Search results

Professional work is facing significant forces for change which, as suggested by futurists, threaten the dominance of professionals in our lives. The paper examines the extent to which professional associations in the UK are responding to changes and preparing their members for the future. The nature of professional power and status is explored before an analysis of findings is presented. It is argued that while many professional associations have begun discussions about their plans for the future, a more purposeful and strategic approach is required, based on a re‐view of their status as learned societies.

Work based learning has been subject to some negative press in recent times. Particular emphasis has been given to poor inspection reports within the sector. The Raising Quality and Achievement programme of the Learning and Skills Development Agency, funded by the Learning and Skills Council as part of a grant for a programme of research and development, provides a raft of support to help work‐based learning providers respond to such challenges. The RQA Development Projects are one such approach. All projects are action research and explore interventions and changes to current practice as a means of improving retention and achievement in work‐based learning. A total of 78 projects were funded for 2002‐2003. This article presents a number of projects, that are particularly innovative, as examples of how providers are looking to improve retention and/or achievement.

Explores the impact of the establishment of a learning centre, within an industrial estate, on the development of lifelong learning in the workplace. It draws on data generated as part of an evaluation of a European social fund project to establish information and communication technology (ICT) based learning centres on each of three industrial estates in the East Midlands. The project sought to develop amongst participating companies and their employees a commitment to continuous development and lifelong learning. The purpose of the paper is to focus analysis upon one company (the organisation which housed the learning centre on one of the industrial estates) and to explore the impact of the intervention, first in terms of the organisation itself and second in terms of its wider impact on the industrial estate.

Presents the special issue, which aims to explore some of the challenges that the apprenticeship system faces in different countries.

Introduces the papers of nine authors/author teams.

States that the special issue makes it clear that apprenticeship will survive and continue as a means of learning and as an institution retaining the support and investment of governments.

Introduces a useful issue on the subject of apprenticeships and their effect on societies and economies all over the world.

This paper seeks to present the Apprenticeships Task Force's (ATF's) evaluation of the business case for recruiting and training apprentices. The focus is on whether they provide employers in the UK with a positive return on investment in key performance areas.

The ATF asked nine members, senior executives of large and smaller companies across various sectors in the economy, to provide evidence that their apprentices add value to business performance. Their information was based on company research, including financial and other performance data comparing apprentices with non‐apprentices.

The case studies provide compelling evidence that apprenticeships deliver strong business benefits such as increased productivity and staff retention, reduced costs and a more diverse workforce. Other benefits include: increased profits – BT estimated they gained a higher annual net profit of over £1,300 per apprentice when compared with non‐apprentices; higher quality of work – at BAE Systems apprentices fulfilled tasks correctly at a rate of 85 per cent right first time after completing their training; external recruits had a rate of 60 per cent; and career progression – over 90 per cent of line managers in British Gas's engineering operations trained as apprentices.

The case studies offer employers without apprentices a real insight into the apprentices’ enhancement of skills within an economy. They also provide a unique contribution to the body of knowledge used to assess the value of apprenticeships to employers.

The paper aims to review the National Open Apprenticeship Scheme and how it has fulfilled its mandate of promoting skill acquisition and youth employment in Nigeria, in the 17 years since the inception of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

Site visits to trainers’ workshops were carried out to observe the programme in practice and examine documents and annual report(s) made available at the NDE Office in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

The paper finds that master craftsmen and women operate both the traditional apprenticeship system and the NDE scheme using the same training methods. It reveals that there are no Saturday Theory classes due to lack of funds. It also finds that apprentices have low educational background, no evaluation and certification at the end of training; they get an equivalent of about €3 a month and are paid in arrears of three to six months. It is found that there is a shortage of tools and drop‐out rate is high.

The latest annual report available was for year 2000, which may not be very current. The paper focuses on only one out of 36 states, although the programme is centrally controlled from Abuja, Nigeria's capital and may have similar features.

The paper provides insight for stake‐holders involved in providing vocational skills geared towards solving unemployment problems in Nigeria.

There is a dearth of literature in the area of vocational skills in Nigeria. This paper tries to contribute to the body of knowledge in this area, especially after 17 years of NDE existence.

Gender segregation has been a persistent feature of apprenticeship programmes in countries around the world. In the UK, the Modern Apprenticeship was launched ten years ago as the government's flagship initiative for training new entrants in a range of occupational sectors. One of its priorities was to increase male and female participation in “non‐traditional” occupations, that is, those normally practised by just one sex. However, recent figures show that the programme has failed to achieve its aim and this has prompted an investigation by the Equal Opportunities Commission. This paper aims to report the research as part of this investigation.

This paper presents quantitative and qualitative evidence on the attitudes of young people (aged 14 and 15) and employers to non‐traditional occupational choices. It also explores the factors affecting the decisions of young people to train in a non‐traditional occupation and the recruitment decisions of employers from “traditional sectors”, such as engineering, the construction trades and child care.

The research provides evidence of the deeply entrenched nature of occupational stereotypes and the psychological and social barriers that have to be overcome if a more evenly balanced workforce is to be created. It also reveals that none of the institutions and organisations which act as gatekeepers between young people and employers is, as yet, taking responsibility for challenging their perceptions and decision‐making processes.

The paper concludes by highlighting the implications of the research findings to stakeholders and suggesting a holistic approach to tackling gender segregation.

Proposes to provide a description of the factors that underlie retention and to develop a model of the process of retention.

A qualitative study was conducted in a selected number of occupational areas. Interviews were conducted with apprentices and trainees employed under a contract of training; apprentices/trainees who had recently completed their contract of training; employers/workplace supervisors and teachers/trainers.

Provides information about a range of factors and how they combined to shape the process of retention. Recognises that some of the identified factors are more amenable to interventions to enhance retention than others.

The study did not attempt to cover all occupations in which apprentices are employed, or to provide any ranking of importance of factors in relation to the retention process. The study encourages a holistic understanding of the process of retention and emphasises the dynamic nature of this process over the period of a contract of training.

A useful source of information for those concerned with designing interventions that target factors that are most amenable to promoting enhanced retention in apprenticeships.

This paper addresses the often neglected process of retention and offers some guidance in the design of interventions to promote retention in apprenticeships.

The classical form of dual vocational training in Switzerland is on‐the‐job training combined with theoretical education in a school. In order to be an attractive educational choice for both enterprises and pupils, the apprenticeship model has to be constantly adapted to the demands of the labour market. As a potential model for future apprenticeship training, large firms started to concentrate their apprenticeship training in one or a few sites. More recently, independent external firms have been set up with the express purpose of training apprentices for other companies. This article aims to discuss these new developments.

This article bases its discussion of the developments on the basis of a unique data set comprising more than 2,300 training companies in Switzerland.

The observations reported in this article suggest that training in a training centre is a viable alternative to the usual in‐house apprenticeship system where the apprentice is trained within the company. However, training centres will never be an ideal solution for all occupations or for every company. Training centres are primarily worthwhile for investment‐intensive occupations where the main objective is to invest in an apprentice's human capital and thus help ensure a steady supply of highly qualified workers.

The article presents useful developments in the use of training centres.