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One of the most consistent complaints from the leaders in minority communities is that police officers are not sufficiently sensitive to differing cultures. In response to this criticism police trainers and administrators are requiring that police officers attend “Cultural Diversity Training.” This research suggests that police officers are somewhat divided in their views of the necessity for cultural diversity training. New recruits, for the most part, tend to be more accepting of the training while experienced officers tend more often to see the training as a waste of time or, worse yet, as an informal form of punishment.

The purpose of this paper is to present findings of an enquiry into the use and experience of information, in learning to become an ambulance officer. The paper aims to explore how the information environment is constituted for novice and experience practitioners. The paper also aims to consider what type of information is considered important by novice and experienced practitioners in learning about practice and profession.

The study is approached from an information literacy (IL) perspective, where IL is viewed as the catalyst for learning about work and professional practice. It draws on constructivist‐influenced grounded theory method to explore how an IL experience is constituted for the worker.

Three modalities of information which inform practice are described. IL is illustrated as more than just an experience with text or skills‐based literacy. It is viewed as socio‐cultural practice which is shaped by discourse.

The research was limited to an in‐depth exploration of one professional group in one geographic location.

The study highlights the value of an IL approach to understanding how information is experienced in a workplace context.

This paper reports original research of significance to information professionals and educators.

The last two decades have seen an increase in service user involvement (SUI) in the training of Mental Health Professionals (MHP). There is developing empirical support for SUI in MHP training, however, there is no published research into SUI in the training of Cognitive Behavioural Therapists. The purpose of this paper is to explore cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) trainees’ experience of SUI in their training. The study focuses on how an individual service user (SU) led training session is experienced and how this differs to routine CBT training.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Data revealed three superordinate themes: first, predisposing influences on learning; second, factors associated with emotional processing of experience; and third, impact upon learning outcomes. The results suggest that participants’ appraisal of their learning from SUI maybe influenced by how they accommodate the emotional impact of the experience.

The paper makes recommendations for educators on courses involving service users (SUs), acknowledges the study’s methodological limitations and suggests areas for future research.

Reports on a study which sought to test the impact of gender‐based training experiences on selection decisions. Subjects evaluated the credentials of a job candidate for a management position. The training experiences of the three candidates were manipulated so that a third of the applicant materials were described as relating to a female with gender‐based or “women‐only” training; another third of the materials were described as belonging to a female with gender‐neutral training; and a final third were labelled as male with gender‐neutral training. Results suggest that female candidates whose training is not gender based may be viewed more positively because their behaviours appear more consistent with the male socialization view. Discusses the implications of these findings for women in management training and for managerial selection.

E-training changed the employee experience with the help of virtual and online tools. This study aims to analyse the perceived impact of e-training on trainee experience and trainees’ self-assessment.

Data was gathered using a structured questionnaire from 853 employees of 30 Hydropower stations in North India. The partial least squares-structural equation modelling is used to test the relationships between study variables.

The result shows infrastructure and organisational support as the leading dimension, followed by trainer abilities and content/material/design to impact the perceived usefulness of e-training. The perceived trainee experience significantly impacts the e-training outcome as trainees’ perceived significant positive self-assessment.

Employees in select organisations indicate acceptance of the e-training. Hence, this study supports the applications of modern and emerging e-training tools as artefacts to support the learning and development of employees in select organisations.

This study explored the relationship between synchronous e-training and employee experience in the select power sector organisations previously dominated by traditional training tools.

This study aims to explore whether the cultural competency training in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services is sufficient to equip Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP) to support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) service users.

A qualitative design was adopted using semi-structured interviews with six PWP participants. Reflexive thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step process was used in data analysis.

Three themes revealed evaluations of PWP training, factors supporting PWPs’ cultural competency and points of improvement for PWP training. The training briefly and superficially covered cultural competency content; however, it encouraged PWPs to explore potential personal and cultural biases in therapy. PWP training can also be improved by providing more culturally relevant resources and involving BAME service users.

A small sample size (N = 6) was used, impacting the findings’ generalizability.

PWP training does not sufficiently equip PWPs to support BAME service users. PWPs’ reflection of their own ethnic identity and personal experiences, when combined with training, can improve cultural competency. IAPT training should focus on cultural awareness, knowledge and skills to enhance therapeutic experience. Moreover, PWPs should reflect on their identity, personal biases and experiences when working with diverse communities.

This is one of the few qualitative studies evaluating the cultural competencies of PWPs in IAPT.

This study aims to examine participants’ perspectives in organization-sponsored training and provides support for further research positioning the trainer as an organizational leader.

The interactions described in the trainees’ experiences were examined through a social constructivist lens. Interviews were conducted to collect data. Narratives were analyzed to reach interpretation.

Interview results identified four themes, namely, relevance and applicability of training received, the formation of attitudes and preferences among the trainee participants, immediacy in the use of the training received and relational and organizational influence that furthers leader-member exchange in the workplace.

This study examined participants’ perspectives in workplace training and provides support for further research: examining communication’s role in workplace learning; exploring the training process; and positioning the trainer as an organizational leader.

This study provides empirical data to support changes in instructional communication models and exploring the process of training. Trainers’ relational building with trainees could impact many outcomes in their training efforts that are detailed in this study.

This study uses a collection of methods to address the trainees’ experience in formal workplace learning. It demonstrates the power of trainers to influence what the trainees think of training content, format and relational learning.

The aim of the research presented here was to detect, in line with the European Union’s “Education and Training 2020” work program, the training needs of teachers and trainers working in the vocational education and training (VET) system in the Italian Region of Veneto to design courses, experiences and other training programs tailored to meet the needs emerged.

Four focus groups were including VET teachers and trainers were created, two before the construction and two after the online administration of an ad hoc questionnaire asking teachers and trainers to rate 67 competencies (43 for teachers, 24 for trainers) on the two dimensions of self-assessment (explicitly defined as the current level of mastery) and importance (explicitly defined as the expected level of mastery). Eight hundred twelve teachers and 166 trainers filled in the questionnaire which also asked them to give suggestions about the courses, experiences and other training programs to be designed.

In questionnaires, teachers and trainers declare they are competent enough to do what they do (self-assessment always obtains higher ratings than importance, except in one competence for teachers), even if in focus groups they say they want to be trained. Accordingly, they express a clear preference for short or very short courses, tailored on their specific needs and for training experiences and programs which are alternative to classroom training.

The research is a preliminary action to a European Social Fund project named “Training for trainers”, whose main aim is to give birth to courses, experiences and other training programs, specifically dedicated to VET teachers and trainers, to allow them to develop or refresh the competencies they feel they need for work. Besides, it allowed testing of the benefit of using mixed methods for a competence-based analysis of needs.

Data will be used to design courses, experiences and other training programs that really meet the needs of VET teachers and trainers in Veneto to tackle those aspects they consider really important for work in a lifelong learning perspective.

The variety of differences encountered when interacting with people from other cultures can be daunting for foreign nationals operating in another country. Consequently, many companies send their managers on some form of cultural orientation training, before beginning their duties in a foreign country. The problem for companies is: “Which programme to choose?” This paper seeks to examine forms of cross‐cultural training, and assess the relative effectiveness of each.

Potential participants were identified using a stratified random sample of companies that do business in Mexico. Individuals received a personal e‐mail, requesting their participation in the research. Those who agreed to participate completed a questionnaire and cultural understanding survey online.

The data showed that meetings with experienced international staff were the most common type of training. The second was lecture training. Behaviour modification methods and field experiences were the methods that were the greatest help to US managers in understanding Mexican culture. Analysis of the data would seem to support the idea that there must be factors other than training that influence a US managers understanding of Mexican culture. A possible explanation is the level of psychic distance between the cultures of those involved in the interaction.

Some respondents felt that the scenarios were somewhat generalised and did not account for regional differences in Mexico, or for the great degree of cultural convergence that is occurring between the USA and Mexico, especially along the border between the two countries. However, another respondent uses very similar scenarios in her consulting and training practice. It appears, therefore, that the debates regarding generalised national cultures are as evident among business people as they are among academics.

Companies should use meetings with experienced expatriates as a central part of their training programme. Field experience, despite its obvious resource implications, should be considered as a key element of training for those preparing to work in Mexico. Companies should place greater emphasis on cross‐cultural skills for expatriates, both in terms of their initial selection, and their subsequent training. There is also the issue of the length of time spent in training: 20 of the 29 participants surveyed either had no training, or had less than one week's training. Companies that claim to take the issue seriously must be prepared to devote a correspondingly serious level of resources to the issue.

The paper shows how companies should look at cultural training not in terms of time‐limited, task‐specific, discrete chunks, but should seek to develop programmes that aim to educate the whole person.

There is a global concern about the effectiveness of vocational education and training (VET) programmes in developing job-related skills and competencies for real-world environments for disadvantaged and unemployed youths. Experiential learning (EL) is a major component of VET programmes. This article aims to examine the effects of facilitating VET through EL theory to promote youths' skills acquisition. The study looks at the effects of material resources on the use of experiential learning theory (ELT), the types of EL and the contribution of ELT to VET programmes.

The research design mainly entails a qualitative research design and research method to allow the researcher to view the reality as is experienced from the inside out by the trainees and training centre managers on important data for a thorough understanding. The study participants were 512 young trainees who completed different training courses from the VET programmes and 24 centre managers in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

The findings reveal that the use of ELT in VET programmes helped the trainees to gain real-world skills, hence contributing to their empowerment in terms of work experience and competence for their future employment. Based on the findings, the study concludes that ELT is an effective instrument to promote VET programmes for disadvantaged and unemployed youths.

The practical and social implications of the findings are that, while disadvantaged youths cannot access and afford higher education, public and private sectors can remedy their situation by providing non-school-based technical and vocational training to help such youths enter the labour market. The findings will motivate the providers of skills development for unemployed youths to use ELT in designing course curricula, planning resources and directing teaching-learning approaches to help trainees to acquire skills and competencies to perform tasks close to real-work situations.

The socio-economic implication of the article is that skills development plays an important role in poverty reduction. Investing in the skills development of citizens is vital to raise the incomes of poor groups and to reduce poverty (ILO, 2018). Although the causes of unemployment have also to do with economic factors in a country, skills development is an essential ingredient in developing capacities for labour market entry and increased income generation of a vulnerable group of people.

The article is significant because the study provides new insights into the use of ELT in VET programmes to improve their effectiveness in developing job-related skills and competencies for real-world environments for disadvantaged and unemployed youths. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by establishing a solid base for the evidence-informed practice of the effects of facilitating the VET programme through ELT to promote skills acquisition for the employment of unemployed and disadvantaged youths.