Who Generally Trains? The Effects of Personal and Workplace Characteristics on Training at Work

This paper looks at the impact of both personal characteristics and organisational characteristics of the workplace on training at work, using the results from the 2003 Survey of Employees? Attitudes and Experiences of the Workplace in Ireland. The analysis shows that the presence of participation arrangements for deciding how work is carried out is associated with a higher probability of training. Employees reporting extensive consultation relating to their jobs are also more likely to participate in training as are employees in workplaces that have adopted family friendly flexible policies. Three measures of change are also associated with greater participation in training: adoption of new technology, appointment of a new CEO, and the overall summary measure of the number of changes experienced in the job in the past two years. The paper uses results from the 2003 Survey of Employees' Attitudes and Experiences of the Workplace in Ireland. The analysis shows that the presence of participation arrangements for deciding how work is carried out is associated with a higher probability of training. Employees reporting extensive consultation relating to their jobs are also more likely to participate in training as are employees in workplaces that have adopted family friendly flexible policies. Three measures of change are also associated with greater participation in training: adoption of new technology, appointment of a new CEO, and the overall summary measure of the number of changes experienced in the job in the past two years. The results suggest that training widens the gap between the high- and low-skilled, so the current allocation of employer sponsored training exacerbates rather than mitigates the existing distribution of advantages and risks in the labour market. Certain kinds of organisations - mainly larger firms with high-involvement work practices, as well as family friendly working arrangements - are more likely to provide training in general skills that enhance employability, thus reducing insecurity in the labour market if not in the current job.