Professional Development: A Shared Responsibility
New theories, 1 new practices too, and
technologies are transforming the twenty-first-century
workplace at lightning speed. To perform their jobs
successfully in this dynamic environment, workers in
many 2 fields—from social services to manufacturing,
must continually acquire relevant knowledge and update
key skills. This practice of continued education, also
known as professional development, benefits not only
employees but also their employers. 3 Accordingly,
meaningful professional development is a shared
responsibility: it is the responsibility of employers to
provide useful programs, and it is also the responsibility
of employees to take advantage of the opportunities
offered to them.
Critics of employer-provided professional
development argue that employees 4 might consider a
popular career path. If employees find themselves falling
behind in the workplace, these critics 5 contend. Then
it is the duty of those employees to identify, and even pay
for, appropriate resources to 6 show them how and
why they are falling behind and what they should do
about it. This argument ignores research pointing to
high employee turnover and training of new staff as
significant costs plaguing employers in many fields.
Forward-thinking employers recognize the importance of
investing in the employees they have rather than hiring
new staff when the skills of current workers 7 get old
and worn out.
1.
A) NO CHANGE
B) also new practices,
C) in addition to practices,
D) practices,
2.
A) NO CHANGE
B) fields
C) fields,
D) fields;
A) NO CHANGE
B) Nevertheless,
C) Regardless,
D) Similarly,
4.
Which choice best establishes the argument that follows?
A) NO CHANGE
B) should lean heavily on their employers.
C) must be in charge of their own careers.
D) will be ready for changes in the job market.
5.
A) NO CHANGE
B) contend; then
C) contend then
D) contend, then
6.
A) NO CHANGE
B) address their deficiencies.
C) deal with their flaws and shortcomings.
D) allow them to meet their employers’ needs in terms of the knowledge they are supposed to have.
7
A) NO CHANGE
B) are no good anymore.
C) become obsolete.
D) have lost their charm.