Global historical background

One might have expected that advances in training and development in Euro-American countries would have progressed at approximately the same rate as industrial growth since the Industrial Revolution. That it did not, explained Downs (1983), was because of 18th and 19th century views of the work force. The prevalent view of that time was that "the lower orders are innately idle and depraved except when they are goaded by the spur." This philosophy influenced social legislation in England from the reign of Elizabeth I to the revival of liberalism in England in 1906.

The continuing need in England after the war for systematic training was recognized by the Industrial Training Acts of 1964 and 1973 . The government felt that both skill shortages and lack of adaptability to change would arise as a result of insufficient training (Downs 1983).

In the United States, training (which is now a multibillion-dollar activity) is inextricably tied to selection through Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Admission into training, as well as promotions, demotions, transfers and the like that are based on training performance, are considered employment decisions. Apprenticeship training programs are specifically covered in section 703d of the Act. Thus, before training is conducted in the United States, an understanding of Title VII is required.

·         The emphasis that organizations place on training originated relatively recently.

·         The current emphasis in North America and the United Kingdom on a training as opposed to a selection philosophy may be attributed to a decline in voluntary labor turnover. As is discussed in a subsequent section, Japanese companies located in Hong Kong and Singapore give high turnover as a reason for a low investment in off-the-job training activities. Cammock & Inkson (1985) reported that most engineering apprentices in New Zealand intend to pursue other careers overseas following qualification. It will be interesting to see whether apprenticeship training declines in that country over the next 3-5 years.

 

References

Cammock, P., Inkson, K. 1985. The aspirations of trade apprentices and their implications for apprenticeship. 1. Occup. Psychol. 58:49-55

Downs, S. 1983. Industrial training. In Using Personnel Research, ed. A. P. O. Williams. Aldershot, Hants, England: Gower