, percentages, modes and means. Findings were presented using frequency and percentage tables. Statistical package for social scientists (SPSS) was used in analyzing Quantitative data. Qualitative was transcribed, organized into various emerging themes and reported. The study found out that family care and cultural based stereo-type roles have made it difficult for women to engage in micro enterprise activities, respondents did not have relevant skills and training in business and due to low educational level the women micro entrepreneurs had not appreciated access to credit as an engine for business development.

HIV/AIDS Counselling Skills and Strategies: Can Testing and Counselling CURB the Epidemic?

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic is into 29 th year since first HIV case was diagnosed. UN applauded India for its excellent work in reducing the amount of infections by half from 2000 to 2009. In 2009, there were only 170,000 deaths in India while the world had 1,700,000 deaths due to AIDS. UN praised India's large, effective contribution to the effort in responding to AIDS. Now Counseling and Testing Services of General Clients during 20132014, 130.3 lakh (96%) received counseling and testing services against the annual target of 134.81 lakh general clients. In the financial year 201415, the number of ICTCs offering HIV counseling and testing services went up to more than 16,000 centers in India (Stand Alone ICTCs including FICTC & PPPICTCs). 57.02 lakhs general clients were tested for HIV (April - September, 2014) out of annual target of 118 lakhs and 87,226 general clients were detected HIV positive. Diagnosis of HIV/AIDS via early testing along with Pre-test and Post-test counselling is important for psychosocial stabilization. Risk reduction counseling as a preventive counseling method is equally important in high-risk individuals such as adolescents, substance abusers and in gay and bisexual population. Regular patient counseling is different than HIV/AIDS counseling. Counseling helps HIV infected patients in various ways to cope themselves in a normal life with normal living. Acknowledging the persons about infection, allow such persons to receive prevention counseling to help initiate behavior change to avoid infection, or, if already infected, to prevent transmission to others. Counseling mostly improves the client's adherence to ART drugs, maintain nutritional diet, and improve psychosocial behavior and quality of life. To maintain quality counseling for the patients, counseling provider's skills on counseling need to be updated as directed by the guidelines of NACO with improved strategies.