In Mississippi, the bulk of the responsibility to conduct workforce training falls on the community colleges. With the recent trends of large industry relocating overseas, layoffs, and plant closures, these challenges have become prevalent in rural America. Through the development and delivery of workforce programs to local business and industry,…

Identifies six critical success factors to rethink performance improvement following the terrorist attacks of September 11. Topics include moving out of traditional paradigms to use wider boundaries for planning and continuous improvement; focusing on end results; levels of planning; ideal visions; preparing clear, measurable objectives; and…

Employees often want training in areas that are irrelevant to their jobs or inconsistent with organizational objectives. A well-designed questionnaire can weed out training wants to uncover an employee's true training needs. (Author)

Cites a study designed to quantify the nature and extent of in-house communication training and presents data collected from individuals who conduct such training. (MH)

This article explains a performance-oriented approach to outlining technical training needs. The performance improvement cycle is discussed and the three main activities in that cycle are described. They include need detection, task identification, and collection of task performance data. (CT)

Diagnostic model includes six questions to guide training and development: Who needs training? Why? When and where? What is to be learned? What is the cost? and How will it be evaluated? Presents the Index for Training Success, which measures the following for each question: importance to instructor, level of detail available, weight of…

The author stresses the importance of planning in setting up company training programs and the need for performance and instructional objectives. (MF)

Six steps to successful needs analysis are (1) collect information about the organization, (2) identify potential training opportunities, (3) conduct a performance audit, (4) select and test content areas, (5) determine the required skills, knowledge, and abilities, and (6) verify this information against the organization's issues and goals. (SK)

The author discusses some important MHR (management of human resources) issues and stresses the importance of considering human resources problems in relation to the present socioeconomic system and the changing needs of society. (CT)

A step-by-step method can determine whether training programs match the training needs as expressed by rated objectives. Trainers calculate the time devoted to each objective while the program users rate the importance of each objective. The match between importance and time is a measure of program efficiency. (LRA)

Discusses the necessity of relating needs assessment and needs analysis in performance management. Topics discussed include measurable objectives; the identification and selection of needs; performance improvement; the Organizational Elements Model (OEM), which helps to identify means and ends; and training requirements analysis. (eight…

Training needs analysis, training program planning, pilot sessions and their evaluation, and follow through sessions on a continuing basis are examined, using an approach applicable to an outside or inside trainer. (LH)

The authors describe how industrial education teachers can become competent industrial trainers by adding one important skill they may lack--performing training needs assessments. They present a case study of a needs assessment and discuss successes and shortcomings of the assessment performed by their students. (CH)

The author argues that curriculum design requires viewing the whole fabric of management training in its totality; individual training programs are created from this perspective. The challenge in this case is to build a coherent plan that will provide structure and unity to the whole management training program. (Author/SSH)