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Due to fast and unpredictable developments, professional education is challenged with being responsive, which demands a rethinking of conventional curriculum development approaches. Yet, literature on curriculum development falls short in terms of recognising how to react rapidly and adequately to these new developments. This study focuses on curriculum development initiatives at the school level in a Dutch university of applied sciences. Open interviews were held with 29 curriculum developers to explore how they define and give substance to developing curricula for new, changing or unpredictable professions. These 29 participants were involved in seven curriculum development trajectories. Four themes were detected: (1) curriculum developers are in favour of open, flexible and authentic curricula; (2) the context in which the curriculum development takes place and the different roles and responsibilities of curriculum developers are challenging: (3) curriculum developers feel insufficiently equipped to carry out their tasks; and (4) involving stakeholders is necessary but results in a "viscous" social-political process. Responsive curriculum development requires a great deal of flexibility and adaptability from curriculum developers. Yet, in our study, "institutional concrete" is found to severely hinder responsive curriculum development processes. To be responsive, such processes need to be supported and institutional barriers need to be removed.

University teacher teams can work toward educational change through the process of team learning behavior, which involves sharing and discussing practices to create new knowledge. However, teachers do not routinely engage in learning behavior when working in such teams and it is unclear how leadership support can overcome this problem. Therefore, this study examines when team leadership behavior supports teacher teams in engaging in learning behavior. We studied 52 university teacher teams (281 respondents) involved in educational change, resulting in two key findings. First, analyses of multiple leadership types showed that team learning behavior was best supported by a shared transformational leadership style that challenges the status quo and stimulates team members’ intellect. Mutual transformational encouragement supported team learning more than the vertical leadership source or empowering and initiating structure styles of leadership. Second, moderator analyses revealed that task complexity influenced the relationship between vertical empowering team leadership behavior and team learning behavior. Specifically, this finding suggests that formal team leaders who empower teamwork only affected team learning behavior when their teams perceived that their task was not complex. These findings indicate how team learning behavior can be supported in university teacher teams responsible for working toward educational change. Moreover, these findings are unique because they originate from relating multiple team leadership types to team learning behavior, examining the influence of task complexity, and studying this in an educational setting. https://www.scienceguide.nl/2021/06/leren-van-docentteams-vraagt-om-gezamenlijk-leiderschap/

Our study aims to develop and validate a multidimensional Innovative Work Behaviour instrument to measure teachers IWB. Current IWB conceptualizations and operationalizations need further attention. Existing measurements miss empirical evidence of the construct validity and moreover do not include a sustainability dimension. Based on a thorough and comprehensive conceptualization of IWB, we first adapted and extended the items of previously used instruments and developed items for a sustainability dimension. Second, we tested the construct validity of this newly developed multi-dimensional IWB instrument in a Dutch context, using Rasch techniques and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The psychometric characteristics were examined in a sample of teachers working in vocational education (N = 440). The results revealed five dimensions of IWB, namely Opportunity Exploration, Idea Generation, Idea Promotion, Idea Realization (differentiated in two sub-dimensions: Criterion-based implementation and learning-based communication) and Idea sustainability (differentiated in two sub-dimensions: External dissemination and internal embedding). The dimensions were reliably measured (α .84- .94) using 44 items. This new instrument, which builds on recent conceptualizations of IWB as well as on the pivotal innovation models of West and Farr (1989) and Fullan (2007), offers for an international group of researchers a conceptually sound and valid tool to validate explanatory models of innovative teacher behaviour. For practitioners in the domain of educational innovation, it offers the opportunity to diagnose, in a sound way, the extent of the necessary conditions of teachers IWB for an educational innovation to succeed.

Team learning behavior is found to be one of the most effective team processes, as learning behavior at the team level (e.g., sharing, discussing, and reflecting on knowledge and actions) enables teams to adapt existing or develop new knowledge. Team leadership behavior is considered a critical accelerant for creating conditions that are essential to engage in team learning behavior, such as a safe environment. Yet despite the growing amount of research in team learning, this relationship remains unclear. Meta-analytic techniques were used to examine when team leadership behaviors support team learning behavior and how the task type moderates that relationship. Forty-three empirical studies reporting 92 effect sizes were synthesized. Analyses show that team leadership behavior explains 18% of the variance in team learning behavior. Furthermore, results indicate that person-focused leaders foster team learning for both adaptive and developmental tasks, whereas task-focused leaders influence team learning for adaptive tasks only.

In higher education, departments are under increasing pressure to improve study success. Research in this field focusing on higher music education is scarce. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the predictive capability of the first year for study success of students at an academy of music in subsequent years. Data on study progression of 327 students were examined and courses with low pass rates were identified. In order to determine to what extent the first-year curriculum is selective, feasible and representative for the curriculum of subsequent years, group interviews and a survey were carried out. A clear relationship was found between study progress in year 1 and subsequent years. These results provide more insight into the predictive capability of the first year and have led to recommendations in how to improve study success in an academy of music.

The attention being devoted to teacher educators as professionals and their professional development is unquestionably increasing. Whilst much of that attention is being directed at teacher educators in different countries, international comparisons have been quite rare to date. The research question addressed in this study was: ‘Do experienced teacher educators from different countries differ in their concerns, professional development activities and developmental goals?’ Interviews were conducted with 25 participants from 10 different countries, all of whom were experienced teacher educators. Teacher educators’ concerns varied in the course of their careers. During their induction their primary focus tended to be on survival, whereas later on in their careers their concerns became linked to their own professional identity and their students as individuals. Participants from all the participating countries were involved in a range of developmental activities. A large majority was involved in research-rel...

Teacher team involvement is considered a key factor in achieving sustainable innovation in higher education. This requires engaging in team learning behaviors that should result in new knowledge and solutions. However, university teachers are not used to discussing their work practices with one another and tend to neglect any innovation in their tasks. Team leadership behavior is often considered essential for stimulating team learning behavior, but it is unclear how this transpires. Therefore, the present study explores university teacher team members perceptions of team learning behavior, their assigned task, and leadership behaviors in their team. Interviews were conducted with 16 members of different teacher teams at a university of applied sciences. Findings included that the vast majority of the team learning behaviors only involved sharing ideas; engaging in constructive conflicts and co-constructions was not observed. Only a few teams combined all three team learning behaviors. In these teams, members observed that existing methods and solutions were no longer adequate, with leaders appearing to combine transformational and transactional behaviors, but operating from a distance without actively interfering in the process. Furthermore, these team members shared leadership behaviors while focusing on the team as a whole, instead of solving problems at individual level. This strongly indicates that task perception and specific vertical and shared team leadership behaviors play a role in stimulating teachers in seeking controversy and co-constructing new knowledge.

Background: There is no clear guideline on how to teach students evidence-based decision making (EBDM), so this study aimed to assess the impact of an educational intervention on students’ EBDM skills. Methods: This was an explorative mixed-method study of 12 undergraduate occupational therapy students and their teacher. The teaching was aimed at increasing self-efficacy and cognitive skills in EBDM. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather the students’ perceived learning benefits. Before and after the intervention, a self-efficacy questionnaire, a critical thinking test, and scored generic cognitive skills in an argument were used as measures of learning achievements. Content analysis was applied to analyze the interview data. To analyze the quantitative data, the Wilcoxon signed rank test was applied. Results: Following the five teaching sessions, the participants’ experienced (a) an understanding of the value and challenges in individually tailored EBDM, (b) the ability to sort and select information, (c) being more cautious in reasoning and reaching conclusions, and (d) better interaction with clients. These categories were supported by significant increases in measures of self-efficacy and cognitive skills used in EBDM. Active, guided education and working with real clients were reported as powerful stimuli for learning. Conclusion: Critical thinking exercises used in authentic health professional evidence-based decisions are promising methods for promoting EBDM.

This study examined the effects of type of assessment criteria (performance-based vs. competency-based), the relevance of assessment criteria (relevant criteria vs. all criteria), and their interaction on secondary vocational education students' performance and assessment skills. Students on three programmes in the domain of nursing and care (N = 93) participated in the study. Results show that students who were given the relevant criteria made more accurate assessments of an expert model, performed better on a test and achieved higher instructional efficiency (defined as the relationship between performance and mental effort) compared to students who were given all criteria. Students who were given performance-based assessment criteria made more accurate assessments of an expert model and scored higher on task performance during practice compared to students who were given competency-based assessment criteria. They invested less mental effort in the assessments, resulting in higher instructional efficiency. An interaction effect for the concreteness of answers shows that the combination of performance-based and relevant criteria leads to superior analysis of worked examples compared to the other combinations of criteria.

Boon, J., Van der Klink, M., & Janssen, J. (2013). Fostering intrapreneurial competencies of employees in the education sector. International Journal of Training and Development, 17(3), 210-220.

This chapter adheres to a broad definition of professional development including pre-service education and in-service lifelong formal and informal learning. Thus far the professional development of teachers in vocational education has not gained overwhelming attention, but there are signs this issue is becoming highly prioritized on the vocational education agenda.

Purpose This study aims to design and validate a conceptual and practical model of co-creation. Co-creation, to design collaborative new products, services and processes in contact with users, has become more and more important because organisations increasingly require multidisciplinary collaboration inside and outside the organisation to respond to challenges and create added value. Design/methodology/approach This is a design and validation study, which uses mixed-methods, a reconstructive design and a semi-structured interview with a questionnaire as validation. The designed model is validated by 14 scholars and practitioners across fields. Findings Designed is a conceptual and practical model, the four-dimensional Co-Creation-Wheel, which contains success factors for co-creation: 12 internal team factors plus 4 external conditions and a core. The validation study of this model, scientifically and as a practical instrument, supported the importance of the components of the model and suggested slight improvements. This resulted in a refinement of the first designed Co-Creation-Wheel. Research limitations/implications Although restricted usefulness to large-scale structured innovation practices was expected, the instrument has a broader reach. First applications demonstrate that this Co-Creation-Wheel is multifunctional and international. It inspires, supports reflection of collaboration, stimulates interventions to enhance co-creation practices and human resource development (HRD) activities and is able to measure the quality of co-creation elements. Further research on its effects in co-creation practices is necessary, especially on the role of HRD in co-creation.. Originality/value This study is the first to design and validate a multifaceted, holistic conceptual and practical model of co-creation that is easy to use for innovators in practice and is multifunctional.

Leren op de werkplek is een belangrijk onderdeel van het curriculum in het hoger onderwijs. Van oudsher wordt leren op de werkplek synoniem geacht aan stages, maar de laatste twintig jaar zijn ook andere vormen van werkplekleren in opkomst, zoals duale opleidingen, leerafdelingen en het leren in communities. Veel opleidingen beschouwen werkplekleren als iets wat buiten hun gezichtsveld plaatsvindt en de bemoeienis met studenten en hun werkplekbegeleiders gedurende de periode van het werkplekleren is dan ook minimaal. Dat is onterecht, omdat uiteindelijk de opleiding ook de eindverantwoordelijkheid draagt voor de kwaliteit van werkplekleren en voor de toetsing ervan. In dit hoofdstuk wordt gepleit voor het hanteren van een mix van instrumenten voor het beoordelen van werkplekleren. Het hoofdstuk beschrijft een aantal kenmerken van werkplekleren en gaat vervolgens in op instrumenten voor toetsing die passend zijn bij werkplekleren.

Background: Experts have recommended training and standardisation as promising approaches to improve handovers and minimise the negative consequences of discontinuity of care. Yet the content and delivery of handover training have been only superficially examined and described in literature. Objective: The aim of this study was to formulate recommendations for effective handover training and to examine whether standardisation is a viable approach to training large numbers of healthcare professionals. Methods: A training needs analysis was conducted by means of a questionnaire, which was filled out by 96 healthcare professionals in primary and secondary care in the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Poland. Preferences and recommendations regarding training delivery aspects and training topics that should be included in the handover training were measured. Results: The majority of the participants recommended a short conventional training session with practice assignments, to be completed in small, multidisciplinary groups. Formal examination, e-learning and self-study were not favoured. Recommended training topics were: communication skills, standardised procedures, knowing what to hand over, alertness to vulnerable patient groups and awareness of responsibility. Conclusions: The idea of completely standardised handover training is not in line with the identified differences in preferences and recommendations between different handover stakeholders. Mass customisation of training, in which generic training is adapted to local or individual needs, presents a promising solution to address general and specific needs, while containing the financial and time costs of designing and delivering handover training.

This study examines how the contemporary European policy debate addresses the further development of the quality of teacher educators. A classification framework based on the literature on professionalism was used to compare European and Member State policy actions and measures on the quality of teacher educators through an analysis of seven European policy documents and a questionnaire completed by key policy-makers in 16 European countries. The findings show that European Union policy documents pay limited attention to the quality of teacher educators. However, the professionalism of teacher educators receives more policy attention at the level of individual Member States. Most of these policies are part of general policies for higher education teachers, while the initiative lies with governments and teacher education institutes. The role of the professionals themselves in developing policies to strengthen their professionalism seems very limited. © 2011 Copyright International Professional Development Association (IPDA).

This study investigated the effect of performance-based versus competence-based assessment criteria on task performance and self-assessment skills among 39 novice secondary vocational education students in the domain of nursing and care. In a performance-based assessment group students are provided with a preset list of performance-based assessment criteria, describing what students should do, for the task at hand. The performance-based group is compared to a competence-based assessment group in which students receive a preset list of competence-based assessment criteria, describing what students should be able to do. The test phase revealed that the performance-based group outperformed the competence-based group on test task performance. In addition, higher performance of the performance-based group was reached with lower reported mental effort during training, indicating a higher instructional efficiency for novice students.

This article presents the results of an exploratory research study into induction practices of novice teacher educators in six different countries. The study was a project carried out by members of the Association of Teacher Educators Europe (ATEE) Research and Development Centre Professional Development of Teacher Educators. Induction is seen as a process of becoming a teacher educator and encompasses two levels. Firstly, it refers to the organizational induction into the teacher education institute. Secondly, it is about becoming a member of the profession (professional induction). Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 11 beginning teacher educators. The findings indicated that induction is quite problematic. None of the teacher educators experienced a satisfying induction into their institute and the profession as well. The article concludes with recommendations for improvement of induction practices and further research. This collaborative research project also revealed a lack of shared language in communicating professional issues and the need to further develop this within international communities like the ATEE. © 2010 Copyright International Professional Development Association (IPDA).

Onderzoek doen in de onderwijspraktijk heeft veel voordelen. Materialen en ideeen die je ontwikkelt kun je namelijk meteen uittesten in de praktijk. Maar er zijn ook mogelijke knelpunten. Want wat als er plots interne veranderingen zijn, of als leerbedrijven niet meer met het ROC willen samenwerken? Dit artikel geeft een beknopt overzicht van het promotietraject (waaronder het opzetten van Zorgdorp) en tegelijkertijd adviezen over het doen van onderzoek in de onderwijspraktijk.

Increasingly, innovative collaboration between industry and schools is being exploited as a way of improving the quality and relevance of education. Even though these innovations appear to have substantial benefits, often the impact proves to fade away after their implementation. A better understanding of how to sustain complex innovations seems important. Unfortunately, only a limited amount of research investigates the ‘inside’ of complex innovations. This article reports on a three-year, large-scale industry–school programme in the Dutch Leisure sector. The research, from start to finish, adopted a qualitative case study methodology with a mixed-methods approach, drawing upon social capital theory as lens to understand the dynamics of processes and effect on outcomes. Findings indicate that the social capital theory helps to unravel crucial factors of processes and outcomes. The researched innovation process depended not so much on formal project plans and objectives but largely built on the quality of...

Trend watching reports are an indispensable resource in the e-learning domain. Many HRD departments consider these reports as essential cornerstones for the development of their e-learning strategy. But what is the quality of the forecasts made in these reports? In this article, several methods of forecasting trends are discussed, resulting in a checklist to evaluate the quality of trend studies. Next, this checklist is applied to evaluate some significant trend studies. The evaluation results show that the reports do not meet basic quality criteria, such as ‘sound methodology’ and ‘objectivity’. The article concludes with some critical remarks on the role trend watching reports play in the domain of e-learning.

Investigates the effectiveness of on‐the‐job training (OJT). Presents a definition of OJT used for this research project which involved two studies: the first in the call centres of a large company, and the second in post offices. Gives the results of the study which indicate the OJT programs were only partially successful in realising training goals. Indicates that self‐efficacy, prior experience with tasks, managerial support and workload were the most powerful predictors for training effectiveness. Concludes that the evidence suggests that OJT is not entirely an effective training method although more research is needed in this area.

Nowadays much attention is paid to the concept of competence in labour organizations and in higher education. This paper investigates different approaches to investigate competencies for educational purposes. After a discussion of various approaches, the authors present a case study that was conducted to compose a competency profile for the Faculty of Economics, Business and Public Administration of the Open University of the Netherlands. In this case study, several approaches were combined. The design and the results of the case study are described. The paper concludes with a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of the applied approach.

Supervisory support is perceived as a major condition for enhancing the transfer of training. This article presents two studies that investigated the impact of supervisory behaviour on trainees’ transfer. Both studies were carried out in banking organisations. One study consisted of the investigation of a training programme that provided bank tellers with the knowledge and skills for handling customers’ complaints. The other study focused on the transfer of the training programme ‘legal aspects of bank tellers’ jobs’. In neither study was there any convincing evidence for the impact of supervisory behaviour on the transfer of training. The implications for future research and current practice are discussed here.

Post Offices Inc. in The Netherlands has developed and implemented a new instruction model for the training of desk employees. The quality of the new instruction model was assessed by means of the evaluation model of Jacobs and Jones for on-the-job training. It is concluded that the implementation of the training model has not been completely successful. Critical success factors, such as the performance of the mentors as well as the quality of the self-study material, have to be improved. Mentors are expected to serve as a behavioural model, to provide feedback, arrange an adequate environment for self-study, motivate trainees for self-study and evaluate trainees’ progress on a regular basis. This study shows that mentors must be fully convinced of the benefit of a new instructional model, if not, the implementation will not be successful. Besides, the study shows that the quality of the self-study material depends very much on the similarity between the knowledge needed in work and the knowledge presented in the self-study material.

Purpose – Little attention has been paid to the employability of academic staff and the extent to which continuous learning contributes to academic career success. The purpose of this paper is to explore the contribution of formal and informal learning to employability. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were obtained from 139 academic staff members employed at the Open University in the Netherlands. The questionnaire included employee characteristics, job characteristics, organizational context factors, formal learning and informal learning and employability variables. Findings – Informal learning, such as networking and learning value of the job, appeared to be solid contributors to employability, while the impact of formal learning activities was far less significant. Further, the study revealed the impact of employee and organizational context factors upon informal learning and employability. Age, salary and learning climate appeared to be strong predictors for informal learning, while promotions were shown to be highly positive contributors to employability. Practical implications – The findings stress the value of informal learning, although human resource policies that encourage both formal and informal learning are recommended. Originality/value – Academic careers comprise an under-researched area and the same applies to the relationship between learning and employability in the context of these types of careers.

One of the goals of current education is to ensure that graduates can act as independent lifelong learners. Graduates need to be able to assess their own learning and interpret assessment results. The central question in this article is how to acquire sustainable assessment skills, enabling students to assess their performance and learning throughout life, and preparing them to meet their own future learning needs. This article presents an integrated model for developing sustainable assessment skills, consisting of three components: conditions necessary for the development of sustainable assessment skills, elements of sustainable assessment and instructional methods for guiding students in the development of sustainable assessment skills. The article concludes with suggestions for future research to further develop the proposed model.

Safe and effective patient handovers remain a global organisational and training challenge. Limited evidence supports available handover training programmes. Customisable training is a promising approach to improve the quality and sustainability of handover training and outcomes.We present a Handover Toolbox designed in the context of the European HANDOVER Project. The Toolbox aims to support physicians, nurses, individuals in health professions training, medical educators and handover experts by providing customised handover training tools for different clinical needs and contexts.The Handover Toolbox uses the Technology Enhanced Learning Design Process (TEL-DP), which encompasses user requirements analysis; writing personas; group concept mapping; analysis of suitable software; plus, minus, interesting rating; and usability testing. TEL-DP is aligned with participatory design approaches and ensures development occurs in close collaboration with, and engagement of, key stakeholders.Application of TEL-DP confirmed that the ideal formats of handover training differs for practicing professionals versus individuals in health profession education programmes. Training experts from different countries differed in their views on the optimal content and delivery of training. Analysis of suitable software identified ready-to-use systems that provide required functionalities and can be further customised to users' needs. Interest rating and usability testing resulted in improved usability, navigation and uptake of the Handover Toolbox.The design of the Handover Toolbox was based on a carefully led stakeholder participatory design using the TEL-DP approach. The Toolbox supports a customisable learning approach that allows trainers to design training that addresses the specific information needs of the various target groups. We offer recommendations regarding the application of the Handover Toolbox to medical educators.

BACKGROUND: The literature reveals a patchwork of knowledge about the effectiveness of handover and transfer of care-training interventions, their influence on handover practices and on patient outcomes. We identified a range of training interventions, defined their content, and then proposed practical measures for improving the training effectiveness of handover practices. METHODS: We applied the Group Concept Mapping approach to identify objectively the shared understanding of a group of experts about patient handover training interventions. We collected 105 declarative statements about handover training interventions from an exhaustive literature review, and from structured expert interviews. The statements were then given to 21 healthcare and training design specialists to sort the statements on similarity in meaning, and rate them on their importance and feasibility. RESULTS: We used multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis to depict the following seven clusters related to various handover training issues: standardisation, communication, coordination of activities, clinical microsystem care, transfer and impact, training methods and workplace learning. CONCLUSIONS: Ideas on handover training interventions, grouped in thematic clusters, and prioritised on importance and feasibility creates a repository of approaches. This allows healthcare institutions to design and test concrete solutions for improving formal training and workplace learning related to handovers, and addressing informal social learning at the organisational level, with the aim of increasing impact on handover practice and patient outcomes. Measures need to be taken to assure a continuum of handover training interventions from formal training through workplace learning through less formal social learning, and to embed this training in the design of the clinical microsystem.

Fastre, G. M. J., Van der Klink, M. R., Sluijsmans, D., & Van Merrienboer, J. J. G. (2012). Drawing students’ attention to relevant assessment criteria: effects on self-assessment skills and performance. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 64(2), 185-198. doi:10.1080/13636820.2011.630537

This article reports the findings of 24 interviews with academic employees on their informal learning at work. The article concludes with some critical remarks on the value of informal learning from the perspective of lifelong learning

Daar waar tot in de jaren tachtig van de vorige eeuw het schoolse opleiden de dominante vorm van opleiden in arbeidsorganisaties was, kunnen we nu stellen dat het leren en opleiden in de werksituatie de meest populaire vorm is geworden. In deze bijdrage gaan we in op de achtergronden van deze omslag in het denken over leren en opleiden. Voorts staan we stil bij een van de bekendste vormen van leren in de werksituatie, namelijk het opleiden op de werkplek. Ingegaan wordt op de definitie van opleiden op de werkplek, de effectiviteit ervan en de vele factoren die hieraan bijdragen. Deze schets zal inzichtelijk maken dat opleiden op de werkplek niet per definitie een effectieve vorm van opleiden is. Niettemin blijft opleiden op de werkplek populair, zoals ook duidelijk zal worden uit de schets van enkele actuele ontwikkelingen in de praktijk van opleiden op de werkplek waarmee dit hoofdstuk wordt afgesloten.

Miao, Y., Van der Klink, M., Boon, J., Sloep, P. B., & Koper, R. (2009). Enabling Teachers to Develop Pedagogically Sound and Technically Executable Learning Designs [Special issue: Learning Design]. Distance Education, 30(2), 259-276.

Efficient and effective lifelong learning requires that people can make informed decisions about their continuous personal development in the different stages of their lives. In this paper we state that lifelong learners need to be characterized as decision-makers. In order to improve the quality of their decisions we propose the development of an integrated lifelong learning and employment support system, which traces learners’ competence development and provides a decision support environment. An abstract conceptual model has been developed and the main design ideas have been documented using Z notation. Moreover, we analyzed the main technical challenges for the realization of the target system: competence information fusion, decision analysis models, spatial indexing structures and browsing structures and visualization of competence related information objects.

Although learning is generally perceived as a way to improve employees' current job performance, so far, no research has been conducted to explore the possible relationships between formal and informal learning, on the one hand, and employability, on the other. Though contemporary views stress the importance of the job as a powerful learning site, considerable research evidence underpinning these views is lacking. This paper goes into the impact of formal and informal learning upon employability. The influence of employee characteristics and organizational factors is also taken into account. An e-questionnaire was used to collect data among 215 Dutch non-academic university staff members. Our findings emphasize the necessity of Human Resource Development strategies that encompass a mix of formal and informal learning opportunities. In particular, participation in networks appears to be an important predictor for employability. With the outcomes of this study, we aim to contribute to the further development of theoretical insights regarding employability enhancement through learning possibilities embedded in the workplace. It seems that strategies that focus exclusively on enhancing informal on-the-job learning should not be encouraged. Our study is limited to one context and further research is required to investigate the generalizability of the findings to other occupations and/or countries.

In education as well as in Human Resource Management the concept of competency is becoming more and more important. However competency is a fuzzy concept that lacks coherent terminology and is used in many different meanings. In the first part of this chapter competency is defined as a multi-dimensional construct with five dimensions: specificity, coherency, durability, activity and trainability. Then two approaches are presented to establish the competencies organisations or educational institutes should address :the function-based approach which focuses requirements for good performance in a specific function and the employee based approach which focuses on individual competencies for excellent performers. Finally it is argued that a competency based curriculum should move towards self-directed competency-based learning (SDCBL), using personal learning plans and adopting the flexible learning opportunities of e-learning. However SDCBL can only be successful when learners can be taught to be responsible managers and owners of their own learning process.

Students, citizens and professional practitioners have significant roles in addressing climate change issues. This requires additional competences over and above disciplinary scientific knowledge and related technical skills. This paper introduces two innovative, complementary competences in relation to climate change education, i.e., 'transboundary' and 'intervention' competences. The authors describe the open access Masters track of the 'Lived experience of climate change', in which these innovative competences can be acquired. For transboundary competence, the diversity of perspectives on the climate change issue is a crucial element in the learning process and outcome. By relating the diversity of their own perspectives on 'lived experience', students are encouraged to relate abstract scientific knowledge to knowledge gained through personal, local and social experience, across the boundaries of scientific disciplines and communicating with a diverse group of stakeholders. Intervention competence focuses on the 'problem-solving' aspect in countering climate change, as a next step following transboundary competence. This involves political-strategic thinking, combined with personal and individual goal-directedness (strategic decision making), appreciating the importance of networking or the professional labour market, and paying attention to policy assessments and policy scenarios in climate change issues. The authors regard these two additional competences, intervention competence and transboundary competence, as crucial and inseparable elements in a climate change curriculum.

This paper discusses the design and outcomes of a study into the effectiveness of on-the-job training (OJT). The study was carried out at the privately owned post offices where novice desk clerks learned the ropes under the guidance of a mentor. A pre-test-post-test design was used and data were collected from trainees, their mentors and trainers. Regression analyses were used to investigate relationships between various variables and training effects. The findings indicate that the training was partly successful. Primarily workplace characteristics and trainee characteristics explained the observed training effects.