Describes how Hughes Aircraft trainers followed four steps in meeting the challenges of a flexible manufacturing environment: needs assessment, design strategy, pilot evaluation, and follow-through. Within this environment, 50 self-paced training products were developed for one of the company's wire and back plane harness assembly departments. (CT)

Four training experts are interviewed regarding developing training programs on an unfamiliar topic. They all said: teach yourself first, determine the needs to be met, and use the experts. They disagreed on the degree of knowledge a trainer should attempt to achieve and the types of resources trainers should use. (CT)

Two articles discuss successful transfer of training. In the first, Arty Trost recommends focusing on needs assessment, training design, and program delivery. Dana and James Robinson, in the second article, suggest eliminating barriers in the work environment--in learners, supervisors, and the organization--to guarantee that new skills are used on…

An accurate needs assessment process is essential in designing effective career development systems. This model helps to guarantee a high-quality needs assessment. It provides a basis for conceptualizing an ideal system for a particular organization, for describing what currently exists, and for identifying gaps between the real and the ideal. (CT)

Explains how to design training programs in which the trainer and the work group collaborate on designing a program that produces agreed-upon behavioral changes in employee performance. The modified critical incident technique is a diagnostic tool which provides information concerning the cost effectiveness of education and training programs. (CT)

Four human resource managers present their recommendations for establishing training/human resource development departments. They discuss the following elements: chief executive office support, the role of formal needs analysis, the role of operating managers, market research, and having a sense of teamwork. (CT)

The Instructional Systems Design model is presented. Phases of the model are explained. They are: (1) analysis (organizational, learner, and job needs, and evaluation); (2) design (objectives, specifications, strategies, evaluation); (3) development (evaluation, tests, media, materials); and (4) implementation (instructor characteristics, training…