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Vocational Training (vocational + training)
Selected AbstractsStudent perspectives and opinions on their experience at an undergraduate outreach dental teaching centre at Cardiff: a 5-year studyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2010C. D. Lynch Abstract Aim:, Outreach teaching is now regarded as a desirable component of undergraduate dental teaching programmes in the UK. A purpose-built undergraduate dental outreach-training centre was opened in Cardiff in 2002. The aim of this paper is to report student perspectives and opinions on their experience at this unit over a 5-year period. Methods:, Final year dental students at Cardiff University were invited to report their comments on the St David's Primary Care Unit at various times during their placement there. Information was recorded for undergraduate students who commenced final year in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 (n = 257). Results:, After 1 year, the most common favourable aspects reported by students included the availability of a suitably trained nurse for all procedures (n = 191), ready access to helpful/approachable teaching staff (n = 145), and closeness of learning experience to subsequent practice (n = 122). Many students commented on their growing confidence in their own abilities whilst in the unit. Conclusion:, Overwhelmingly, students reported their enthusiasm for training in an outreach teaching unit, preferring it to traditional dental school environments. Inherent in the comments recorded for each student was a sense of growing confidence in their abilities and development of reflective practice. Further work is needed to identify the impact of this form of dental student training on subsequent practices in Vocational Training and independent clinical careers. [source] The Earnings and Employment Effects of Young People's Vocational Training in BritainTHE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 4 2001P.J. Dolton We examine the longer run effects of youth training using the Youth Cohort Study Cohort III. These data follow individuals up to the age of 23 while previous studies typically analyse younger people. The problem of attrition is addressed by using an ,item non-response' variable as an instrument to predict drop-out. We estimate earnings and employment equations to analyse the effects of training. The results contrast with those from previous studies by suggesting there are no adverse employment or earnings effects from government-sponsored training. We find significant returns to quality training such as degrees and apprenticeships. [source] RETURNS TO EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIAECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 3 2008ANDREW LEIGH Using data from the 2001,2005 waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, and taking account of existing estimates of ability bias and social returns to schooling, I estimate the economic return to various levels of education. Raising high school attainment appears to yield the highest annual benefits, with per-year gains as high as 30% (depending on the adjustment for ability bias). Some forms of vocational training also appear to boost earnings, with significant gains from Certificate Level III/IV qualifications (for high school dropouts only), and from Diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications. At the university level, bachelor degrees and postgraduate qualifications are associated with significantly higher earnings, with each year of a bachelor degree raising annual earnings by about 15%. For high schools, slightly less than half the gains are due to increased productivity, with the rest being due to higher levels of participation. For vocational training, about one-third of the gains are from productivity, and two-thirds from greater participation. For universities, most of the gains are from productivity. I find some evidence that the productivity benefits of education are higher towards the top of the distribution, but the effects on hours worked are higher towards the bottom of the conditional earnings distribution. [source] Comprehensive validation of competencies for dental vocational training and general professional trainingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 4 2003L. Prescott This paper outlines a study designed to validate competencies for dental vocational training (DVT) and general professional training (GPT) in order to ensure their accuracy and acceptability. A highly inclusive approach is described whereby all trainers in Scotland were invited to participate in the exercise. The 168 individuals recruited were drawn from all branches of the dental services and all regions in Scotland. Using online or paper questionnaires, quantitative and qualitative data were collected for each competency statement over 9 months, after which focus groups discussed and decided which changes should be made. A high response rate was observed and from the 160 competencies originally identified, almost half (47.5%) were redrafted as a direct result of the validation process. Sections of the competency document that required most attention are discussed, as are the nature of changes made to the competencies. As a result of this study, a fully validated competency document for DVT and GPT has been produced and will allow a high degree of standardization of training through the provision of essential consistent information to trainers and VDPs. [source] Does an employer training levy work?FISCAL STUDIES, Issue 2 2002Britain, The incidence of, returns to adult vocational training in France Abstract We examine two different policy regimes towards continuing vocational training for the adult workforce: policy in France has been interventionist, using an employer training levy since the 1970s, whereas British policy has relied largely on individual initiatives for training investment by employers and workers. We begin with a review of the theory of vocational training, indicating why market failure and underprovision are the likely outcome and signalling types of corrective policy that might be adopted. We set up hypotheses about the likely impact of policy in France relative to Britain to provide a framework for evaluation. We present a detailed comparison of the two systems in observed training incidence and the returns to training captured by workers and employers, drawing on a wide range of econometric studies. We conclude with an assessment of the employer training levy in France and suggest ways it could be modified if adopted in Britain. [source] The Correlates of Accommodations for Permanently Disabled WorkersINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 3 2004Article first published online: 4 JUN 200, MICHELE CAMPOLIETI This article examines the determinants of the job accommodations made by employers using data from the Survey of Ontario Workers with Permanent Impairments. I use a censored bivariate probit model, which allows for the selection of return-to-work decisions to obtain my estimates. The most important findings of this article suggest that workers who received vocational training prior to their accident and returned to work with the time-of-accident employer are more likely to receive an accommodation. [source] Reforming the training system in FranceINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2005Philippe Méhaut ABSTRACT The French system of continuing vocational training was set up in 1970 by an intersectoral collective agreement that was then followed by legislation. More than 30 years on, the economic and social context has changed and the system now faces new challenges. In 2001 and again in 2003 the social partners embarked upon new negotiations in a bid to redesign the system. Analysis of the negotiation process and of its outcomes, reveals, both, the, persistence, of, societal, characteristics, and, the, emergence, of significant innovations, particularly in the individualisation of training. This dual trend is explained by the characteristics of the actors involved as well as by the weakness of the state. [source] Service provision for elderly depressed persons and political and professional awareness for this subject: a comparison of six European countriesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 5 2003Anke Bramesfeld Abstract Objective Under-treatment of depression in late-life is a subject of rising public health concern throughout Europe. This study investigates and compares the availability of services for depressed elderly persons in Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Additionally, it explores factors that might contribute to an adequate services supply for depressed elderly people. Method Review of the literature and guide supported expert interviews. Analysis of the practice of care provision for depressed elderly persons and of indicators for political and professional awareness, such as university chairs, certification processes and political programmes in gerontopsychiatry. Results Only Switzerland and the UK offer countrywide community-oriented services for depressed elderly persons. Clinical experience in treating depression in late-life is not regularly acquired in the vocational training of the concerned professionals. Indicators suggest that the ,medical society' and health politics in Switzerland and the UK regard psychiatric disease in the elderly more importantly than it is the case in the other investigated countries. Conclusions Service provision for depressed elderly persons seems to be more elaborated and better available in countries where gerontopsychiatry is institutionalised to a greater extend in the ,medical society' and health politics. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Minimum and preferred entry qualifications and training provision for North Australian workersINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2006Bruce Acutt This paper reports on the outcomes of a replication study of a survey of British employers that requested information on the qualifications sought when recruiting employees and on subsequent training and development. While the British survey was interested in the uptake and use of the British National Vocational Qualifications, the study reported in this article is primarily focused on the uptake and use of the Australian Qualifications Framework qualifications by North Australian employers. This study was prompted by the skills shortages and recruitment difficulties being experienced by organizations throughout rural and regional Australia. Previous studies have found that vocational qualifications were not valued by UK employers and few employers were encouraging employees to undertake vocational awards. If this is also the case in Australia, it may in part explain problems in recruiting skilled workers. This research clearly demonstrates that employees in regional and rural Australia are seeking to improve their knowledge and skills through vocational training and higher education qualifications. Also, employers are providing access to training and are supporting managerial and professional employees to gain higher educational qualifications. When recruiting all types of worker other than unskilled labourers, the majority of organizations prefer to recruit workers with qualifications. In rural and regional centres, however, a more pragmatic stance of recruiting unqualified employees in some areas is observed. Clearly, employers will attempt to minimize training costs by recruiting skilled employees, but in the end they will have to provide access to training and education to ensure that they have a skilled workforce that can deliver essential services and products. [source] Social Dialogue Over Vocational Training In Market-Led SystemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2000Jonathan Winterton The involvement of social partners is central to the rhetoric of the European Commission approach to vocational training. This paper explores the development of social dialogue over vocational training at the European level and in Italy and Britain, two member states characterised as having market-led systems. The contrasting experience of the two member states suggests factors that are conducive to promoting greater social partner involvement in vocational training and demonstrates the complexity of developing a European approach. [source] Reintegration Support for Young Ex-Combatants: A Right or a Privilege?INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 5 2007Krijn Peters ABSTRACT Under-age and youthful combatants are the major participants in contemporary African conflicts and, therefore, the largest group to be disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated when peace agreements are signed. Programmes to support this process, so-called disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programmes, usually have two main objectives: 1) to reduce security risks; and 2) make ex-combatants less dependent upon their home communities once returned. However, badly designed or implemented DDR programmes can jeopardize a country's fragile peace and rehabilitation process. This article uses the Sierra Leone case to explore the efficacy of DDR programmes. It questions whether the reintegration options offered to the demobilized ex-combatants were appropriate to the context. In a country where more than 70 per cent of the population depends on (semi-)subsistence agriculture, the most popular reintegration package among the young ex-combatants was vocational training - only 15 per cent of the ex-combatants chose the "agricultural package". The article questions whether young ex-combatants are simply disinterested in farming, and, if so, whether vocational skills training programmes offer realistic alternative livelihood opportunities. This article argues that most ex-combatants have not been able to achieve sustainable livelihoods skills due to failures in DDR programmes. The existence of a large reservoir of marginalized, foot-loose youth has been widely acknowledged as one of the root causes of the conflict in Sierra Leone. There is clear evidence that one result of the poor DDR design and implementation is that this reservoir has not been sufficiently drained in Sierra Leone. Les principaux participants aux conflits contemporains en Afrique sont de jeunes combattants, parfois mineurs, qui représentent donc le plus important groupe à désarmer, à démobiliser et à réintégrer une fois les accords de paix signés. Les programmes d'appui à ce processus, appelés programmes DDR (désarmement, démobilisation et réintégration), comportent généralement deux objectifs principaux : 1) la réduction des risques liés à la sécurité; et 2) la diminution de la dépendance des ex-combattants à l'égard de leur communauté d'origine lorsqu'ils y retournent. Cependant, des programmes DDR mal conçus ou mal appliqués peuvent mettre en danger le processus fragile de paix et de redressement du pays. L'auteur prend le cas de la Sierra Leone pour vérifier l'efficacité de ces programmes. Il pose la question de l'adéquation au contexte ambiant des options de réintégration offertes aux ex-combattants démobilisés. Dans un pays où plus de 70 % de la population dépendent d'une agriculture de (semi-)subsistance, la formule de réintégration qui a rencontré le plus de succès parmi les jeunes ex-combattants était celle de la formation professionnelle. Seuls 15 % des ex-combattants ont choisi le programme agricole. L'auteur de l'article se demande si les jeunes ex-combattants ont simplement perdu tout intérêt pour l'agriculture, et, dans ce cas, si les programmes de formation professionnelle offrent des possibilités réalistes d'accéder à d'autres moyens d'existence. Dans cet article, il seramontré que les carences dans les programmes DDR n'ont pas permis à la plupart des ex-combattants d'acquérir les qualifications voulues pour s'assurer des moyens d'existence durables. Or, il faut savoir que l'origine du conflit en Sierra Leone est en grande partie attribuée à la présence massive de jeunes gens marginalisés et sans attaches. De toute évidence, ces programmes, tels qu'ils ont été conçus et mis en ,uvre, n'ont pas suffisamment résorbé cette présence massive. Los combatientes jóvenes menores de edad son los principales participantes en los conflictos africanos contemporáneos y, en consecuencia, el grupo más grande que es desarmado, desmovilizado y reintegrado cuando se firman acuerdos de paz. Los programas en apoyo de este proceso, denominados programas de desarme, desmovilización y reintegración (DDR), suelen tener dos objetivos principales: 1) reducir los riesgos de seguridad; y 2) reducir la dependencia de los excombatientes en sus comunidades de origen tras su retorno. Sin embargo, si los programas DDR no están bien diseñados o no se aplican eficazmente, pueden poner en peligro el frágil proceso de paz y rehabilitación de un país. En el presente artículo se pone como ejemplo el caso de Sierra Leona para analizar la eficacia de los programas DDR. Se cuestiona si las opciones de reintegración ofrecidas a los excombatientes desmovilizados fueron apropiadas para el contexto. En un país donde más del 70 por ciento de la población depende de la agricultura de (semi)subsistencia, el conjunto más popular de medidas de reintegración entre los jóvenes excombatientes era la formación profesional -sólo el 15 por ciento de los excombatientes eligió el "conjunto de medidas agrícolas". En el artículo se pregunta si los jóvenes ex combatientes sencillamente no tienen interés en la agricultura y, en ese caso, si los programas de formación vocacional ofrecen otras oportunidades de subsistencia realistas. En este artículo se sostiene que la mayoría de los excombatientes no han podido adquirir una especialización sostenible que les permita sobrevivir debido a las deficiencias de los programas DDR. Se reconoce, en general, que la existencia de una gran reserva de jóvenes marginados y errantes es una de las causas básicas del conflicto en Sierra Leona. Hay pruebas evidentes de que una de las consecuencias del deficiente diseño y ejecución de los programas DDR es el insuficiente aprovechamiento de esta gran reserva en Sierra Leona. [source] The Second Generation in Germany: Between School and Labor Market,INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 4 2003Susanne Worbs The German "mode of integration" after World War II has been to include migrants and their offspring into general societal institutions. This can be stated despite differences between federal states in some aspects of migrant integration (e.g., the educational sector). Migrant children normally attend the same schools and classes as their German age peers, they participate in the dual system of vocational training, and there are only a few limitations in labor market access. The second generation in Germany consists mainly of children of the "guestworkers" recruited in southern and southeastern European countries from the 1950s onwards. It is not easy to obtain information about their numbers and their socioeconomic position, as most statistical data distinguish only between foreigners and Germans. The achieved integration status of the second generation varies between areas: obvious problems in the educational system go along with considerable progress in the vocational training system and in the labor market. Children of Turkish migrants are the most disadvantaged group among the second generation. [source] Respiratory allergy in apprentice bakers: do occupational allergies follow the allergic march?ALLERGY, Issue 4 2004J. Walusiak Background:, This prospective study describes the incidence, risk factors and natural history of occupational respiratory allergy in apprentice bakers. Methods:, Two hundred and eighty-seven apprentice bakers were examined using a questionnaire, skin prick tests (SPTs) to common and occupational allergens, evaluation of total serum IgE level and specific anti-flour and , -amylase IgE, before, 1 year and 2 years after the onset of vocational training. To diagnose occupational respiratory disease, spirometry, histamine and allergen-specific inhalation challenge tests were performed. Results:, The incidence of work-related chest symptoms was 4.2% in the first year and 8.6% in the second year of exposure. Hypersensitivity to occupational allergens developed in 4.6 and 8.2% of subjects, respectively. The incidence of occupational allergic rhinitis was 8.4% after 1 year and 12.5% after 2 years, and that of occupational asthma/cough-variant asthma 6.1 and 8.7%, respectively. The latency period of work-related rhinitis symptoms was 11.6 ± 7.1 months and chest symptoms 12.9 ± 5.5 months. Only in 20% of occupational asthmatics could allergic rhinitis be diagnosed a stage earlier. In 21 out of 25 subjects with occupational asthma, chronic cough was the sole clinical manifestation of the disease. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that positive SPT to common allergens was a significant risk factor of hypersensitivity to occupational allergens (OR = 10.6, 95% CI 5.27; 21.45), occupational rhinitis (OR = 3.9, 95% CI 1.71; 9.14) and occupational asthma (OR = 7.4, 95% CI 3.01; 18.04). Moreover, positive SPT to occupational allergens on entry to the training was a significant risk factor of asthma (OR = 6.9, 95% CI 0.93; 51.38). Conclusions:, The incidence of occupational asthma and rhinitis in apprentice bakers is high and increases z with the duration of exposure. Skin reactivity to common and occupational allergens is the main risk factor of bakers' asthma. Most cases of work-related respiratory symptoms among apprentice bakers are related to a specific sensitization. In most subjects who developed occupational asthma, rhinitis occurred at the same time as the chest symptoms did. [source] Whiteness at work in vocational training in AustraliaNEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT & CONTINUING EDUCATION, Issue 125 2010Sue Shore This chapter explores how sociohistorical, occupational, and organizational discourses structure vocational opportunity in racialized ways and how this manifests in the everyday practices of vocational educators. The findings pose challenges for the content of undergraduate programs for vocational educators. [source] Communication as a determinant of organizational innovationR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2000Mika Kivimäki This study of 32 small and medium-sized industrial enterprises explored eight distinct aspects of communication, as appraised by the staff (n = 493), and innovative performance, assessed by two indicators: perceived innovation effectiveness and patent statistics obtained from the Patent Register at the National Board of Patents and Registration of Trademarks. The results showed that intra-organizational aspects of communication, such as encouragement of initiatives and critical evaluation of performance, were associated with both indicators of innovative performance. In addition, a participative climate and interaction between the personnel in R&D, marketing and production were related to perceived innovative effectiveness, whereas interaction with clients and other firms related to the number of patents in the organization. The link between communication and innovation was interdependent with the organizational and staff characteristics including the number of personnel, administrative and R&D intensity, the level of vocational training, and the age distribution of the staff. [source] | ||||||||||||||||