Australian HRD at the Crossroads: A Discussion of the Current Debate on Labour Market Reform

Abstract

H RD is at a crossroads in Australia The emphasis upon job restructuring in the industrial relations field opens up new opportunities for skill- based training programmes in the workplace and career paths for wages employees. Australian management has been heavily criticised as primarily responsible for the paucity of training and development programmes available in Australian companies. Arguing that Australian companies have a significantly poorer record than their overseas counterparts, current government and union spokesmen have proposed solutions which remove the initiative from the individual enterprise. The implications of these proposals, which make training and development an industrial matter, are so important that the basis of their case for change should be examined. The role HRD professionals will play in the future will relate significantly to their ability to operate effectively within an industrial relations framework