Skill Upgrading Research Articles

Impact of the Training on the Development of Construction Trade Worker in Indian Construction Industry

Construction industry in India is growing in excess of 8% p.a. and is likely to be 1 trillion dollars in the 2O17. In the construction industry, Skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development. The economy becomes more productive, innovative and competitive through the development of more skilled human capital. There is always a difference between knowing and performing and the gap is explained by inadequacy of skills. Skill development, therefore, means: all the efforts that allow somebody to learn to do something better than before, or do something new that the person has not done before, and which results in concrete change in their livelihoods. In India there are many institutions like National Academy of Construction, Construction industry development council, Housing Development Institute etc. which are fulfilling the objectives by providing industrial skills set training to the various trade of construction worker. The current papers aims to study the effect of skill formation, skill up-gradation, acquiring employable competencies skills to get gainful employment with individual development & empowerment after receiving effective training in Indian construction Industry

An Empirical Investigation of the Effects of Foreign Direct Investment on the Skill Intensity of Host Country Employment

It has been argued that the effects of inward FDI on skill upgrading and wage inequality depend on the outcome of specialisation according to comparative advantages. However, predicting the overall impact of FDI on wage inequality is complex depending on country specific effects, namely how large are differences in skilled and unskilled wages and the skill intensity of employment in foreign-owned firms compared to domestic ones, as well as the relative size of employment in domestic and foreign-owned firms (Zulfiu-Alili, 2014). Hence, the effect of foreign ownership on relative wages and skill intensity will vary between sectors, across countries and over time. The effect of FDI on the skill intensity of employment in transition economies is analysed using the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) undertaken in three waves 2002, 2005 and 2009. The question to be addressed is whether foreign-owned firms employ a more educated and skilled workforce in comparison to domestic-owned firms. Results suggest that foreign-owned firms have a better educated labour force but have a lower share of skilled and unskilled employees compared to domestic firms.

Perception of the Tribal Farmers towards KVK Training

KVK as an innovative institution imparting skill training on agriculture and allied vocations for the farmers, farm women, rural youth and school drop outs for generating income and self employment. A study has been conducted with fifty tribal farmers in Dhanakauda block of sambalpur district in Odisha during 2012 to assess their perception towards KVK training programmes. It has been observed that appropriate selection of trainees, content addressing the local needs, easily understandable, immediate use and emphasis on skill up-gradation. Group discussion and exercise, encouraging interaction, circulation of reference materials and more audio-visuals are to be used while conducting training. Long duration training programmes of one week to one month has to be organized for rural youth during lean period and duration to be fixed as per the lesson plan formulated. Clear understanding and confidence over the message, liasoning for the availability of inputs, credit and market support along with well furnished hostel with library facilities and enhancement of meals for training to motivate tribal farmers to attend KVK training.

Foreign-affiliate presence and skilled labour demand

This paper investigates the effect of inward foreign investment on the relative employment of skilled labour. The extensive review of the empirical evidence shows that the results seem to be country-specific. Using Canadian industry-level panel data, the paper shows that most Canadian industries have experienced skill upgrading, and that foreign investment, as measured by FDI or majority ownership, has contributed to this development. Moreover, notwithstanding higher regulatory restrictions on foreign investment into Canadian services industries, foreign investment has had a similar impact on skill upgrading across both the services and non-services sectors. Finally, offshoring is found to only have a positive significant impact on skill upgrading in the services sector.

Основные проблемы и пути совершенствования дополнительного профессионального образования государственных гражданских служащих в России

This article describes characteristics of development, problems and general defi ciencies of Russian system of additional training for civil servants, the role of public service institution in society, statistics on the organization of additional professional education among civil servants, analyzes criteria and unifi ed approach to evaluating the quality and results of learning. The basic trends in development and update of the system of additional vocational training in Russia are substantiated. Formation, strengthening and further development of public service in the Russian Federation are reviewed, considering application of additional professional education (upgrading of skills, retraining, and internship) as the most mobile system, able to reduce tension needs of the state apparatus in qualifi ed personnel in a short time. Experience of eff ective system of training and retraining of civil servants of the Central Offi ce of the Federation Council forfocal areas of additional professional training is exemplifi ed.

Learning In Developing Countries: Implications For Workforce Training And Development In Africa

The implementation of e‐learning as a strategy has risen exponentially over the last 20 years as more adults use this medium to enhance their skills and acquire knowledge. The utilization of technology offers significant advantages to both learners and organizations in terms of cost, time and rich learning content. E‐learning has been widely adopted in the western world, and companies and organizations in developing countries are increasingly taking advantage of e‐learning tools to support education and skill upgrade of their workforce as a mechanism to compete in an increasingly global economy. E‐learning has taken root in several African countries with the explosion of communications tools, internet and mobile technology. This perspective on practice addresses three key issues of e‐learning in Africa (a) the adoption of e‐learning in developing African countries, (b) the available e‐learning resources and practices, and (c) the implications of e‐learning on workforce training and development.

The Role of Community Colleges in Career Transitions for Older Workers

Despite the desire of many older adults to remain in the workforce, those without jobs face unprecedented durations of unemployment. Many of the unemployed lack current skills for jobs in demand and need to either upgrade their skills or be trained for a new occupation to become reemployed. An aging workforce, combined with the negative effects of the recent economic downturn, has increased the importance of identifying strategies to encourage working at older ages. In recent years there has been increased focus on training that results in a credential; much of this training takes place at community colleges. The present study examined community college involvement in outreach and support programs for older displaced workers. This involved interviews with 27 key informants at 14 community colleges to gain an understanding of the role community colleges play in linking older students to credential or certificate programs. Effective strategies for community college involvement in workforce training were identified and include outreach programs for older students, providing advice for specific programs of study, support during the program to ensure completion, job placement services, and continuing education for skill upgrading.

Social Organisation of Knowledge Production in Software Work: A Qualitative Study of Two Different Firms in Chennai, India

Based on a qualitative study, the present article examines the social organisation of knowledge production in the software work in India. The two sample firms located in Chennai city, India representing contrasting images about nature of software work were studied: a branch of a large domestic software services company—low-end programming/Fordist production model; and an Indian subsidy of a multinational software product firm—high-end software product development/flexible production model. The social organisation of software production in the two software firms are hierarchically organised, but demonstrated differential flexibility to meet the emerging market or client demands, and exhibited autonomy at the employees’ level to use craft and technological knowledge through organisational procedures and routines, mediated through the project managers. It appears that prolonged engagement with the same technologies or projects works as impediment to the learning process or new knowledge production. The self-interest of the programmers motivates to engage in new knowledge production despite being directed by the organisations. The accumulated knowledge is kept within the organisations by retaining the employees through periodic pecuniary and non-pecuniary rewards, and possibilities of career leaps through technological breakthroughs. The external agents are brought in for new knowledge acquisition either through informal learning by doing or through upgradation of technological skills through training.

Entrepreneurship Development through RSETI: A Case Study of Pudukkottai District in Tamil Nadu

Non-availability of adequate employment opportunities in the organised and unorganised sectors is one of the serious challenges the country is facing at present. Lakhs of youth are entering the job market every year in this country but are unable to find suitable employment. The entry of automation and mechanisation in every sphere of commerce and administration due to the advent of science and technology has further accentuated the problem. On the rural side, the employment potential of agriculture appears to have reached a saturation level leading to large scale migration of man-power from rural areas to urban areas adding woes and pressure to the already over-strained civic infrastructure. In such a scenario, there is a need to promote self- employment for the unemployed rural youth, particularly those below the poverty line, and periodic skill up-gradation to keep them abreast of latest technologies. Once trained appropriately, the youth would launch profitable microenterprises and enhance their own standards of living and thereby contribute to the overall national economy

On modeling task, skill and technology upgrading effects of globalization with heterogeneous labor

We adapt Yeaple's (2005) heterogeneous agent framework to model firms in the North as making explicit offshore outsourcing decisions to cheap-labor economies. We highlight how firms' technology transformations due to globalization will induce skill upgrading in the North, increase aggregate productivity, average wages and therefore total welfare at the cost of increased wage inequalities. We analytically derive conditions under which all consumers – including lower-skilled workers – might nevertheless gain from the surge of offshore outsourcing. We also show that extending the model to the more realistic case of multi-product firms tends to boost the potential welfare gains.

Cultivation strategy and path analysis on big brand Chinese medicine for small and medium-sized enterprises

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are important components in Chinese medicine industry. However, the lack of big brand is becoming an urgent problem which is critical to the survival of SMEs. This article discusses the concept and traits of Chinese medicine of big brand, from clinical, scientific and market value three aspects. Guided by market value, highlighting clinical value, aiming at the scientific value improvement of big brand cultivation, we put forward the key points in cultivation, aiming at obtaining branded Chinese medicine with widely recognized efficacy, good quality control system and mechanism well explained and meanwhile which can bring innovation improvement to theory of Chinese medicine. According to the characters of SMEs, we hold a view that to build multidisciplinary research union could be considered as basic path, and then, from top-level design, skill upgrading and application three stages to probe the implementation strategy.

Improving livelihood security of rural people with resource management and diversification in agriculture in disadvantaged districts of Uttar Pradesh

A field study was conducted in four clusters of villages of Uttar Pradesh during 2008 to 2012 to assess the livelihood security of rural people living in disadvantaged areas. Low productivity of crops and animals, extensive land degradation, poor resource management and poor socioeconomic condition were some of the problems exist in the clusters. Therefore, natural resource management and diversification in agriculture was the option to increase the livelihood of rural people of disadvantaged areas of the state. Seed multiplication and seed exchange, animal nutrition programme, soil and water conservation, fruit trees plantation, promotion of micro-enterprises and service providers were some of the programmes implemented in the cluster areas. Eighty one trainings, 19 workshops and 42 exposure visits were conductedon various aspects. Forty seven thousand five thousand bamboo seedlings was planted along nalabeds, and on steep slopeschecked considerably soil erosion and farmers earned additional income by establishing bamboo based micro-enterprise. Twenty thousand fruit plants planted in the farmer’s field enhanced the income. Area under legume cultivation which was almost nil due to blue bull and monkey nuisance, now increased in significant proportion (195.35 ha). The average productivity of crops and seed replacement was increased by 35.34% and 43.16%, respectively due toadopting soil and water conservation measures, good crop cultivation practices, skill upgradation and timely supply of agricultural inputs. Introduction of feed additives and medicines in the milch cattle increased the average milk yield from 2.4 litre cattle−1day−1 to 2.8 litrecattle−1day−1 (15.62% increases), along with the pregnancy and improvement in general health. The migration was reduced by 5%. The interventions goatry and poultry generated annualincome 2957 goat−1 and 10658 unit−1 (100 chicks unit−1), respectively.

Non-cancer palliative care: Experience and challenges faced in a palliative program from Singapore

Palliative care espouses a holistic and multidisciplinary approach applicable to stages of disease in response to needs together with disease-modifying treatments, regardless of diagnosis. While cancer is the single most common killer disease, responsible for 28% of deaths in Singapore in 2007, non-cancer diseases accounted for more than twice that at 66%. Integrating palliative care for patients suffering from end-organ failure would balance curative measures with quality of life for our frailest patients, and support these patients during their final journey. This is only possible with close cooperation between palliative care teams and organ specialists. We report our experience and insights in managing non-cancer cases in an integrative model of care over the past 4 years. We find that most families and patients suffering from end stage non-cancer conditions are able to accept palliative care after honest communication and are able to talk about end-of-life plans. The majority of patients can achieve satisfactory symptom control, be cared for, and die in a place of their choice with the support of a palliative home care program without the need for frequent hospitalizations. Sustaining this model of care requires diligence, collaboration, and upgrading of skills based on coordinated resource allocation.

Effective Strategies for Educating Older Workers at Community Colleges

Workers are remaining in the labor force at older ages; and, despite their desire to work, those without jobs face unprecedented durations of unemployment. Many of the unemployed lack current skills for jobs in demand and need to either upgrade their skills or be trained for a new occupation to become re-employed. An aging workforce combined with concerns about the long-term viability of social welfare programs has increased the importance of identifying strategies to encourage working at older ages. In recent years there has been increased focus on training that results in a credential; much of this training takes place at community colleges. The present study examined community college involvement in educational programs for older workers. This involved interviews and site visits at 14 community colleges to gain an understanding of the role community colleges play in linking older students to credential or certificate programs. Effective strategies for community college involvement in workforce training were identified and include outreach programs for older students, providing advice for specific programs of study, support during the program to ensure completion, job placement services, and continuing education for skill upgrading.

Competency-Based Education: A Case of Akademi Binaan Malaysia

This study investigates how competency-based education and competency-based assessment prepare vocational education students towards becoming competent individuals upon entering the workplace. For this purpose, a case study was conducted in Akademi Binaan Malaysia (ABM), which provides training and courses for development and upgrading of skills among construction personnel. Data which were collected through interviews with academic staff and related documents, were analysed qualitatively and via document analysis, respectively. The results show that ABM has been applying a structure comprising stages of competency assessment in evaluating their students’ competency.

Mixed-Reality Simulation for Neurosurgical Procedures

Surgical education is moving rapidly to the use of simulation for technical training of residents and maintenance or upgrading of surgical skills in clinical practice. To optimize the learning exercise, it is essential that both visual and haptic cues are presented to best present a real-world experience. Many systems attempt to achieve this goal through a total virtual interface. To demonstrate that the most critical aspect in optimizing a simulation experience is to provide the visual and haptic cues, allowing the training to fully mimic the real-world environment. Our approach has been to create a mixed-reality system consisting of a physical and a virtual component. A physical model of the head or spine is created with a 3-dimensional printer using deidentified patient data. The model is linked to a virtual radiographic system or an image guidance platform. A variety of surgical challenges can be presented in which the trainee must use the same anatomic and radiographic references required during actual surgical procedures. Using the aforementioned techniques, we have created simulators for ventriculostomy, percutaneous stereotactic lesion procedure for trigeminal neuralgia, and spinal instrumentation. The design and implementation of these platforms are presented. The system has provided the residents an opportunity to understand and appreciate the complex 3-dimensional anatomy of the 3 neurosurgical procedures simulated. The systems have also provided an opportunity to break procedures down into critical segments, allowing the user to concentrate on specific areas of deficiency.

Skill upgrading and exports

This paper analyzes the effects of international trade on the relative demand for skilled workers in Italian local labor markets. We find that exports cause a sizable skill upgrading in the labor force by increasing the average level of education of the workforce and the share of white-collars workers.

Trade liberalization, technology import and skill upgrading in Tunisian manufacturing industries

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to focus on the impact of trade openness and technology import on the change in demand structure of employment toward skilled workers. Because of the limited number of empirical papers done in the case of Tunisia, this research investigates whether these factors had similar effects on relative labor demand in Tunisia to those observed in the international literature.Design/methodology/approach– For this purpose, the paper uses a manufacturing industries database provided by the Tunisian National Institute, the Quantitative Economic Institute and Comtrade of United Nations for six manufacturing industries. The methodology used here is a panel data technique, and consists of estimating a dynamic relative employment equation.Findings– Empirical results show that trade liberalization and technology change positively affect relative employment of Tunisian manufacturing industries which confirms the existence of skill biased technological change that contributes to increase the relative demand for skilled workers.Originality/value– The paper adds to existing literature by studying for the first time the case of Tunisian manufacturing industries by using dynamic model. The paper deals also with an econometrics issues related to the use of suitable estimation methodology in the case of dynamic panel data at macroeconomics level.

From Sputnik to PISA Shock – New Technology and Educational Reform in Norway and Sweden

The article offers a comparative perspective on how educational policy is influenced by two key phenomena that sent something akin to shockwaves through the Western world, and that in both cases highlighted basic deficiencies within the school system. The case of Norway and Sweden in particular, as well as the role of new technology, is examined. One striking feature is that the patterns of reaction and the measures taken following these shock-generating experiences display a relative similarity. The focus on the pedagogical use of new technology is a key objective, although it forms part of a wider political intervention in education, in conjunction with an upgrading of basic knowledge and skills and a reaction against established pedagogical traditions. To a certain degree, ideals and approaches rooted in the industrial society are extended, a situation that seems problematic when the intention today is to create a school for a new age.

Identification of possible technical problems in determination of the major inorganic constituents of brown-rice flour by evaluating proficiency test results

To support skill upgrading in analysis of inorganic constituents of environmental and food samples, the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ) and the National Food Research Institute (NFRI) have organized a proficiency test (PT) of determination of Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, and Cd in brown-rice flour based on the international standard (ISO/IEC 17043:2010). One hundred and thirty-three sets of reports were assessed by use of the E(n)-number and z-score approaches in accordance with ISO/IEC 17043 and the international harmonized protocol for PT. The PT results and analytical procedures, reported in detail, were reviewed, and possible technical reasons for questionable or unsatisfactory results are discussed.