May 11, 2004
Trends in professional development:
The paper was commissioned to assist the Professional Development Program of the Framework to develop new PD strategies in support of the Framework’s goals. The research was undertaken by Jack Gilding and Lin Thompson from Backroad Connections and was part of the Policy and Research Program’s Sharing Knowledge 2003 project.
Start of Executive Summary
"This report summarises a review of key trends in professional development (PD) within industry, community and the education sector, in particular, but not limited to, those incorporating online learning or flexible delivery strategies.
Key findings are that PD initiatives are of concern to many, not just employers and employees; there are many approaches and strategies employed, though the number that could be deemed really innovative are few. Gradual and incremental change is the norm. The literature reporting PD experiences and approaches mostly emanate from the education sector. Industry and the corporate sector do not have the same
incentives – and some positive disincentives – to write about their experiences.
Industries talk about strategies and methods rather than professional development
‘models’.
Analysis of literature, case studies, and interviews conducted suggest there are many
different approaches to staff training and professional development and a variety of
strategies employed. Most PD programs still use traditional methods, such as workshops, stand-along training modules, and mentoring strategies. There is an increasing but still a low number of companies adopting a fully online approach. Those incorporating online within their total PD plan are blending strategies with a mix of traditional methods. Innovative online teaching approaches and systems occur mostly in the larger industries."