Vol. 42 No. 1 2016

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https://hdl.handle.net/2328/36646

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    PhD-Educated Employees and the Development of Generic Skills
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2016) Jackson, Denise ; Michelson, Grant
    While considerable research on skills and training exists, less is known about employee perceptions of their skill development. This issue is particularly salient among the most highly educated members of the labour market, given the duration of their training. This study draws on survey data of almost four thousand PhD graduates in Australia. We explore perceived skill development and the importance of these skills among PhD graduates, and the factors that influence these perceptions. The findings reveal a number of factors that explain skill development and skill importance including age, gender, and career destination (for example higher education or industry). Perceived skill importance also depends on discipline area, organisation size, occupation, and sector. We conclude that the most highly educated members of the labour market do not always consider that they obtain the requisite skills during their PhD training; greater attention is needed to ensure that skills are better matched to career decisions and to the demands of high-level professions.
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    "Non-resident Workers: A Comparison of Family Support Services for Resource, Health, and Defence Communities"
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2016) Langdon, Rebecca R ; Rowland, Bevan D ; Biggs, Herbert C
    Non-resident workforces experience high labour turnover, which has an impact on organisational operations and affects worker satisfaction and, in turn, partners’ ability to cope with work-related absences. Research suggests that partner satisfaction may be increased by providing a range of support services, which include professional, practical, and social support. A search was conducted to identify support available for resources and health-industry non-resident workers. These were compared to the supports available to families of deployed defence personnel. They were used to compare and contrast the spread available for each industry. The resources industry primarily provided social support, and lacked professional and practical supports. Health-professional support services were largely directed towards extended locum support, rather than to Fly-In Fly-Out workers. Improving sources of support which parallel support provided to the Australian Defence Force is suggested as a way to increase partner satisfaction. The implications are to understand the level of uptake, perceived importance, and utilisation of such support services.
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    Training and Turnover: The Mediating Role of Commitment
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2016) Ismail, HN
    Studies exploring the linkages between training and turnover have produced inconsistent results. That inconsistency suggests a path for further study into the variables that might be confounding this relationship. The main purpose of this research was to test the mediating effect of organisational commitment in the relationship between training and turnover intentions. A sample of 124 participants took part in this study. Training was initially found to have a significant inverse relationship with turnover intentions. However, when organisational commitment was entered into the model as a mediating variable, the effect of training on employee turnover intentions became insignificant, suggesting full mediation. The impact of training on turnover intentions is not straightforward, but works first through the effect of training on attitudes, that is on commitment. The results demonstrate the importance of increasing the commitment of employees to the organisation through training, which can help companies to reduce turnover intentions.
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    "Deepening Industry Engagement with International Students Through Work-integrated Learning"
    (National Institute of Labour Studies, 2016) Jackson, D
    "This study canvasses employer, academic, and student perspectives on the barriers experienced by international students in gaining exposure to the Western Australian workplace through Work-integrated Learning (WIL). It explores international-student participation in work placements—one example of WIL offerings—as part of their university studies. WIL is highly regarded by international students who seek to gain local experience to improve their employment prospects; it is a key consideration for study destination. WIL also holds significant benefits for industry. These potential benefits include gaining cultural insight, linguistic expertise and, potentially, deepening existing collaborative global partnerships through the placement of participating international students. Findings indicate that a relatively low proportion of international students participate in WIL compared with domestic students. Implications of employer reluctance to engage with international students extend beyond individual employability and may affect international education’s status as one of Australia’s largest export industries. Stakeholder strategies to alleviate barriers to international students participating in WIL are discussed."
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