Transferable training and the collective action problem for employers: An analysis of further education and training in four Norwegian industries.

The potential significance of employers' collective action for economic performance is widely acknowledged, but has not been complemented with corresponding theory-guided research on the probability of collective action and the conditions for effective action. This thesis examines the nature of, the conditions for, and the consequences of employers' collective action on further training, a crucial component of a successful high-skill strategy for industries and nations. The study addresses three core issues of labour economics: transferability of training, skill shortages, and sharing of training costs between employer and employees. The enquiry builds on and adds to previous contributions that analyse transferable training as a collective good. It scrutinises the theoretical foundation and compares its implications with those of human capital theory. Finally, the empirical study of further education and training in four Norwegian industries is offered as a strategic test of these two alternative theories. The collective action perspective shares core assumptions of human capital theory, but integrates the possibility of collective action as a solution to some of the market failures associated with investment in transferable human capital. This alternative view also predicts in what labour market settings such action is likely to occur, building on Olson's work and theories of employers' collective action. The collective action perspective differs crucially from human capital theory by predicting that transferability is endogenous i.e. significantly shaped by employers' individual and collective action, and not simply by technology. Thus, 'endogenous transferability' is a principal link between the constitution of labour markets and employers' choice of training and skill supply strategies. The results confirm the prediction that transferability is 'endogenous'. Moreover, they suggest that employers' collective action is more likely to succeed in ensuring transferability and encouraging employee investment than is using sanctions against employers to promote employer-financed transferable training

Kompetanseutviklingsprogrammets første år : en foreløpig oversikt og vurdering

Notatet gir en oversikt over og foreløpig vurdering av Kompetanseutviklingsprogrammet (KUP). Hensikten med evalueringen er å undersøke om programmet gir resultater i samsvar med programmets intensjoner, samt å vurdere om organisering, planlegging og iverksetting er hensiktsmessig. KUP ble etablert av Kirke-, utdannings- og forskningsdepartementet i første halvår 2000, og fikk i løpet av år 2000 inn omkring 600 søknader. På tross av små ressurser har programsekretariat og -styre på kort tid klart å etablere rutiner for å administrere den store og uensartede søknads-mengden for et innovativt program-. Søkerne som hadde vært i kontakt med sekretariatet, var meget godt fornøyd med behandlingen de fikk der. Vårt hovedinntrykk er at programmet får i gang prosjekter som i grove trekk er i samsvar med hovedmålsettingene. KUP bør imidlertid vurdere å intensivere informasjons- og motivasjonsarbeid for utvalgte grupper; bør legge vekt på å gi søkerne realistiske forventninger; bør vurdere å øke støttebeløpene og samtidig opprettholde kravet om egenandel; bør legge vekt på at prosjektene har mulighet til å gi varig effekt; og bør ikke støte fra seg interessante prosjekter som ikke passer inn i skillet mellom arbeids-giver-arbeids-taker

Data-driven hearing care with time-stamped data-logging

Castiglione, retratado por Rafael Sanzio de Urbino Sin duda esto es lo que fue en su día este auténtico bestseller, El Cortesano, puesto a la letra por Baltasar de Castiglione, que había nacido en Mantua en 1478, y que sería educado en la corte milanesa del duque Ludovico el Moro. Pero realmente donde se gestó este pequeño tratado de cortesía, gentileza, caballería y urbanidad fue en la corte renacentista y exquisita de los duques de Urbino, en donde Castiglione frecuentó a humanistas como ..

Study protocol:rehabilitation including social and physical activity and education in children and teenagers with cancer (RESPECT)

BACKGROUND: During cancer treatment children have reduced contact with their social network of friends, and have limited participation in education, sports, and leisure activities. During and following cancer treatment, children describe school related problems, reduced physical fitness, and problems related to interaction with peers. METHODS/DESIGN: The RESPECT study is a nationwide population-based prospective, controlled, mixed-methods intervention study looking at children aged 6-18 years newly diagnosed with cancer in eastern Denmark (n = 120) and a matched control group in western Denmark (n = 120). RESPECT includes Danish-speaking children diagnosed with cancer and treated at pediatric oncology units in Denmark. Primary endpoints are the level of educational achievement one year after the cessation of first-line cancer therapy, and the value of VO(2max) one year after the cessation of first-line cancer therapy. Secondary endpoints are quality of life measured by validated questionnaires and interviews, and physical performance. RESPECT includes a multimodal intervention program, including ambassador-facilitated educational, physical, and social interventions. The educational intervention includes an educational program aimed at the child with cancer, the child’s schoolteachers and classmates, and the child’s parents. Children with cancer will each have two ambassadors assigned from their class. The ambassadors visit the child with cancer at the hospital at alternating 2-week intervals and participate in the intervention program. The physical and social intervention examines the effect of early, structured, individualized, and continuous physical activity from diagnosis throughout the treatment period. The patients are tested at diagnosis, at 3 and 6 months after diagnosis, and one year after the cessation of treatment. The study is powered to quantify the impact of the combined educational, physical, and social intervention programs. DISCUSSION: RESPECT is the first population-based study to examine the effect of early rehabilitation for children with cancer, and to use healthy classmates as ambassadors to facilitate the normalization of social life in the hospital. For children with cancer, RESPECT contributes to expanding knowledge on rehabilitation that can also facilitate rehabilitation of other children undergoing hospitalization for long-term illness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.gov: file. NCT01772849 and NCT0177286