Employee Training and Development addresses some of the key changes which have occurred in Australia and New Zealand during the first decade of the twenty-first century; changes which have either caused, catalysed, or coincided with some significant modifications in the patterns of training and development in both the private and public sectors. Not all of these changes are necessarily unique to the region, so while the primary focus is on Australia and New Zealand, the reader is able to step outside the regional context to be exposed to discussions of current training and development issues and practices in different cultures and environments. The adaptation offers thorough coverage of the key issues which are central to training and development, including the strategic aspects which have been amplified by increases in competitiveness and globalisation, heightening the need to understand the strategic perspective and how it relates to the organisation of the training function and the type of training conducted. In addition, increasing competition itself has prompted improvements in training and career opportunities aimed at attracting and retaining talented people, while globalisation in conjunction with the growing number and size of multinationals has placed an emphasis on cross-cultural preparation. Progressive changes in technology have necessitated retraining, while workforce diversification has placed pressure on organisations to train or retrain women, minorities, the ageing workforce, and people with disabilities. Finally, the growth in mergers, acquisitions, disaggregations and demutualisations has brought with it significant job changes and the attendant need for learning new skills and fresh knowledge.

As an overlay to the coverage of the key issues, themes are developed throughout the book, for example, the initial expansion on communities of practice in Chapter 2 is progressed in Chapter 4 in relation to learning and knowledge-management. Knowledgemanagement is subsequently taken up in an application assignment. In a similar vein, some organisations are followed through a number of chapters, providing a sense of continuity. Structurally, the book draws on established approaches as well as contemporary developments in the methodology of training and development and in particular reflects the profound influence of technology on training practice, including web-based training and e-learning. Within each chapter Australian and New Zealand practice generally forms the basis for the opening vignettes, case studies, illustrations and other examples of organisational practices. Discussion questions are designed to assist students to learn the concepts presented in each chapter and, together with application assignments, to understand the potential applications of the material to practical situations. Significant new material includes:

• a structured needs assessment framework
• on-the-job training
• self-directed learning
• apprenticeships in New Zealand and Australia together with analogous programs as in management apprenticeships
• the legal aspects of training and development in Australia and New Zealand, together with relevant sources for finding legislation.

The adaptation offers strengthened coverage of organising the training function, adult learning, age influences on learning, simulation-based training and fidelity in transfer of learning. In addition, there is an extension of the rationale for evaluating training, return on investment linked to strategy, some elaboration on return on expectations, and the success case method. Regional and international references are provided throughout the adaptation to substantiate key findings and to provide a resource base for those wanting to study a topic in greater detail.

The Australian and New Zealand organisations utilised in the adaptation include: