HRD in the Netherlands: participation and costs

Developments in economy, technology and demography have profound consequences for the training function in organisations. Training is, for instance, no longer an isolated activity for which training professionals alone are responsible. It has been given a strategic function. Training professionals are expected to be instrumental in setting up learning processes that are in line with the strategic policy and, moreover, ensuring that this is done in a cost conscious and effective manner. It is proving difficult for training professionals to strike a balance between the interests of the organisation on the one hand and the interests of individual employees on the other. Knowledge productivity and distribution of knowledge have become important activities as knowledge has come to be the "capital" of the organisation. Training is no longer the only way to make employees competent and keep them so. To an ever greater extent training is being replaced by learning on the job. The responsibility for the learning process is increasingly being placed on the learning individual or on the team of which he is a part. These changes were the reason for the Faculty of Educational Science & Technology of the University of Twente together with the Faculty of Technology and Management to decide to conduct a study in these developments and the consequences in terms of participation and costs In the main, this study consists of two parts. On the one hand, both present and expected developments in the field of training and development in work organisations are being studied, with specific attention to their consequences for the knowledge and skills (competencies) of training specialists. On the other hand, a survey among a select group of respondents attempted to gain an insight into the costs of and participation in training activities by employees in work organisations. The results of the survey are presented in this paper.