1. High Performance Work Practices;
2. Investing in Skills
South Australian Skills Enquiry
NILS was commissioned to write two research papers by the South Australian Ministerial Inquiry into Skills. We first researched the issue of why high performance employment practices that are a key element in high valued-added product strategies, high levels of skill formation, high productivity innovation and decent work are not commonly adopted by firms. High performance work places are distinguished by their use of employee autonomy and involvement in decision making; support for employee performance; rewards for performance; and sharing of information and knowledge. It is acclaimed that these practices result in positive performance benefits both for organizations and for their workers, yet relatively few organizations have fully adopted them. The report discussed the reasons for this and what steps governments might take to encourage the adoption of high performance practices.
The second paper probed the question of whether the current level and distribution of investment in skill formation is adequate for SA's future needs. It examined who gets training, who pays for it and whether there is any need for the State government to intervene to meet the State's future workforce requirements. It looked separately at the skill formation that occurs in secondary schools, higher education, formal vocational education and training, and workplace training. It recommended examining the case for a) encouraging industries/regions to introduce training levies modeled on the Construction Industry Training Board; and b) an individual training entitlement, based on a standard of 30 hours per year for a full-time employee, to be taken in employer-provided courses or as paid study leave.
The papers were drawn on extensively in the final report of the Inquiry.
Mark Cully, Josh Healy
Download 'High Performance Work Practices'
Download 'Investing in Skills'
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