Abstract :
The Engineers to Japan scheme sets out to introduce British engineers to work in Japan in the hope that they will acquire skills and knowledge of use to their parent company. All the past participants seem to have gained personally from the experience, but the attitude of the parent company upon the engineer´s return is a vital part of the secondment process and can colour the engineer´s view of the visit. This article presents the experiences of two people who took part in the scheme, one in 1987 and the other in 1993, and shows how their feelings about the subsequent use of the scheme to their companies is very different.<>
