Training in small business retailing: testing human capital theory

Analyses the training demand in the retail sector based on the study of a representative sample of small‐sized retailers. By means of probit models a set of hypotheses developed from the basic assumptions of the human capital theory are tested. Four models of training demand are considered: probability of attending a training course in the near future, probability of having attended in the past, probability of being willing to follow multimedia and correspondence courses, and probability of repeating the experience of attending another training course in the near future. In particular, we determined how the retailer’s age, sex, educational level and the business sector, location and size, the quality of training previously received, the suitability of the costs and scheduling of the training courses, among other variables, significantly influence the probability of small‐sized retailers attending training courses.