Job Prospects for TOPS Trainees Available to Purchase

The employment prospects of the UK's TOPS trainees who elect to undertake management training are examined through an analysis of the selection criteria used by employers in recruiting for managerial occupations advertised in Tyne/Wear local press during 1979. In particular, the influence of employers' attitudes towards age, experience and qualifications in compiling short lists for interview are assessed from the view point of people who see the training offered under TOPS sponsorship as a means of achieving entry to a managerial occupation. The results suggest that skill development through full time courses may have only a limited contribution to personal marketability which appears to depend heavily on relevant experience. The implications for current TSD policy and for the role of colleges of further and higher education are discussed.