What are the processes for expressing and identifying the work-related learning demand in Quebec? How does the organization define and articulate its education and training needs? How does it construct its programs and activities? Are there mediation mechanisms for the expression of employees' demands and aspirations? Are the patterns of upstream and downstream intervention similar or different, depending on the sector, company size or level of qualification of the staff? The period prior to the provision of education and training is a critical phase in the structuring of company ALT (Bélanger and Federighi, 2000). Footnote 58 By observing the various practices, we can better understand how far ALT activities are rooted in firms' productive activity.
The first observation is that the programming of ALT and, earlier, the systematic diagnosis of needs are relatively new activities in Quebec. They were new activities in virtually all the companies studied by Bélanger et al. (2004). Significantly, only a minority of firms involving high intensity of knowledge, such as in the biopharmaceutical sector, have a longer tradition in this regard. In these firms, needs diagnosis has become a regular practice. Footnote 59 Among others, the creation of a full- or part-time position dedicated to organizing ALT (hence, an upstream position) is a rather recent trend.
Often, as noted earlier, the first action of the new person in charge is to draw up a general inventory of training needs and to devise an overall plan. This plan may also be developed within the general framework provided by the head office. However, it is more difficult to move on from overall planning to more specific programming. In doing this, the organization will take into account the situation that exists in the different production units. The annual ALT plan is usually developed in cooperation with the production heads and forepersons who assess the needs in their units. It may subsequently be approved by the middle management committees that consider human resources issues at their meetings. The production heads also become involved in supervising the assessment of needs, advising and consulting the forepersons for this purpose and sometimes contributing to the training of the trainers.
Return to note 56 The data for this chapter were derived primarily from Bélanger, P. Larivière, M. and Voyer, B. (2004). Les pratiques et l'organisation de la formation en entreprise au Québec Étude exploratoire. Montréal: UQAM et CIRDEP.
Return to note 57 "Expression of learning demand" is a new concept introduced in Quebec's Government Policy on Adult Education and Continuing Education and Training. Within this new perspective, the general aim of this policy is not only to meet the explicit learning needs of people and organisations, but, beforehand, to encourage and support the expression of the demand for learning and, then, to explore and organise appropriate and relevant responses. See Quebec (2002), Government Policy on adult education and continuing education and training, Quebec. P. 5, Rationale and basis of the policy. For a further exploration of the concept of "expression of learning demand," see Chs. 6 and 7 in: Bélanger, P. and Federighi, P. (2000). Unlocking people's creative forces: a transnational study of adult learning policies. UNESCO Institute for Education.
Return to note 58 Pp. 117, 121-126, 130-132.
Return to note 59 This is particularly clear in the case of training of trainers and the practices of a company's continuing training department. In the other two cases, it is the training section of the human resources department that will be involved at this level.