ESRC
ECONOMIC
& SOCIAL
RESEARCH
COUNCIL

LEARNING SOCIETY
PROGRAMME

PRINCIPAL
RESEARCHERS

Kari Hadjivassiliou
Isabelle Darmon
Elliot Stern

The Tavistock Institute

CONTACT
ADDRESS

Elliot Stern
The Tavistock Institute
30 Tabernacle Street
London
EC2A 4DD
Tel:  0171 417 0407
Fax:  0171 417 0567
Email:  e.stern@tavinstitute.org

Duration
24 months

INNOVATIONS IN CONTINUING VOCATIONAL TRAINING:
A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to demonstrate the inter-relationship between company based Innovations in Continuing Vocational Training (CVT) and wider national institutional policy and socio-economic influences.  CVT has become increasingly important in the face of global competitiveness, rapid technological and economic change and demographic changes which place limits on reliance on school-based education and initial training.

The specific research questions addressed by the study were:

What are the external factors which shape innovations in CVT at the level of the firm?

How do these factors combine with those internal to the enterprise within a specific national, sectoral and organisational context, and in what ways do these interactions shape innovation in CVT?

How appropriate are innovations in CVT in the organisation when assessed against wider societal demands and changes and the needs of enterprises and workers?

In what ways do developments in CVT represent innovation and how does the contextual setting of CVT affect the potential for transfer?

APPROACH

The study involved:
	An extensive review of UK and European literature on the role of CVT in different national settings and work based learning and company training policies.
	A review of existing studies and statistics regarding CVT, including previous studies undertaken by members of the research team in the evaluation of European programmes supporting company based training innovation.
	Twelve case studies, six in the UK and three each in France and Spain, concentrating on sectors chosen for their contrasting records of training performance.

MAIN FINDINGS

All three countries studied - the UK, France and Spain - have national systems of support for companies which engage in the continuing training of employees.  The systems vary - the UK has fewer incentives and obligations placed on the company although it has other systems which can be used to make it more similar - but what they have in common is that all of them seem to be having little direct impact on the companies.

The discrepancy between the intentions of systems of Vocational and Educational Training and Continuing Vocational Training (VET/CVT) and what goes on in companies was striking.   External influences were never mechanistic in their effects.  For instance, in France a levy did not determine a level or type of training; in Spain, an emphasis on negotiation between social partners at the level of the firm about training and qualifications was not always followed.

Most companies invest in CVT because it supports their business strategy.  National incentives have limited effects when they run counter to what companies want to do.  One effect of the national system is to strengthen the explicit links between business strategy and continuing training.

National support systems were most effective when the company‘s training specialists/managers had moderate influence.  The external opportunities provided added legitimacy and independent budgets that could make a difference.  Companies with more influential training departments, on the other hand, were less likely to be influenced by national systems which offer only relatively modest incentives and resources.

CVT has to be seen as primarily for the benefit of companies.  The strong links between training and business strategy ensure that CVT addresses the needs of companies.  This does not mean that employee needs (or aspirations) were entirely ignored in the companies studied.  Many CVT innovations initiated by the company brought clear personal benefits to individuals in terms of qualifications, career benefits and educational opportunities.

Regulations (health and safety, food hygiene, consumer protection, etc) were among the most consistent factors that influenced CVT in all three countries.  In the UK, they were particularly noticeable, possibly because of the level of deregulation and re-regulation that has occurred.
Policy Implications

There are systems in the UK (including TECs, Investors in People and Industrial Training Organisations and certification processes involving awarding bodies and industry lead bodies), which can provide similar structures and incentives for UK firms to those encountered in other countries.  However, the lack of a national VET system that encourages all firms to avail themselves of such opportunities limits the effective spread of CVT among UK companies.

KEY PUBLICATIONS

Darmon I., Hadjivassiliou K., Sommerlad S., Stem E., Turbin J. and Danau D. (1998) ‘Continuing vocational training: key issues’, in F. Coffield (ed) Learning at Work, Bristol: Policy Press. 23-36

Darmon I., Frade C., and Hadjivassiliou K. (1999) ‘The comparative dimension in continuous vocational training: a preliminary framework’, in F. Coffield (ed) Why’s the beer always stronger up North?  Studies of lifelong learning in Europe. Bristol: Policy Press, 31-42

Stern E. and Sommerlad E. (1999) ‘Workplace Learning, Culture and Performance’, Issues in People Management Series, Institute of Personnel and Development