Human capital--the productive capacity that is embedded in people--is one of the most important contributors to the growth in nations' output and standard of living. Globalisation and technological change have increased the importance of human capital in recent years, to the point that there are now only two options to sustain high profits and…

These five papers are from a symposium facilitated by Verna J. Willis on the learning organization at the 1995 Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD) conference. "Processes of Organizational Learning: A Framework for Training and Development Policies and Methodologies in a Learning Organization Perspective" (Massimo Tomassini)…

This packet contains seven short guides for activities that help work force development professionals develop their professionalism and establish ties with their peers. The guides cover the following topics: (1) building local peer networks; (2) meeting with other work force development professionals; (3) planning a roundtable; (4) sponsoring…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on core directions in human resource development (HRD). In "Expertise: The Development of an Operational Definition for Human Resource Development" (Richard W. Herling), expertise is defined as consistent demonstrated actions that are efficient in their execution and effective in their…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on on-the-job learning. "Effectiveness of On-the-Job Learning" (Marcel R. van der Klink) presents the results of an empirical investigation demonstrating that on-the-job learning caused only a modest improvement in trainee's sales behavior but this improvement was maintained over a…

A bilingual Manpower Recreation Training Program in Hialeah, Florida, provides on-the-job training for underemployed or unemployed 18 to 24 year olds from disadvantaged families. The year-round program encompasses classroom as well as playground training, and participant reactions describe a successful program. (LH)

About 50 percent of Sweden's adult population pursues studies in one form or another. A specifically Scandinavian form of adult education is the folk high school. The largest number of adult learners attend the study circles organized by the local branches of Sweden's educational associations. Formal adult education is offered by the local…

Asking how to enrich on-the-job-training and, in particular, the traditional apprenticeship system in Africa without unduly burdening employers or smothering this system that is firmly rooted in African culture and is particularly well-suited to the conditions of African life, this document concludes that it is necessary to improve the skills of…

Corporations have become a significant part of the nation's educational system, the author states, and regard their education and training activities as necessary business functions. Employer-sponsored education, both in-house and at outside institutions, trains new employees, but most programs are for upgrading present personnel. (MF)

This book assesses the competitive strengths and weaknesses of the management practices of North American companies. It undertakes four tasks: (1) compilation and analysis of the results of "Laborforce 2000," an intensive survey of the human resource strategies of more than 400 Conference Board member companies; (2) examination of practices across…

This document contains a final report, evaluation, and curriculum materials from a project conducted at the RJR Nabisco plant in Indianapolis to upgrade the literacy and numeracy skills of the workers to facilitate technological changes to production lines. As the final report explains, although the goal of the project was to recruit and test 150…

These five papers are from a symposium that was facilitated by Elwood F. Holton, III at the 1995 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD). "HRD Alignment: A Systemic Assessment of HRD in Organizations" (Richard J. Torraco) describes the HRD alignment model as a model for evaluation that offers a systemwide perspective on HRD…

The second phase of a two-phase study evaluated (through 24 care studies in California, Missouri, Illinois, and New York) the feasibility of implementing an evaluation model of workplace-based retraining programs developed during the first phase of the project in California. The feasibility study addressed two components of an evaluation system:…

Recent trends indicate increased interest in the education and training of the labor force. However, information in the extent of on-the-job training (OJT) is complicated by conceptual difficulties, such as the informal nature of much OJT, lack of reliable cost data on formal training, and the fact that many studies based on stratified samples…

As part of a larger 2-year study of the nature of excellent vocational educators who work in business and industry, this paper describes what has been learned from a number of case studies about trainer "certification" (preparation) programs in business and industry. More specifically, the paper describes the processes used to certify trainers and…