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Presents evidence in support of other findings to show that older employees are, on average, as effective as younger employees, but prejudice against older applicants and staff is common. It is sometimes suggested that age and performance are found to be unrelated because of selective staff turnover; that perhaps less effective older employees leave the company soon after they start. In a study in a sales organization, it was shown that age and performance were completely uncorrelated in a group of current employees, and that this pattern existed since employees′ early days with the company. Suggestions are made for organizational policy and procedure improvements in this area.

Describes an exploratory investigation conducted to examine factors affecting the initial and sustained transfer of interpersonal skills training to the workplace. Demonstrates the ongoing role of trainee motivation in the immediate and longer term transfer of learned skills to work. Suggests that initial transfer of skills is an important prerequisite of subsequent skill application in the workplace. Concludes that factors which promote initial transfer of training, such as the perceived relevance/usefulness of the course, appear to have an indirect effect on later use of trained skills. Also concludes that, in the long term, individuals with more autonomy in their jobs are more likely to apply learned skills, perhaps because they are more able to create opportunities for using trained skills at work. This may be especially true for those with high levels of motivation. Discusses the implications of these findings both for individuals learning new skills, and for organizations optimizing the utility of their training provision.