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The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships of technical training and the peer effects of technical training with farmers' pesticide use behaviors.

This study uses survey data from 300 peanut growers in Zoucheng County, Shandong, China, in 2016 and employs spatial econometric models to examine the relationships of technical training and the peer effects of technical training with farmers' pesticide use behaviors.

This paper reveals that important peer effects can be channeled through technical training and that these peer effects are sufficiently significant to encourage neighboring farmers to reduce the amount of pesticide use, to transform the structure of pesticide use, and to increase the usage amount of low-toxicity, low-residue pesticide use per hectare. The estimated parameters for the peer effects from technical training are significantly larger than those from technical training alone, which suggests that the technical training of neighboring farmers plays a greater role than technical training for farmers individually.

The research finds that technical training within smaller, localized, groups can induce previously unobservable spillover effects, and this provides a scientific, theoretical and empirical justification for agricultural technology extension that can lead to a rapid, effective transformation of applying new agricultural technologies in an environmentally sensitive and economically sustainable manner.

This paper aims to provide an understanding of influencing motivation and volition in the transfer of learning within the context of technical training in different countries by controlling predictors.

In six countries, employees from one automotive company’s service centres were asked to complete two online questionnaires after a blended learning training program with technical content (t1: 7 to 12 days after the training, t2: 5 to 7 weeks after). In total, 441 technical staff members participated.

Results suggest that motivation and volition mediate the effects of peer support, content validity and supervisor support on training transfer after a technical training. The outcomes show that peer support has an important influence on motivation and that national culture is less important than company culture.

The results should be tested further in different trainings, companies and countries.

This is one of the first international studies to confirm peer support and content validity as predictors for motivation to transfer after technical training. It is also the first instance of exploring possible mediation by motivation and volition on peer support and content validity after technical training in an intercultural context.

This study aims to explore the simultaneous impact of employees' participation in non‐technical training, technical training, and coaching on subsequent job performance, job involvement, and job satisfaction.

The present study was based on a sample of German call center employees and on a longitudinal, multiple‐sources‐of‐data research design.

It was found that non‐technical training impacted subsequent soft skills and that technical training predicted subsequent hard skills as well as job involvement. Moreover, employees' participation in coaching predicted job satisfaction.

The present study was the first to demonstrate positive effects of technical training on job involvement, and of coaching on job satisfaction. In sum, validity of several developmental interventions was highlighted.

Organizations designing and implementing various developmental interventions should pay attention to the relative effectiveness of these interventions on various organizational‐relevant outcome criteria.

For the first time, the simultaneous impact of multiple human resource development interventions on several outcome criteria was tested empirically.

This study presents an innovative approach to Information and communication technology (ICT) skill training and employment generation for out-of-school and disadvantaged youths in Africa. With technical and policy assistance from the World Bank, ICTs can be used to revitalize technical and vocational training to meet skill and employment needs of disadvantaged youths in the region. The deplorable conditions of out-of-school youth and the state of secondary education in Africa underscore the urgency to engage disadvantaged youth in productive economic activities. An ICT-enhanced technical and vocational training program in Africa provides both private and social gains: it provides economic prospects for disadvantaged youth and; it adds to the development of the knowledge economy in Africa. The NairoBits Digital Design School in Kenya is presented as a model of a vocational and training school that uses ICTs to improve skill formation among disadvantaged youths in informal settlements in urban Africa. Meeting the objectives of an ICT-based training and employment generation program for underprivileged youth in Africa require strong regulatory frameworks and contributions from the World Bank. The involvement of the bank, particularly through private sector grants for ICT skill train in Africa will help to revitalize technical and vocational education and training in the region. Above all, the collaboration of government agencies, private businesses, other international development agencies and civil society groups in ICT skill training will help to meaningfully engage African youths in the development of their communities in the emerging knowledge economy.

Research on employee training has largely focused on either the employer or employees, and has investigated the likelihood or amount of training rather than the content of training. Our understanding about how organizations decide to focus on different skills therefore remains constrained. To address this issue, the current study examines what affects training consulting organizations’ focus on different types of training, and in particular, their focus on personal development training, a highly popular type of training in recent years. Training organizations have become an increasingly important supplier in the training field. Building on the neo-institutional perspective of organizations, I propose an institutional analysis of training organizations. I argue that at a fundamental level, the kinds of skills organizations consider useful (such as specific-technical, general-technical, human relations, and personal development skills), are affected by the shared organizing principles of their time, and I draw on the research on managerial ideology to understand how such shared frameworks evolved over time. Training organizations try to conform to the dominant organizational model at their founding in order to gain legitimacy for their product offerings and convince their clients of the efficacy of their services. The focus of training is thus shaped by the dominant organizational model at founding and tends to stay with training organizations. Specifically, I argue that training organizations founded later in time, when the participatory citizenship model of organization became dominant, are more likely to focus on personal development. I analyze a 10% random sample (N=269) of the population of training organizations in 1994 with logistic models. Empirical results are consistent with the proposed link between the skills trained and the dominant organizational model at the training organizations’ founding. Characteristics of training organizations focused on personal development are also compared with those focused on other types of training. The implication of this study for the classic question, “why do employers provide general-skill training?” is discussed.

Training Week will put the tangibles of technical college work and training in the limelight well enough, but the basic flaw running through the pattern of this work — since well before 1956 — is not so tangible and might escape the public altogether. It is the problem of staffing the technical colleges and training departments. The author queries some long‐held views on this subject and outlines a possible new approach to the recruitment and training of technical teachers. The article concludes with some thoughts on a new industrial and commercial thought revolution, and a forward look at the next White Paper

Long‐standing vocational training institutions in Latin America countries are undergoing significant transformation to improve their relevance, efficiency and effectiveness in responding to the challenges of increased competitiveness, economic restructuring, technological change and evolving social demands. Based on an extensive survey conducted in 1990, reviews and analyses the recent changes and innovations taking place in such organizations, focusing on their institutional policies, strategies, programmes and services delivered. Trends show that training authorities are evolving towards: (1) emphasizing in‐service training; (2) up‐grading the level of training; (3) organizing training by economic sectors; (4) transferring training delivery to enterprises; (5) focusing on direct support to small‐scale enterprises; and (6) taking on new roles in technology transfer. national training authorities have thus managed to strengthen their linkages and legitimacy with enterprises against a background of reduced public funding and mounting pressure from enterprises to satisfy their increasing and more diverse demands.

The appearance of a memorandum prepared by the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutions, together with the Association of Principals of Technical Institutions, on relations between colleges and the representatives of Industry Training Boards, gives public recognition, at least by implication if not by direct statement, to difficulties which have for some time existed in the working of the 1964 Industrial Training Act. A year ago, W. M. MacQueen referred to evidence which suggested that … the Industrial Training Act is being misinterpreted to the detriment of our technical education service and consequently of our industry, and more recently, EDUCATION, the official journal of the Association of Education Committees, commented that Resentment against the training officers attached to industry training boards has been steadily hotting up in colleges of further education. Some of them, the technical teachers say privately, are butting in like self‐styled HMIs, and presuming too far to tell the teachers their business. And some local authorities, the teachers allege, instead of defending the teachers, have been turning a blind eye to the interference because of the undeniable financial benefits which accrue to the education service from investment by industry.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current skills gap in both generic and skill areas within the construction industry in Queensland, Australia.

An internet-based survey was administered to collect the opinions of construction employees about the workplace-training environment and their perceptions towards training. The survey intended to address the following research questions, specifically in relation to the construction industry.

The survey results reveal that whilst overall participation in workplace training is high, the current workplace training environments do not foster balanced skill development. The study reveals that in the current absence of a formal and well-balanced training mechanism, construction workers generally resort to their own informal self-development initiatives to develop the needed role-specific theoretical knowledge.

The findings of the research are based on the data primarily collected in the construction industry in Queensland, Australia. The data are limited to a single Tier 2 construction company.

The findings of this study can be utilised to suggest improvements in the current (or develop new) workplace training initiatives.

The research suggests that workplace training has positive relationship with career growth. The results suggest that in the construction industry, employees are generally well aware of the importance of workplace training in their career development and they largely appreciate training as being a critical factor for developing their capacity to perform their roles successfully, and to maintain their employability.

This paper is unique as it investigates the current skills gap in both generic and skill areas within the construction industry in Queensland, Australia. So far no work has been undertaken to identify and discusses the main method of workplace learning within the Tier 2 industry in the context of Queensland Australia.

Training, it is claimed, has many meanings. Through examining its goals, its special interpretations are best appreciated. Training with different goals is referred to as different types of training, divided into administrative, professional‐technical, mechanical‐technical and interpersonal. These are defined, the elements of training programmes in each type set out, and the relationship between what is arguably an essential prerequisite for trainers – the needs analysis – and the types of training presented.