Title: Shortcomings of further training provision for scientific and technical personnel: an impediment to personal, corporate and economic development. Part 1: Contrast between receptivity to training and training opportunities

Authors: Prof. Erich Staudt

Addresses: Chair of Labour Economy, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Applied Innovation Research (IAI), Bochum e.V., Buscheyplatz 13, 4630 Bochum 1, Germany

Abstract: In the recent debate on further education and training, unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled labour, along with other groups of people affected by technological and structural change, have been at the top of the agenda. They have received special public attention, and there have been calls for their advanced vocational training to be extended, calls which have been implemented by a large number of companies. Scientific and technical personnel are acknowledged to have a key role to play in technological and structural change, yet little attention has been paid to the problem of the post-experience training of this group of people and few adequate solutions have been proposed. Ultimately the greater part of the scientific and technical personnel is very unlikely to be able to attain the level of qualification that would satisfy current requirements. In this connection it must be added that their professional deficiencies would probably be even greater if it were not for the fact that this section of the workforce shows a more widespread tendency to continue training on their own initiative than the other groups. This reliance on their own initiative is at sharp variance with the comparatively poorly organised and rather ineffective provision of further training for this group. The question must arise, whether self-motivation and individual effort alone will suffice to fill the emerging skill gaps in science and technology in the future.

Keywords: engineers training; scientists training; technical personnel training; professional training; professional updating; skills requirements; skills obsolescence; professional skills; continuing engineering education; continuing education; continuing professional development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.1993.030275

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 1993 Vol.3 No.1/2, pp.66 - 76

Published online: 14 Dec 2009 *

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