Title: Shortcomings of further training provision for scientific and technical personnel: an impediment to personal, corporate and economic development. Part 2: Demands on individuals, industry and the state

Authors: Prof. Erich Staudt

Addresses: Chair of Labour Economy, Ruhr-University 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: Technical progress in Germany, and, indeed, the competitiveness of each individual company using new technology, is determined by the engineers, scientists and technicians available at any given moment in time and by their educational level. Within that, the further training provisions for scientific and technical personnel have a key role to play. Present advanced training provision is characterised by the imparting of management know-how and business knowledge. In-career training, characterised by a high degree of commitment, has been left primarily to the individual professional|s own initiative – for example the study of professional literature in popularising journals. But this does not comply with the solution of the escalating deficiencies. Our discussion highlights certain shortcomings of research and development (R&D) which have not yet been addressed, either in Germany or in other countries. If there are to be more effective, and more efficient, personal, corporate and public development efforts, we will need to remedy deficiencies in R&D. Future R&D will have to fill gaps that have emerged in the areas of professional development, the subject content of courses and the application of educational theory to further training. On the whole, to overcome these shortcomings a number of demands for immediate action arise, some of which concern the scientists, engineers and technicians themselves, others affecting businesses, largely dependent, as they are, on the updating of qualifications among this group. Finally, there are demands to be met by the state, which, apart from being responsible for the continuing education and training of this group, should address the shortcomings of further training provisions with a view to future prosperity and competitiveness.

Keywords: engineers training; scientists training; technical personnel training; professional training; technical change; organisational change; professional updating; skills requirements; skills obsolescence; professional skills; continuing engineering education; continuing education; continuing professional development; research and development; R&D; Germany.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.1993.030276

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 1993 Vol.3 No.1/2, pp.77 - 88

Published online: 14 Dec 2009 *

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