Continuing education and job performance: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Investigated the relationship of participation in continuing education to job performance of engineers. Performance and education data were obtained for 110 engineers in 3 organizations that differed in their technology, ranging from research and development (R & D) to manufacturing. The number of graduate courses taken early in the career was strongly related to job performance only for engineers working in the R & D organization. Engineers with poor job performance, regardless of organizational technology, had a greater likelihood of enrolling in more in-house courses, but this greater participation had no relationship to subsequent performance. The possible moderating effects of organizational variables, course characteristics, and individual differences are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)