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Skills Needs (skill + need)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	80%

Selected Abstracts

Skills needed to help communities manage natural resource conflicts

CONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2008
Loretta Singletary
Competition for natural resources has spawned unprecedented conflict between users, resulting in litigious and legislative actions. Citizens often expect Cooperative Extension professionals to engage communities in collaborative processes to manage these conflicts. This paper examines thirty-five skills Cooperative Extension professionals need if they are to engage communities in collaborative processes. Survey methodology is used to assess the skills extension professionals perceive as most needed, and the ranked means of the perceived skill needs are presented. The results offer information useful to strengthen the capacity of extension professionals to play an important role in helping citizens manage natural resource conflicts. [source]

HRD in multinationals: the global/local mix

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2001
Olga Tregaskis
This article is concerned with how MNCs (multinational corporations) differ from indigenous organisations in relation to their human resource development (HRD) practices, and whether this relationship changes across countries. We question whether local isomorphism is apparent in the HRD practices of MNCs, or whether MNCs share more in common with their counterparts in other countries. A series of hypotheses are put forward and tested, using survey data from 424 multinational and 259 indigenous organisations based in the UK and Ireland. The results suggest a hybrid form of localisation, where MNCs adapt their practices to accommodate national differences, but that these adaptations do not reflect convergence to domestic practice. The results also indicate that MNCs are selective in the HRD practices that are adapted. Evidence from this study indicates that country differences in career traditions and labour market skill needs are key drivers in the localisation of associated HRD practice. In contrast, MNCs, irrespective of national context, adopt comparable systematic training frameworks, ie training-need identification, evaluation and delivery. [source]

Unlocking the potential to influence government skills policy: a case study of the UK construction industry

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2008
Arthur Morgan
Despite a series of national policy initiatives aimed at addressing skills shortages in a number of sectors, little evidence of longer-term change is apparent. This paper examines concerns expressed by small businesses that their local views are not sought or considered when national training policies and initiatives are either being developed or being implemented, and that the investment in skills development does not appear to adequately represent their skills needs. The research was carried out on the UK construction industry, which is characterized by a small number of large contractors who employ mainly managerial and professional staff, and a large number of small, micro- and self-employed firms that provide, on a subcontract basis, the majority of the industry's demand for a skilled manual workforce. The identification and delivery of vocational education and training at an industry level rests firmly on addressing the skills needs of the small and micro-type organizations and not those of the large construction firms, although it is the voice of the larger firms that appears to dominate the skills and training development agenda. The public policy model that articulates the requirements for training and skills development in the UK is based on sector-specific skills councils. This model is examined in relation to the construction sector by drawing upon the experiences of the South Wales region as a case study. Findings indicate that the current construction skills framework, upon which public policy is formulated and delivered, fails to adequately reflect the structure, skills and training priorities of the industry. The tensions that exist in this system are highlighted and the implications for reform of public policy articulation with regard to sector skills councils are discussed. [source]

Building on formal education: employers' approaches to the training and development of new recruits in the People's Republic of China

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2003
Katharine Venter
Conceptions of modern management and of skill in China have developed out of quantitative, production oriented traditions that have tended to downplay the human side of management, training and development. Based on recent survey and case study research this paper argues that some organisations are moving away from such narrow definitions. These tend to be resource rich, larger enterprises, often in modern growth sectors and organisations exposed to foreign practice (either by virtue of foreign ownership or investment, or as a result of exposure to the pressures of global competition through operation in international markets). Skills shortages are faced by organisations throughout China. However, employers do not generally feel that the education system is serving to address these skills needs. The varying conceptions of modern management shape the manner in which organisations recruit from, and build, on formal education provision. Many resource rich employers are using formal education as a selection mechanism, selecting the educational elite and continuing to develop them. Those organisations that have limited access to highly qualified recruits are also least likely to be in a position to provide extensive or high quality training. Consequently the divide between resource rich and resource poor organisations, in terms of both organisational resources and employees' opportunities for skill acquisition, learning and development, seems likely to widen. [source]

Development and Validation of a Geriatric Knowledge Test for Medical Students

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 6 2004
Ming Lee PhD
Objectives: To assesses the reliability and validity of a geriatrics knowledge test designed for medical students. Design: Cross-sectional studies. Setting: An academic medical center. Participants: A total of 343 (86% of those sampled) medical students participated in the initial study, including 137 (76%) first-year, 163 (96%) third-year, and 43 (86% of those sampled) fourth-year students in the 2000,2001 academic year. To cross-validate the instrument, another 165 (92%) third-year and 137 (76%) first-year students participated in the study in the 2001,2002 academic year. Measurements: An 18-item geriatrics knowledge test was developed. The items were selected from a pool of 23 items. An established instrument assessing the clinical skills of medical students was included in the validation procedure. Results: The instrument demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach ,=0.80) and known-groups and concurrent validity. Geriatrics knowledge scores increased progressively with the higher level of medical training (mean percentage correct=31.3, 65.3, and 66.5 for the first-year, third-year, and fourth-year classes, respectively, P<.001). A significant (P<.01) relationship was found between the third-year students' geriatrics knowledge and their clinical skills. Similar results, except the relationship between knowledge and clinical skills, were found in the cross-validation study, supporting the reliability and known-groups validity of the test. Conclusion: The 18-item geriatrics knowledge test demonstrated sound reliability and validity. The average scores of the student groups indicated substantial room for growth. The relationship between geriatrics knowledge and overall clinical skills needs further investigation. [source]