Program managers frequently put staff training near the top of their lists of ongoing challenges. The mix of diverse, complex training needs in many programs means managers may be responsible for orienting new staff, implementing new administrative procedures, or facilitating steps toward long-term program improvement. The greatest underlying…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the importance of new employee orientation (NEO) programs, the quality of typical NEOs, and how to improve NEOs. Design/methodology/approach: The paper provides a viewpoint of the importance of new employee orientation programs, the quality of typical NEOs, and how to improve NEOs. Findings: Although western…

This article addresses assumptions that currently guide personnel training and technical assistance in organizations providing services to people with disabilities. Implications of a quality improvement perspective are then considered as they apply to new perspectives on roles, on decision-making processes, and on evaluation. (DB)

This policy research brief summarizes three studies on training direct service personnel serving people with developmental disabilities, conducted at the Research and Training Center on Residential Services and Community Living, University of Minnesota. The studies provide information on competency-based training, effective training strategies,…

Family needs assessment is mandated within Head Start programs. Cen-Clear Child Services, Inc., a Head Start program in Pennsylvania, set out to evaluate and revise its approach to information-gathering and to involve families in the planning process using plans based on family strengths and designed to meet family goals. Based on a model designed…

A survey of 49 Maryland service providers offering vocational services found the weekly earnings of persons placed in supported employment were 3.5 times the earning of persons employed on the premises of the service provider. Nevertheless, there was strong evidence that substantial improvements are needed, and possible, in supported employment.…

So that postsecondary institutions can meet the training needs of business and industry, this guide has been developed to help colleges increase and improve their active participation in assisting businesses and industries to use advanced technology. It provides suggestions for keeping faculty up to date, acquiring the latest equipment, and…

This guide for improving the quality of National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS) data through improved data collection and training is intended for local providers and state administrators. Chapter 1 explains the guide's purpose, contents, and use and defines the following components of data quality: objectivity; integrity;…

This guide evaluates more than 130 training curricula that were published or completed in or after 1987 and are targeted to training direct service staff or trainers of direct service staff working with people with developmental disabilities. The reviews are organized alphabetically by publisher. Topics and issues that were used to categorize the…

Youth development lies at the heart of the Workforce Investment Act and the Youth Opportunity Movement. Like employment training programs for adults, employment training programs for youth should focus on acquisition of skills, gainful employment, and productive citizenship. Beyond these three characteristics, it is essential that programs for…