• Understanding of labour market developments and supply-demand interactions.
• Understanding of potential effects of training and HRM on employees and the Organisation.
• Understanding of the determinants of skills obsolescence.
• Skills in of cost-benefit analysis on learning and development programs.


Generic competencies
Scientific knowledge
Awareness of broader context
Academic reasoning
Problem-solving skills
Learning skills
Self-management skills
(International) communication skills
Interpersonal and team-working skills
Leadership
Research skills

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) USED IN THIS COURSE IS WITH RESERVATION. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE IS BASED ON THE COURSE SETUP PRIOR TO THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE CRISIS, COURSE COORDINATORS MAY BE FORCED TO CHANGE THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHODS USED. THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING/ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE COURSE SYLLABUS.

Why do people and firms invest in schooling? What are the implications of the diffusion of technological and organisational innovations on the skills demanded in the labour market and the match with the skills supplied? What are the costs and benefits of formal education and training and informal training for workers and firms? And what are the causes of skill obsolescence? All these questions are addressed in this course that aims to increase students’ understanding of (1) the implications of labour market developments for both workers and firms, and (2) the effects of human capital investments and deterioration on workers’ wages and employability, as well as the performance of organisations. This will enable students to understand the costs and benefits of generic and specific human capital development from a firm’s perspective. Moreover, the course deals with the institutional context and the labour market developments related to life-long learning, e.g., how pension institutions affect the training participation of older workers and how technological change relates to changing skill demands. The course uses theoretical and empirical papers so that economic models are not only explained but also applied to questions of societal relevance. Students will thereby learn how to analyse empirical findings related to lifelong learning and how to evaluate empirical strategies.

Learning objectives
The course aims at the following learning objectives:
* Understanding how people learn (nurture, nature, education, training, informal learning).
* Understanding economic models related to lifelong learning.
* Applying these economic models to questions of societal relevance (automation of work, ageing of the workforce).
* Analyze empirical findings related to lifelong learning.
* Evaluate empirical strategies to analyze the determinants and effects of lifelong learning.
* Use economic models and empirical literature to solve questions related to the determinants and effects of lifelong learning.

As people also learn from feedback, we have an additional learning objective (non-graded formative assessment):
* Provide productive feedback to peers.

Various research papers from international journals