Training Initiatives in the UK
This resource offers an overview of UK experience with national education and training policies. A historical overview enables the HRM student to see the interplay between free market voluntarism and state intervention.
Education and training has been a concern of government, industry, trades unions, professional, award and educational bodies since the 60s. Initiatives have tended to be government rather than employer-led and their impact can be evaluated.
National economic/training concerns?
The "educational quality of the workforce" argument is that national competitiveness demands maintenance and improvement of vocational education and training for all. A complementary proposition is that competitive advantage is available to countries with
- low cost labour in low skill production industries.
- high quality production and service industries. These need advanced worker competencies albeit, in Western countries, with high labour costs
- UK growth industries often complain about a shortage of high level skills
- There are doubts about employer commitment and investment in training. In a boom UK company training is patchy. In recession, training budgets are the first to be cut.
The 1980s saw major industrial restructuring in the UK. A consequence of a competitive, global marketplace.
Employers pursued lower staffing levels"lean organisations" and productivity improvements. Whole departments and functions are outsourced. High unemployment resulted with the decline of ship-building, mining and engineering. The steel/car industries (male employment enclaves) went on a diet to become lean. Consequences include:
- Young job seekers trapped in an occupational vacuum. Full-time education reduces unemployment figures. Post education job expectations are frustrated especially if there is a n imbalance between education content and occupational roles.
- Older workers especially men are hit. Many now
- compete to re-enter job markets
- find only casual work, short contracts
- retire at 52 without a "job to the end of my working life"
- earnings expectations are frustrated
- Service industries are more women, lower-paid, customer-oriented and part-time or casual.
The review can be taken up via the following sections.
- Education, Training, Competences and the Wage-Work Bargain
- National Initatives
- From ITBs to the MSC, TECs and Investors in People
- Vocationalism and the UK Education System
- The Notion of Training Movements
- Europe and Trends of the 90s
References
- Pedler, Boydell and Burgoyne, The Learning Company,
- McGraw Hill
- Training Agency report (1986/87)
- HRM, Torrington and Chapman
- Boyazis???
BOLA is developed and maintained by Chris Jarvis