Odella, Dr. Francesca, University of Trento francesca.odella@soc.unitn.it

1. SASE 2007 Training courses and motivation to work: a different perspective of employment impact and evaluation of employability. Odella, Dr. Francesca, University of Trento francesca.odella@soc.unitn.it saseconf07

2. Characteristics of training at the firm level • Training and motivation • Motivation: social or individual trait? • A case study in motivation and training courses • Final observations: employability and motivation saseconf07

3. Characteristics of training at the firm level saseconf07

4. Motivation in training courses • Training courses are developed with the aim to provide participants skills, knowledge and other elements of formal learning • A preliminary experience of the work activity is also given by means of stages and other forms of participation to a real work setting/ organization • Both these activities are supported and sustained by individual motivation (search for success, fear of failure, risk taking vs conformity traits). saseconf07

5. What is the role of motivation? • Enhances learning processes (tasks and objectives) • Support reward systems in organizations and groups • Plays a role in innovation processes (individual/ group)  Despite this relevance literature on motivation is more focused on children and adolescence learning; few research on adult people saseconf07

6. Individual and social sources of motivation - I • Origins of motivation are debated and specifically whether motivation is originate by individual trait or by social processes. The drive to act towards a specific objective can be explained as an individual need but the sources of this impulse can be various. • In social psychology the search for the sources of motivation is related to the identification of preferences (Mc Clelland, 1953); different aspects of the personality can influence the performance and the effectiveness of learning. saseconf07

7. Individual and social sources of motivation -II • The concept of level of aspiration is used to explain individual performance; and the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation accounts for the type of relation that the individual tends to establish with the learning context. • The interpersonal web of relations and the structure of the tasks in learning contexts is also linked with motivation and can reinforce as well as reduce its role. • Organizational and group norms (from pure instrumental to moral involvement of members) are also elements that interfere either positively or negatively with individual motivation processes. saseconf07

8. Motivation in training courses • Aim of the study: analyze the role of motivation in training courses -- Participants to training courses (European social funds) report an equal highly positive (95%) evaluation of training activity regardless of the employment status. Why this positive judgment? • What is the role of individual motivation in influencing the effectiveness of training courses? Which role play the social aspects (organizational, group relationships)? • Which elements of the learning context are more effective in providing participants a good training experience and can improve their employability? saseconf07

9. unemployed Training participant Positive evaluation Training courses Individual perception of training efficacy Impact of motivation on individual perception of employment status employed saseconf07

10. The design of the study Qualitative and in-depth study of a sample of participants to training courses one year after their experience. • Sampling was based on one-year database of participants to European social funds courses (626) and take in account age, gender, educational level and type of courses attended. Selected subjects were 50 (25 male and 25 female) and a second equal characteristic sample was also prearranged. • Interviewers were also trained on purpose to perform the colloquium and to collect information about impact of training courses on personal life of participants (time management, family impact, personal aspirations..). saseconf07

11. 2 men women 6 5 5 15 17 Gender and education rappresentativeness Vocational training University degree High school degree saseconf07

12. Analysis of interviews • Multi-methods techniques (Brewer e Hunter, 1989) with qualitative coding of interviews (blind coding techniques), content analysis and quantitative analysis of text (Spad-T). • Main area of investigation in the interviews were those specific aspects of motivation linked with (individually perceived ) impact of courses. • The relationship between the structure of courses (content, learning context, organizational elements) and the impact on the trainee experience and motivation was also explored. saseconf07

13. Analysis of interviews saseconf07

14. Analysis of interviews • Mapping of participants perception of the motivational aspects on the basis of education and gender differences; comparison of responses among groups, homogeneity and differences at individual level. • Two axes (X frequency of aspect, Y relevance of aspect); Symbols: circle (univ. degree) square (vocational training), diamond (high school degree) • Maps in the display: Reasons to participate,Evaluation of the training activity, Relationship between training and placement saseconf07

15. Reasons to participate(univ. degree, high scholl degree, vocational training) saseconf07

16. Relationship between training and placement(univ. Degree – vocational training) saseconf07

17. Evaluation of the training activity(univ. Degree – vocational training) saseconf07

18. Synthesis of results • Reasons to participate: Homogeneity of perception among educational groups • Univ. Degree trainees emphasize the relevance of training for their career and are highly motivated in participating to a professional skills enhancing context; High school degree trainees have more variety of reasons and see training courses also as an opportunity to change type of work activity; while participants with a vocational degree evaluate the training experience as a crucial element in their career. • Relationship between training and placement: Less homogeneity of responses among participants, gender and age play a crucial role. • Only a limited group of Univ. and high school trainees have modified positively their aspiration level as a consequence of participating to the training activity. Motivation to improve professional condition (status) is linked to cultural preferences and self-perception of role in the labour market. • Evaluation of training activities: educational level plays a role in the formation of two groups. • First group (high school and vocational degrees) gives equal relevance to content and emotional aspects of training, while the second group (Univ. and high school degree) rewards more content specific activities. saseconf07

19. Final observations: Employability and motivation • Organizational culture and systems of rewards can act as obstacles / incentives for individual motivation. Specifically practical experiences in training courses can be effective only if there is a balanced emphasis on individual motivation and is also supported by organizational elements (supervision, reporting, task and competence tracking) • Employability of subjects is reinforced by motivational elements; motivation enhances competences and specific traits of the individual which are formally testified in training courses, it also give the subject self- perceptions of his/her capabilities and improves interactions at work and in the job market. • Motivation can also be seen as a resource internal to the individual that can support phases of change at work and in life-course and more specifically social positioning of the individual towards the others. saseconf07

20. The study was realized in 2004 as part of a wider project on the impact of training activities in the regional labour market of Trentino Alto Adige and was performed under the supervision of A.M. Ajello (University of Rome, Faculty of Psychology). I wish to thank the director of the ESF training division at PAT, the supervisor and the group of young researchers that performed and analyzed part of the interviews. kudos saseconf07