Abstract/Summary

This paper follows up an earlier Leverhulme-funded study of technology-based training (TBT) in UK and US companies (Hawkridge, Newton and Hall, 1988). It is based on interviews with relevant staff in five large companies in the UK: British Telecom, Ford Motor Company, Lloyds Bank, Price Waterhouse and Sainsbury's. After a short introduction, the second and third sections of the paper consider the impact of the economic climate of the early 1990s on company strategies regarding TBT and its use. The fourth section provides examples from past and current practice and notes changes in the past six years. It paints a picture of highly selective development, rather than rapid progress across a broad front. The fifth and last section discusses possible directions for the future.