CASE D$.$ BREAKING THE LOW$-$SKILL CYCLE: A ROLE FOR HRD$?$ Abstract This scenario describes a study by Hull University on behalf of Hull City Council to investigate the training requirements of lunch supervisors in the city's primary schools. It identifies a number of training needs but also considerable barriers to addressing them. The case is based on an interview with the study's project manager. It examines a group of unskilled workers who have limited access to HRD$.$ Students are encouraged to consider issues related to low$-$skilled workers and the effect the lack of training has on their power and influence in the workplace The Hull City Council, as part of a project to introduce healthy school meals, saw that there was a lack of training for lunch supervisors. Existing training was patchy inconsistent and had no long$-$term effect on work performance As you would expect in a school environment, there was a strong emphasis on learning and staff development. Teachers must complete a four$-$year degree program to qualify and subsequently receive a minimum of five training days a year, in addition to any role$-$specific training, as part of their continuing professional development. Teaching assistants also require a formal qualification and are included in a number of school training days. However, for up to $1\mathrm{.}5$ hours of the $6-$hour day children spend at school, they are in the care of lunch supervisors. There are no requirements for training or qualifications for this role. Training is often ad hoc and people learn by communities of practice, often perpetuating inappropriate behavior like blowing whistles and shouting at children. As a result, the Hull City Council commissioned the University of Hull to research the training needs of lunch supervisors in $71$ primary schools in the city. All $71$ schools were sent a survey to hand out to their lunch supervisors, asking questions about their job, their likes and dislikes, what they found challenging and the support they received. Six schools were selected to take part in a more in$-$depth study; these schools were chosen to reflect a variety in size, location and economic prosperity he project was managed by a university representative, who interviewed the head teachers and lunch supervisors over a period of several months. She spent a week working as a lunch supervisor, and spoke to people in groups and one$-$on$-$one to understand the job requirements The needs identified were: $.$ Head teachers wanted lunch supervisors trained to play with children and to encourage playground activities $.$ The lunch supervisors saw behavior management and conflict resolution as key skill requirements for the iob $-$ The project manager highlighted developing confidence, understanding the role and understanding children's needs as additional requirements The study also highlighted a number of potential barriers to training It was difficult to recruit people with the right skills because the work was low paid and confined to the lunch period $-$ The job was undervalued by head teachers, teachers, children and even the lunch supervisors themselves. $$ Jobholders often left school without graduating or had been out of the workplace for a long time and were sometimes apprehensive about training. $-$ A large number of these employees had poor numeracy and literacy skills, oftern making some forms of training inaccessible $$ Some employees had been in the role for $20-30$ years and thought that their experience was sufficient and that training was unnecessary. $$ Many of these employees had other part$-$time jobs, and availability for training was limited Although the project identified some clear training needs, the project manager highlighted broader issues that needed to be addressed and which she felt would potentially have an important effect on the efficacy of any training developed ese were the lack of integration with the wider school team; the job's profile; and the need to change perceptions A program to address the training needs of lunch supervisors would be expensive and require a lot of investment by the government or the local council. Schools are managed as businesses and have to control tight budgets. Other priorities, such as school resources and teaching staff, are likely to attract investment at the expense of the lunch supervisors. This may be justifiable in terms of the outcomes for children, although the implications of disruption to afternoon teaching when issues are not resolved appropriately at lunch were noted in the study. What about the lunch supervisors themselves? The job is almost exclusively held by women who are trapped in a low$-$skill cycle. Due to poor education, they can obtain only low$-$skilled work. In these low$-$skilled roles, they do not receive training or development to enhance their skills and have little potential to move out of these low$-$skilled, low$-$paid jobs