ERIC Number: ED503402
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 48
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-9214-1257-8
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Cross-Cultural Training and Workplace Performance
Bean, Robert
National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)
The 2006 census found that around 30% of people residing in Australia were born overseas, a trend unlikely to be reversed in the short-term, given the Australian Government's recent decision to significantly boost the places in the permanent skilled migration program to help employers redress their skill shortages. In light of this, employers are likely to increasingly favour employees who can work and interact with people from different cultural backgrounds. This study investigated the contribution to workplace performance of cross-cultural training, a term used to describe training that develops a person's ability to interact effectively with individuals from different cultures and in different cultural settings. The study is based on a survey of 134 vocational education and training (VET) graduates. The practices and views of 38 training providers and 31 employers on the current and future provision of cross-cultural training are also described. The report highlights the positive experiences of VET graduates with cross-cultural training, as well as employers' support for it. It lists the challenges for cross-cultural training as perceived by trainers, a specific challenge being to ensure that there is sufficient and appropriate cross-cultural training embedded in training packages, particularly those covering sales and service industries, industries with high customer contact. Appended are: (1) Organisations participating in the survey of VET current practice; (2) Organisations participating in the survey of employers; (3) Findings of the survey of VET graduates; (4) Findings of survey of current practice in cross-cultural training in vocational education and training; and (5) Findings of survey of employers. (Contains 25 tables.) [This work has been produced under the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) Program, which is coordinated and managed by NCVER on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments. Funding is provided through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. For related Support Document, see ED503403.]
Descriptors: Cross Cultural Training, Program Effectiveness, Foreign Countries, Vocational Education, Interpersonal Competence, Work Environment, Multicultural Education, Surveys, Trainers, Employer Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Employment Patterns, Immigrants, Job Performance, Cultural Pluralism, Graduate Surveys, Vocational Followup, Educational Practices, Training Methods, Outcomes of Education, Labor Market
National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd. P.O. Box 8288, Stational Arcade, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia. Tel: +61-8-230-8400; Fax: +61-8-212-3436; e-mail: ncver@ncver.edu.au; Web site: http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/index.html
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Centre for Vocational Education Research
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A