Provides a four-step plan for creating a new training department: (1) Lay a strong foundation; (2) manage expectations; (3) make quality the highest priority; and (4) build relationships. (JOW)

Andersen Consulting Education's Community of Practice initiative is organized into interest groups that explore issues and share knowledge about a topic. The groups meet to focus on areas such as motivation, demographics, and problem-based learning. The topics have a direct impact on the learning products created by the firm. (JOW)

Provides a detailed plan for sheltering all learning in an organization under a strategic umbrella. Areas considered include governance, vision/mission, funding, organization, stakeholders, products/services, learning partners, technology, measurement, and ongoing communication. (JOW)

Discusses elements essential to designing an effective conference--developing a theme, topics, objectives, and determining presentation formats. (JOW)

Defines needs analysis and knowledge management and explains how they can be brought together when planning training programs. Includes a glossary of knowledge-management terms. (JOW)

Looks at the advantages and disadvantages of telecommuting and describes a training program to get people ready to telecommute. Offers tips for organizing an office at home. (JOW)

A training program at IBM's Austin, Texas, site came about because of a critical shortage of secretaries. The administrative services department decided to recruit candidates from overstaffed departments--including manufacturing--and to train them to become secretaries in six weeks. (Author/JOW)

Provides 12 steps for planning, implementing, and piloting Web-based training. Shows how a formal pilot can provide insight into how well the proposed solution will work within the organization. (JOW)

A survey of 923 employee involvement programs (57%) yielded 10 themes: range of problem content, team staffing, team membership status, team resources, training practices, information access, financial rewards, performance management systems, goal-setting structures, and roles of job supervisors. (JOW)

Explains how training simulations can make on-the-job learning faster and safer by providing hands-on experience and controlled environments. Offers tips for assessing the costs and designing and effective simulation. (Author)

Discusses three forms of literacy--functional literacy, the ability to read and write, and workplace literacy. Includes "The Magnavox Experience" (Ford); "Aloha Means Goodbye to Workforce Illiteracy" (Beil); and "A Hospital's Prescription for Illiteracy" (Solovy-Pratt, Vicary). (JOW)