ABSTRACT
Every generation perceives the speed of societal change, the sophistication of the development of new technologies and the shift in the roles of men and women to be unprecedented: this age is no exception. Industry and employers more generally certainly face a daunting package of changes towards the turn of the century. The facilities offered by telecommunications and telematics coupled with international developments simultaneously make the world smaller and increase the opportunity to expand into new markets. Major changes in education and training in Britain have been ushered in by the Conservative administration during the 1980s and early 1990s. The ideology of the family is highly influential in shaping both the supply of and the demand for labour: it structures individuals’ choices, and employers’ recruitment and human resource strategies.
