Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-1998
Abstract
This study reviews the experiences of workforce development organizations in Singapore and Penang, Malaysia. On the basis of the similarities in population and workforce size, the study argues that lessons can be learned from the two places which can be applied to U.S. regions. The study further argues that place-based workforce development strategies, such as those implemented in Singapore and Penang, will be essential to the economic competitiveness of manufacturing and export-oriented regions in a globalized economy. In the first part of the study, the Singapore and penang experiences are placed in the context of what has been referred to as the "East Asian miracle." Fron the synthesis of various economic and cultural interpretaions of East Asian success, a set of questions is developed to guide the seond part of the study. The second part includes case studies of Skills Development Fund and the Institute of Technical Edcation in Singapore and the Penang Skills Development Center in Malaysia. These analyses are enriched by interviews conducted by the author with principals of the four workforce development organizations and others during site visits to singapore and Malaysia in early 1998. After reviewing the experience of Singapore and Penang, the study concludes that both places have long-term economic development strategies which are supported by education and training policies. These policies ensure the workforce skills needed to support the strategies are available. These policies also reflect a perspective that the direction of economic development can be influenced by investments in the skills of people. Workforce development organizations, capable of adapting readily to changing circumstances, and which coordinate relationships among business, labor, and the government, have been socially constructed to accomplish this goal. Despite significant differences in culture, the study suggests that underlying concepts can be abstracted to a higher theoretical levl, thereby enabling their transfer to U.S. regions. These five "Ps" are: 1) primacy of people; 2) productivity through continuous learning and technology; 3) planning and strategies; 4) pragmatic change management and adaptation; and 5) place-based workforce development.
Keywords
occupational training -- Asia
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Berry, Daniel E., "The Social Construction of Workforce Development Organizations in Singapore and Penang, Malaysia" (1998). Student Scholarship. 492.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/492
