The Influence of Specific Supervisor Support Types on Transfer of Training: Examining the Mediating Effect of Training Retention

The aim of this study was to examine the differential effects of specific types of supervisor support on transfer of training, taking into account established trainee characteristics, such as trainees’ motivation to learn, motivation to transfer, and training self-efficacy. More specifically, nine types of supervisor support were examined (pre-training information, role modelling & facilitation, request sharing, favourable attitude, coaching & feedback, openness, involvement & accountability, work coverage, and training participation). In addition, the mediating effect of training retention is explored, as learning outcomes may present an intervening variable that connects supervisor support to transfer of training. A time-lagged design was used to investigate the relationships in the proposed model and it was evaluated using partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM). Data was gathered in Belgium through online questionnaires at three points in time from 111 participants of work-related training. Participants were employees from a retail organisation and different government agencies. Results indicate that only supervisors’ accountability and involvement positively predicted employees’ transfer of training three months after training. In addition, it was found that supervisors’ involvement and accountability had an indirect effect on transfer of training through training retention.     

... until careers do us part: Vocational and marital satisfaction in the dual-career commuter marriage

The first purpose of this study was to identify significant differences between the dual-career couple whose work requires a geographic separation and the dual-career couple whose work allows them to maintain one residence. Specific comparisons included general marital satisfaction, use of parallel communication, attributional patterns, and general vocational satisfaction. The second purpose of this study was to identify variables that predict vocational and marital satisfaction for the commuting and non-commuting couples. The sample consisted of 55 commuters and 55 non-commuters. Instruments utilized were the Marital Satisfaction Inventory, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Relationship Style Inventory, and two instruments designed for the study. There were no differences between commuters and non-commuters or between men and women on a global measure of marital satisfaction. Commuters were more dissatisfied with time spent together and with affectional communication. Commuters were more non-traditional in their perceptions of marital and parental roles. Non-commuters had a higher proportion of parallel communications. There were no differences on attribution measures or on global vocational satisfaction. Marital satisfaction was best predicted by parallel communication for both groups; however, there was a much stronger relationship for commuters. Vocational satisfaction for both groups was predicted by satisfaction with job security. Counseling strategies for use with problems faced by commuters are discussed.This article is based on the doctoral dissertation of the first author under the supervision of the second author. A preliminary version of this paper was presented at the XIIth International Roundtable for the Advancement of Counseling, Lund, Sweden, June 1986.     

The Learning Intention of Low-Qualified Employees: A Key for Participation in Lifelong Learning and Continuous Training

In our continuously changing society, a need for updating one’s skills and knowledge puts pressure on safeguarding the labour market position of low-qualified employees. However, prior research and official statistics show that employees with a lower level of education tend to participate less in training than highly-educated individuals. This limited participation is associated with employers offering fewer opportunities to low-qualified employees, but also with the fact that low-qualified employees themselves might be less willing to participate. In other words, their learning intentions are assumed to be weaker and more restricted than the learning intentions of highly-educated employees. The article reports on a quantitative survey research on the learning intentions of 406 low-qualified employees. The results showed that employees who participated in formal job-related learning activities during the last 5 years had a stronger learning intention than those who did not. Next, the results of the stepwise regression showed that self-directedness, financial benefits, self-efficacy, and autonomy were significant positive predictors of the learning intentions of low-qualified employees. Also, the limited number of possibilities or opportunities to learn was not significant. The results indicated that a learning intention can lead towards the participation in learning activities, but participation is not merely initiated by offering opportunities for learning. Organisational aspects such as job autonomy and financial benefits can stimulate the learning intention of an employee. Finally, regarding the socio-demographic variables, only limited differences were found. In short, employees with no educational qualifications and a full-time contract had the lowest intention to learn.