This book captures the essence of current workforce development perspectives and draws on extensive global research to uncover a range of issues confronting organisations. Taking primarily an Australian outlook after the global financial crisis and tracing the progress of a national industry sector, each chapter delves into a major area of interest for leaders. Overall, the authors make the case that workforce development is an amalgam of activities influenced by context, politics and economic development.

As the world becomes increasingly connected and mobile, workforce development is proving to be a major activity for organisations because it impacts their longer-term survival and growth. To stay ahead, successful organisations focus on attracting, building, engaging and retaining talented people. However, in a financially turbulent era where strategy changes quickly, workforce development must not only plan and build the capabilities of people at work, but also contribute to making employment more socially sustainable for a better world.

This book provides a thought-provoking collection of scholarly work for business leaders, human resource practitioners and academics working in adult education, business, psychology and social science disciplines. At the same time, it adopts an accessible style for students and others who want to know more about the development of people at work.

Roger Harris is a Professor in the School of Education, University of South Australia. He has had extensive experience in VET research, with a focus on national training reform, workforce development and adult learning. He has presented at national and international conferences and published widely, including books on competency-based education (Macmillan 1995), on and off-job training (NCVER 1998) and rethinking work and learning (Springer 2009), as well co-writing 18 research monographs published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Recently, Roger was Director of the three-year Australian research consortium, Supporting VET providers in building capability for the future. He has been a member of the South Australian Training and Skills Commission, and a Research Fellow for three months at the Institute for Adult Learning in the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. Currently he serves on the Academic Boards of two private higher education providers, and as Program Leader of the Workforce Development Program within the CRC for Rail Innovation. He has been Editor of the Australian Journal of Adult Learning, and is now Co-Editor of the International Journal of Training Research.

Tom Short is a Research Fellow at the University of South Australia where his activities include leading workforce development research projects within the CRC for Rail Innovation. His academic and work experiences span areas such as human resource management, workforce development, leadership and adult education - in senior management, consulting, education and research roles. He has published widely on these topics in books, journals, national and international conference proceedings, professional publications and currently serves on the editorial board of three international journals. Tom is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and was formerly Director of the Performance Improvement Centre, a HRD consulting and training business unit situated within the University of Auckland, Faculty of Education, specialising in the professional development of workplace educators, trainers, assessors and teachers of adults.