To examine the problem, four groups: training managers and training executives (as producers of training), and field staff and field managers (as consumers of training) were identified as having a special interest in the quality of training provided by the company. From each of these groups, representative samples were selected and information obtained from individual subjects using questionnaire and interview techniques. Analysis of the data gathered indicates that there are numerous problems in the provision of training within STC, and much of what has been uncovered is beyond the control of the training centers. The researcher has decided to try to place the key issues into a logical format and deal with them sequentially. In descending order they may be displayed as follows: 1. Saudisation (replacement of millions of expatriates with nationals); 2. Managerial competence of STC; 3. Technical competence of STC; 4. Training competence of STC; 5. The quality of training. The analysis of these key issues is followed by suggested ways by which the problems may be addressed and the situation improved. These include changes in the inherited culture and traditions and changes to the methods of material development, recruitment and training of instructors, needs assessment and certification of courses, and improvements to the bureaucratic and administrative procedures and systems related to training. The need to improve is urgent to cope with the demands of privatisation, impending competition, and compliance with the government's Saudisation directive.

This dissertation aims to examine the development and implementation of competence-based National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in three service industries: hospitality, retail and travel. The literature review traces the history of vocational education and training in the UK, the management of curriculum innovation and the evolution of competence-based education and training (CBET). In the second part of the thesis attention is focused on the establishment of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ). The main objective was to compare and contrast the experiences of those involved in the NVQ initiative across the three industries, to identify the common issues. The primary research was based on the findings of 45 in-depth interviews with individuals occupying a range of positions in different sectors of the hospitality, retail and travel industries. Generally, the analysis identified that the NVQ initiative has encountered significant problems. Originally, NVQs were intended to be designed by industry and only awarded as a result of assessment in the workplace. Over the past ten years this objective has proved to be unrealisable, although there have been many attempts, by the Government, to 'create success'. The comparison of the three industries revealed that the greatest success has been achieved in the retail industry with the least progress being made in the travel industry. The findings highlight the significance of the employment and training characteristics of each industry. One major conclusion which is drawn is that each industry should have been appraised before being subjected to rigid policies concerning the introduction of NVQs. Overall the thesis presents a case study of national confusion in the UK system of vocational education and training. The Government has invested significant sums of money in a change programme, which is based on a poor model and which nobody seems to really understand.

In common with all countries of the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates has experienced rapid economic development over the last thirty years. Much of this is due to the substantial revenues arising from crude oil production. With the ready availability of capital the establishing of a domestic industrial sector outside petroleum has not been constrained by finance. To a large extent what development has occurred has been based on the use of expatriate labour in both managerial and non-managerial capacities. With a rapidly growing indigenous population and the wish to expand the non-petroleum manufacturing sector, employment training and development at all levels becomes an essential factor in continued industrial diversification. This research programme examines the status of management development in the non-petroleum industries of the UAE. By means of a questionnaire survey of a sample of factories in the non-petroleum sector, knowledge of, attitudes to, and existence of, management development plans in these factories was established. The results obtained indicate that active management development in the sample surveyed was extremely weak and virtually non-existent. As a result, a number of important recommendations are made which would help to develop a more positive and active approach to management development in the UAE.

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