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This paper aims to investigate the in-company training according to the technologically demanding and safety-critical feature of the aircraft industry. This study addresses to the tension between the structured and the more incidental part of in-company learning in their training and learning environment.

Against the background of concepts of workplace learning from vocational training research and concepts of the safety management system from safety research, aircraft companies from England and Germany were visited. Data from interviews with training managers and trainees as well as non-participant observations are analysed.

The findings show that workplace vocational learning in this industry is guided by different measures to design the learning environment to prevent purely incidental and informal knowledge acquisition. However, the formalisation of informal learning process leads to a high expenditure of material, personnel and time resources. The findings show that trainers and training managers working together internationally creatively manage different training systems. The training activities are designed to convey the values of safety culture like responsibility, accuracy, transparent communication and reporting. The requirements of the safety management system are also met through the training.

Challenges and tensions in the actual implementation of the training activities could not be identified. The people interviewed were selected by the companies, so there is a risk that certain perceptions are over-represented.

The results show that the safety-critical industry needs its own pedagogical approach to workplace learning, which is not based on independent work processes in the workplace. Insights can be drawn for in-company training in other safety-critical industries too. However, to enable effective in-company learning, which at the same time strengthens the safety culture of the company, many resources must be used. The companies must consider all dimensions of work from the individual level to the work structure level.

This paper discusses the tension between formal and informal learning and shows the specific design of this tension on the basis of a concrete industry for the specific needs of this industry. The results lead to the realisation that the general discussion about workplace learning must be viewed in a differentiated way depending on the industry.

The aim of this paper is to gain insight into some of the types of training and development practices that are carried out in the chemical industry for technical workers. A salient focus of the study is to make a comparative analysis of four MNCs, which were selected based on equity ownership, to ascertain whether T&D practices are similar regardless of equity ownership.

Specifically, four MNCs in the chemical industry were analysed to ascertain the types and intensity of T&D practices in these MNCs in Malaysia. In‐depth interviews were conducted with some of the HR practitioners in each organisation.

Regardless of ownership, T&D practices of technical workers in the chemical industry in Malaysia are rather similar, though it differs in terms of intensity. On the whole, European MNCs place more importance on T&D, but it cannot be concluded that European‐owned MNCs have better T&D practices than Asian‐owned MNCs.

Similar research could be conducted on a larger sample, incorporating MNCs of different equity ownership to determine how T&D policies of globalised MNCs affect employee performance. Further research could be extended to different regions and sectors.

It provides an insight of desirable T&D practices that HR practitioners could develop to create competitive advantage through their human resources.

In addition to identifying the relevant T&D practices, commentary is provided of current knowledge in terms of best T&D practices that could be emulated by local organisations as well as other institutions in the Asia Pacific region.

Discusses the impact of high wages and investment strategies in physical and human capital on eastern Germany post unification. Introduces the concept of learning‐by‐doing as an externality of high quality investment. Provides some eclectic arguments in support of learning‐by‐doing effects which may be used to partly replace costly, publicly financed vocational training programmes.

This paper aims to focus on the vocational and training behaviours of German corporations at their subsidiaries in the USA, China and India. Although all three countries are important markets for Germany, they are characterised by very different cultures, vocational education and training (VET) systems and employment systems. The transfer of the German VET system to other countries has been the topic of discussion and controversy.

In this study, the authors rely on interviews with local training experts of German subsidiaries to analyse VET activities. Their analysis is based on convergence (standardisation) versus divergence (localisation) theory borrowed from approaches in international management studies.

The findings indicate a “localisation” effect in all three nations. The similarities can be explained partially by the stronger focus on off-the-job trainings and greater preferences for academic careers.

The study is a pilot study.

The transfer of the German VET system to other countries seems to be very difficult.

Beyond this general debate, the specialist literature pays virtually no attention to the training practices of German companies abroad. The authors have tried to fill this research gap.

This paper examines human resource development in Sweden. By way of context, it discusses socio‐cultural conditions, prevailing economic conditions and recent structural changes and employment and flexibility trends in Sweden. It sets down the characteristics of the national education and training system and examines recent policy developments. It presents Swedish data from the Cranet‐E survey in order to paint a picture of training and development practices at organisational level. The implications for employers, employees and government are outlined and the likely future challenges for training and development in Sweden are set down.

This monograph is on developments and trends in vocational education and training in Europe. An overview is given of what is being planned in Western Europe. This is illustrated by a detailed description of the educational systems of a selection of EC and non‐EC countries (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Sweden and Switzerland), followed by discussion of the current provision for vocational education and training within those systems and also in commerce and industry. Also provided are additional information on the work of CEDEFOP and of the European Commission, further reading, useful addresses and a glossary of some European language vocational education terms.

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the views of the employees of GM Hellas (the subsidiary of Opel car manufacturer in Greece), with regards to the training they receive from their employer. More specifically, the research seeks to examine two types of training aspects: those related to the principles of adult education and those related to the business goals of the company, such as the improvement on trainees' qualifications and skills, the need to upgrade trainees' job prospects, the provision of knowledge on recent technological developments.

The research took place in 2012, the 4th consecutive year of recession in Greece (since the beginning of the 2008 debt crisis); it investigates a business sector which has been hit very hard due to falling consumer demand for cars. Therefore, the time and context of this research makes it almost unique in its field. The research followed a quantitative approach (questionnaires administered to a sample of 114 employees/trainees).

The researchers concluded that the training provided by GM Hellas is viewed in a very positive light by its employees. Several training aspects considered important in adult education, as well as some business goals achieved through training, were all very favorably evaluated.

In‐company training is a key factor for business growth and competitiveness. This is the first research of business education in the automotive sector in Greece, which is very important in the Greek economy.

Addresses the question of whether a high turnover of staff is accompanied by lower investment in company‐training. By means of a written questionnaire, data were collected from 223 companies in four different sectors: the food sector, the wholesale trade, the printing industry and the software sector. Besides the turnover of staff, introduces the degree of contractual flexibility and the existence of an internal labour market as explanatory variables in the discussion. In contradiction to most labour economic thinking on training, finds a positive relationship between fluctuations in the number of employees and the investment in training. The findings indicate that company training is particularly concentrated on inflow and replacement problems. Therefore, concludes that financial support measures of governments might benefit more the recruitment policy of companies instead of the high ideal of “lifelong learning”.

Human capital theory hypothesizes that no firm rationally invests in general job skills training because its competitors might hire the trained employees away before the firm could recoup its costs through higher worker productivity. Drawing from four explanatory perspectives, we developed several research hypotheses about the organizational and environmental sources of variation in company-provided job skills training for core employees, which we tested with a national sample of U.S. work establishments. Contrary to human capital theory expectations, the large majority of employers with core training programs reported providing skills that were either “to a great deal” or “to some extent” useful to other employers. Our general skills training analysis supported only one hypothesis, suggesting the inadequacy of human capital theory for explaining company training investments. We found evidence that the substantive contents of company job skills training programs differentiated into technical skills and social skills dimensions. Multivariate equations supported several hypothesized effects of organizational and environmental factors on the social and technical skills contents of company core training investments. We conclude with a reassessment of the classic general-specific job skills hypothesis and speculate about future directions for job skills training theory and research.

A new Foundation Course in Overseas Trade is now being offered at 41 polytechnics and colleges, details of which were first announced by the British Overseas Trade Board last March. Developed jointly with the Institutes of Export, Marketing, and Freight Forwarders and the Society of Shipping Executives, the course is aimed at people of 18 years and over who are already working in the export or shipping department of a UK firm and are considered to have management potential. It is of one year's part‐time study duration and will replace the preliminary parts of the examinations set by each of the four sponsoring Institutes. On completion it is hoped that students will proceed to the specialised examinations of the Institute of their choice, leading to professional awards and membership. Minimum entry qualifications are four GCE ‘0’ levels (including English). However, candidates over 21 with at least three years experience in overseas trade may be exempted from this academic requirement and admitted at the discretion of college principals. Copies of the course brochure are available from the British Overseas Trade Board Publicity Unit, Room 231 A, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET.