More than ever employees have to live up to their current and future job requirements in today's dynamic and globalised business environment. This calls for continuous organisational and human resources development as well as further training. Thus, companies often have to face high costs for human resources and training, and these costs should not be underestimated.

For every company to remain competitive in the long term, it is necessary to know how effective and efficient further training programmes are. Basically, further training is only classified as successful when the knowledge acquired during the training is applied at the workplace (cf. Bank 1997, p. 127). The didactic control of the transfer of learning from the learning field (further training, usually a seminar) to the functional field (workplace) is of significant importance. The concept of the further training programme should ensure that the contents learned are transferable to the workplace and/or allow for further learning.

The objective of the research project is to further promote the research on the transfer of learning in the field of corporate further training. In particular, basic pedagogic-psychological and didactic questions that are essential for a successful transfer of learning from the learning field to the functional field are to be further explored.

The current state of research on learning is rather unsatisfying with regard to an answer to the question to what extent preceding 'cognitive learning processes' (systematic learning) within a further training programme influence following 'experience-related learning processes' at the workplace (systemic, holistic learning).

The main interest of the research project is the measurement of the 'distance between the learning field and the functional field'. Based on the scientific findings of different transfer theories in the field of the psychology of learning (e.g. behaviourist approach: 'Theory of Identical Elements', cf. Thorndike 1923, the Gestalt psychology approach, cf. Wertheimer 1957) and taking into account factors related to the situation (e.g. personality features of the learners) that influence the process of learning, a measurement model is to be developed that allows to measure the qualifications acquired in the learning and functional field in a valid way and to relate them to each other.

Bank, Volker (1997): Controlling in der betrieblichen Weiterbildung. Über die freiwillige Selbstbeschränkung auf ein zweckrationales Management quasi-deterministischer Strukturen, (Wirtschafts-, berufs- und sozialpädagogische Texte, Band 27), Köln: Botermann & Botermann. Mandl, Heinz; Manfred Prenzel & Cornelia Gräsel (1992): Das Problem des Lerntransfers in der betrieblichen Weiterbildung, in: Unterrichtswissenschaft 20, 2/92, München: Juventa, S. 126-143. Ruschel, Adalbert (1991): Lerntransfersicherung und -controlling. In: Geissler, Kh. A. (Hrsg.): Handbuch für Personalentwicklung und Training. Ein Leitfaden für die Praxis, Loseblatt-Ausgabe, 6. Ergänzungslieferung Dez. 1991. Köln: Dt. Wirtschaftsdienst, S. 1-32. Thorndike, Edward L. (1923): The Psychology of Learning. Educational Psychology Vol. II, New York: Columbia University. Wertheimer, Max (1957): Produktives Denken, Frankfurt a.M.: Kramer.