Varieties of Qualifications, Training, and Skills in Long-Term Care: A German, Japanese, and UK Comparison

TY - JOUR

T1 - Varieties of Qualifications, Training, and Skills in Long-Term Care

T2 - A German, Japanese, and UK Comparison

AU - Gospel, Howard

PY - 2015/9/1

Y1 - 2015/9/1

N2 - This article considers the systems of qualifications and training in the long-term elderly care sector in Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Each country faces similar challenges of coping with increasing demand and securing staff for quality and cost-effective care. However, the three countries organize qualifications and training in very different ways. In the case of formal care workers, there is a hierarchy of training and skills, with Germany at the top, Japan in the middle, and the United Kingdom at the bottom. However, comparing the whole workforce, Germany has developed a dualistic structure with both highly and lowly trained workers; Japan has developed a relatively large proportion of moderately trained and qualified staff; and the UK workforce consists of a relatively large proportion of lowly trained and unqualified workers. Explanations are considered and implications offered for human resource management.

AB - This article considers the systems of qualifications and training in the long-term elderly care sector in Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Each country faces similar challenges of coping with increasing demand and securing staff for quality and cost-effective care. However, the three countries organize qualifications and training in very different ways. In the case of formal care workers, there is a hierarchy of training and skills, with Germany at the top, Japan in the middle, and the United Kingdom at the bottom. However, comparing the whole workforce, Germany has developed a dualistic structure with both highly and lowly trained workers; Japan has developed a relatively large proportion of moderately trained and qualified staff; and the UK workforce consists of a relatively large proportion of lowly trained and unqualified workers. Explanations are considered and implications offered for human resource management.

KW - Health care

KW - International management

KW - Training and development

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84942551452&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/hrm.21714

DO - 10.1002/hrm.21714

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84942551452

SN - 0090-4848

VL - 54

SP - 833

EP - 850

JO - HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

JF - HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

IS - 5

ER -