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After two years of operation on a national scale, the New Deal Welfare to Work (WtW) programme for young people aged 18‐24 (New Deal for Young People, NDYP) – a flagship scheme and key element in New Labour’s general lifelong learning policy for post‐compulsory education and training – has been extensively evaluated both by official government and independent researchers. This research is analysed within the framework of policy analyses of the key aims of the New Deal and associated lifelong learning objectives, and the main findings are examined against the background of a case study of the operation of the NDYP in the West Midlands region. By way of a conclusion, a contrast between the (generally favourable) quantitative outcomes of WtW and the (partly unfavourable) qualitative studies is drawn in terms of short‐ and long‐term aims for unemployment relief and the reform of vocational education and training in the post‐school sector.

In spite of the central role accorded to small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in recent government White Papers on competitiveness and national vocational education and training (VET) policies, the involvement of small firms in national training efforts remains disappointingly marginal. Studies over 2,000 SMEs in the West Midlands region and indicates a worrying gap between interest and attitudes to training and actual take‐up of training opportunities, particularly in relation to programmes linked to national vocational qualifications(NVQs). Recommends that, given the low awareness of and low value assigned to NVQs by SME owner/managers, training policies for SMEs are distinguished sharply from national training efforts concerned with NVQs and the achievement of national targets.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a personal perspective, of a contributor and Guest Editor, on the impact of Education + Training on promoting quality research and dissemination in the area of vocational education and training (VET) in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). It has been written specifically to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Education + Training.

The author adopts a reflective approach to evaluate critically the progression of this topic in terms of individual articles and Special Issues published since 1997, and reviews his close involvement with this journal.

This journal is widely recognised as a leader in its field. In terms of VET in SMEs, Education + Training has made a significant impact upon academic research and dissemination and contributed to emergent policy making in the UK and elsewhere.

This paper provides a succinct point of view on the impact and development of an academic journal. Its originality stems from the unique perspective offered by a contributor who, since 2000, also guest edited an annual double Special Issue on topics related to VET in SMEs.

The past two decades have witnessed exponential growth in the use of mindfulness-based programmes within professional workplace cultures. From digital media giants such as Google, Apple and Facebook, to Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, universities, and government departments, many contemporary workplaces now offer mindfulness-based programmes as a remedy for workplace challenges such as low productivity, employee stress and staff attrition. Using Google’s Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute as a case study, this chapter adopts Lauren Berlant’s concept of ‘cruel optimism’ as a critical framework for re-evaluating the affective and relational experiences of mindfulness within the contemporary neoliberal workplace. Specifically, it considers the ways in which corporate mindfulness initiatives commonly use the rubric of ‘employee wellbeing’ and ‘self-care’ to pathologise employee experiences of boredom, dissatisfaction and stress while downplaying the social, political and economic factors that contribute to workplace dissatisfaction and employee burnout.

Reports on the Sixth Annual Conference of the Learning and Skills Research Network (Learning and Skills Development Agency) held at the University of Warwick, UK, in December 2002. Presents an overview of keynote speeches and reviews selected conference papers reporting on current research in the learning and skills sector.

Workplace learning and HRD are considered legitimate topics for study and investigation alongside organisational strategies and practices. Considers key themes in the workplace earning literature in addition to its relationship with HRD. Identifies a paradigm shift from formalised, intermittent and discontinuous learning to increasingly informal, experiential, asynchronous and real‐time situated learning. Highlights three contemporary themes in both the workplace learning and HRD literatures, namely: knowledge, expertise, competence and capability; organisational learning; and employability and career issues.

Concentrates on ways of helping employers to keep their workforce up to date and adaptable. Contains precised articles exploring the relationship between employers and the world of education. The final group of precis examines the concept of knowledge management, which can help organizations to exploit their hidden talents.

Palliative care is a complex environment in which teams of health care professionals are constantly challenged to match the configuration of care delivery to suit the dynamics of the whole of a patient’s bio‐medical, social and spiritual situations as they change during the end of life process. In such an environment these teams need to engage in ongoing interaction between different professional disciplines, incremental improvement in care delivery, learning and radical innovation. This is aimed at combining operational effectiveness and strategic flexibility, exploitation and exploration in a way that ensures the best possible end of life experience for the patient. This paper examines previous research on the management competences and the organisational capabilities necessary for continuous innovation, and analyses evidence emerging from a study of palliative care. Work on the relationships between innovation capacities, organisational capabilities and team‐based competence is drawn together. Evidence is presented from research into the management of innovation in palliative care.

Much has been made of the need to empower employees at all levels of an organisation. There must be a genuine willingness on the part of management and workers to work together to ensure that empowerment will be accepted and succeed. Among those organisations which are prepared to bear the cost of training and multiskilling their employees, training is often ineffective and firms do not realise benefits from their investment. How can training be delivered to maximise the probability that the workers will learn and be able to implement new skills? Reports on a success story in a multi‐site manufacturing organisation which was able to train operations workers on the job, and by using active learning techniques demonstrate to the organisation the benefits of training. The reasons behind these changes, the effectiveness of the training programme, and the views of workers on the factory floor are examined. Interviews indicate that the success of the training programme, combined with other tactics, has seen real cultural change taking pace in the organisation, and workers believe they have been empowered.

Palliative care is a complex environment in which teams of healthcare professionals are constantly challenged to match the configuration of care delivery to suit the dynamics of the patient's bio‐medical, social and spiritual situations as they change during the end‐of‐life process. In such an environment these teams need to engage in ongoing interaction between different professional disciplines, incremental improvement in care delivery, learning and radical innovation. This is aimed at combining operational effectiveness, strategic flexibility, exploitation and exploration, in a way that ensures the best possible care for the patient. This paper examines previous research on the management competences and the organisational capabilities necessary for continuous innovation, and analyses evidence emerging from a study of palliative care. Work on the relationships between innovation capacities, organisational capabilities and team‐based competence is drawn together. Evidence is presented from research into the management of innovation in palliative care.