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1 – 10 of over 170000As a response to technological changes, globalization, sector reforms and changes in output demand, there is an increased demand for generic skills in the workplace. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
As a response to technological changes, globalization, sector reforms and changes in output demand, there is an increased demand for generic skills in the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to investigate through perceptions of graduate employees and their employers on the extent to which university education in Nigeria is responding to the increased skills requirements of employers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected by the use of two sets of questionnaires and purposive sampling technique was adopted for sample selection. Past surveys of employers on skills requirements in Nigeria were used as a reference in the selection of the 11 generic skills used in the instrument. Data were analysed using simple percentages, descriptive statistics and χ2.
Findings
All the listed generic skills are regarded as important by graduate employers. The employed university graduates believed that in terms of generic skills, they were not adequately prepared to meet the requirements of their jobs. Moreover, employers believed that their graduate employees would require further training to a large extent to perform satisfactorily in their jobs.
Originality/value
Taking a divergent view, the study has established the perceptions of employed university graduates themselves on the extent to which university education has prepared them in meeting the skills requirements of their jobs. Furthermore, apart from confirming the extent of further training required, the study empirically affirms the relative training needs of graduates from different fields of study.
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The Swedish government decided in 1994, as part of the so‐called 50,000 Swedish crowns scheme, to set aside a portion of the labour market budget for the further training and…
Abstract
The Swedish government decided in 1994, as part of the so‐called 50,000 Swedish crowns scheme, to set aside a portion of the labour market budget for the further training and retraining of local government and country council employees. The present article reports on the experiences of the training effort that took place in 1994–1995 and provides a theoretical framework for discussing staff training as an alternative to redundancies in the case of “economic overstuffing” and as part of a strategy for lifelong learning. Staff training and further development can be viewed as direct labour market measures instead of as redundancies. This article is based on a large empirical study in municipalities and county councils that have used these measures. In the study it was shown that these market measures can be defended both economically and humanly in the sense that both contribute to strengthening internal mobility and increasing the worker's adaptability to the external labour market. At the same time, this conform part of a strategy for a more flexible structuring of working time.
Polly Christine Ford-Jones and Tamara Daly
Paramedics increasingly attend to mental health-related emergencies; however, there has been little evaluation of the mental health training for paramedics. This study aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Paramedics increasingly attend to mental health-related emergencies; however, there has been little evaluation of the mental health training for paramedics. This study aims to analyze the fit between paramedicine pedagogy, patient needs and the conditions for paramedics’ skill development.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected in a single, qualitative, critical ethnographic case study of pre-hospital mental health and psychosocial care in paramedicine in Ontario, Canada. Transcripts from interviews (n = 46), observation (n ∼ 90h) and document analysis were thematically analyzed using a constant comparative method. The study is theoretically grounded in a feminist political economy framework.
Findings
Tensions are explored in relation to the pedagogy of paramedicine and the conditions of work faced by paramedics. The paper presents challenges and insufficiencies with existing training, the ways in which certain work and training are valued and prioritized, increased emergency care and training needs and the limitations of training to improving care.
Research limitations/implications
Recommendations include more comprehensive didactic training, including the social determinants of health; scenario training; practicum placements in mental health or social services; collaboration with mental health and social services to further develop relevant curriculum and potential inclusion of service users.
Originality/value
This paper addresses the lack of mental health pedagogy in Ontario and internationally and the need for further training pre-certification and while in the workforce. It presents promising practices to ameliorate mental health training and education for paramedics.
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Ann Marie Allen, Gyöngyi Kovács, Andrea Masini, Alain Vaillancourt and Luk Van Wassenhove
– The aim of this paper is to evaluate job profiles in humanitarian logistics, and assess current task priorities in light of further training and educational needs.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to evaluate job profiles in humanitarian logistics, and assess current task priorities in light of further training and educational needs.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents findings from a survey among humanitarian logistics practitioners and compares these to other studies in this area. It uses econometric models to evaluate the impact of managerial responsibilities in training needs, usage of time and previous training.
Findings
The results show that the skills required in humanitarian logistics seem to follow the T-shaped skills model from Mangan and Christopher when looking at training wanted and time usage.
Research limitations/implications
Survey respondents being members of the Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA) may be more interested in developing the humanitarian logistics profession than other populations.
Originality/value
This paper offers an insight in the specific skill requirements of humanitarian logisticians from members of the HLA and allows to understand which type of skills are linked to managerial responsibilities. The paper also establishes a link between logistics skill models and career progressions overall.
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Rowena Cullen and Cheng Huanwen
New technologies in reference and information work place increasing demands on reference staff to acquire skills with the technology itself, to develop and evaluate new services…
Abstract
New technologies in reference and information work place increasing demands on reference staff to acquire skills with the technology itself, to develop and evaluate new services and sources, and to train users in their optimal use. These demands for new skills create training needs among staff offering the services. This paper reports on a survey carried out in libraries in Guangzhou and Wellington that investigated the use of technology to provide information services in these libraries, the training that had been provided and areas where libraries felt there were still unmet needs for training. Although Chinese libraries were using a similar range of technologies, training programmes and needs varied between Chinese and New Zealand libraries.
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Kieran M. Conroy, Anthony McDonnell and Katrin Holzleitner
The purpose of this paper is to explore the specific forms of training and support that individuals on short-term international assignments (SIAs) receive. It further explores…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the specific forms of training and support that individuals on short-term international assignments (SIAs) receive. It further explores issues such as short notice prior to departure and how this impacts the type of training and support compared to what the extant literature on expatriates intimates. Scholars and practitioners both agree that the increasing deployment of individuals on SIAs presents significant challenges that have not yet been met with the development of appropriate organisational policies and practices.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on in-depth exploratory qualitative interviews with a sample of German assignees, the paper is abductive in nature with semi-structured interviews analysed through thematic based analysis. The data analysis identifies the need for more tailored training and support through formal and informal mechanisms, developed in pre-departure and post-arrival contexts.
Findings
The paper makes key contributions through providing much needed empirical evidence on the training and support short-term assignees receive and in so doing we identify specific forms of training and supports deemed relevant from the perspective of individuals on SIAs. Given the inherent time constraints for SIAs, the significance of informal support, in both pre-departure and post-arrival contexts is especially emphasised.
Originality/value
The paper is one of the first empirical pieces of work to explicitly consider the specific forms of training and support that SIAs consider important. The authors answer calls for greater consideration into the significance of developing a more tailored and strategic approach to managing SIAs as a specific form of an international assignee.
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Dominic Burke and Angela Cocoman
Examining the education and training needs of forensic nurses is paramount as services move from the older institutions to new care settings. The purpose of this study was to…
Abstract
Purpose
Examining the education and training needs of forensic nurses is paramount as services move from the older institutions to new care settings. The purpose of this study was to identify Irish Forensic nurses perceived deficits in their knowledge and skills to assist them to provide effective seamless care for individuals with an intellectual disability within their forensic mental health service, so that appropriate training could be provided.
Design/methodology/approach
Training needs analysis (TNA) procedures are used as a way of establishing the continuing processional development of staff, as they seek to identify the gaps between the knowledge and skills of an individual and the need for further training. A training needs tool developed by Hicks and Hennessy (2011) was used and completed by nurses working in an Irish forensic mental health service. A total of 140 surveys were circulated and 74 were completed (51 per cent response).
Findings
The top priority training needs identified were for additional training in research and audit and in the use of technology. Other self-identified training needs included additional training in behavioural management for challenging behaviour, understanding mental health and intellectual disability and dual diagnosis, training in enhancing communication skills and how to work with patients who have an intellectual disability patients specific training on autistic spectrum disorders and a guide and template for advance individual care planning and for caring for the physical health needs and promoting the physical health needs of these patients.
Originality/value
Despite there being a vast range of training issues identified, the majority of nurses appear to have a clear idea of their training needs to ensure the provision of seamless care for individuals with an intellectual disability within a forensic mental health setting. This TNA has identified the specific needs of nursing staff working at different positions across the interface of intellectual disability and forensic mental health care.
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Yacoob Hosein and Portia Bowen‐Chang
The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of cataloguing training for professionals at the St Augustine Campus Libraries of the University of the West Indies…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of cataloguing training for professionals at the St Augustine Campus Libraries of the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, with emphasis on the cataloguing of special formats and the overall importance of continuing education.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodology is based on a questionnaire which involved the use of a rolling survey for the periods 2005‐2007 and 2007‐2010, and utilized a five‐point Likert scale.
Findings
The findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of cataloguing training in the quest for professional development amongst librarians and also serve to highlight the need for greater collaboration between libraries, library schools and library associations.
Practical implications
The paper considers effectiveness of training in cataloguing and thus of the skills adopted in practice.
Originality/value
The study brings to the fore the importance of structured training for cataloguing professionals over a five‐year period. It also provides further insights into bridging the gap between entry level and working cataloguers in a developing country.
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The purpose of this paper is to use information culture assessment tools (from work by Curry and Moore) to examine the information culture within a regulated, government…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use information culture assessment tools (from work by Curry and Moore) to examine the information culture within a regulated, government environment. In particular, it aims to study the relationship between records management training provided to staff, staff self‐perceptions of records management competencies and compliance with a formal records management program.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey employs a questionnaire to gather the data from a provincial government ministry in Ontario, Canada. A questionnaire was used for data collection from a sample of 350 records management personnel from a population of 3,510 in five divisions of the ministry. A total of 207 participants responded and the copies of their questionnaire were found valid for analysis. The response rate realized was 66.7 percent.
Findings
The results from this study show that the there is a potential relationship between formal training delivered to staff, and the self‐perceived level of records management competency, namely that the more training staff receive, the more staff perceive the need for further training, and the greater level of compliance with the records management program. However, as the records management training strategy is informal in nature, it is difficult to determine a holistic influence of the training program on the organization's information culture.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on one ministry with an informal training records management strategy in place. The findings may not apply to organizations where there is a more formal training strategy. The findings should also be tested in private sector organizational settings.
Practical implications
Knowledge and understanding of the features of information culture will assist with identifying gaps in addressing the challenges of organizational record management training and its effect on compliance with organizational information and record management programs.
Originality/value
This research adds to the body of knowledge about information culture and user‐information behavior, particularly in regards to connections between training and compliance in government organizations. This paper provides evidence from an original study.
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