Reports on the 21st annual survey, which received 1,488 responses from a sample of 3,303 employers. Charts depict annual expenditures on training, training delivery methods and topics, who controls training purchases, outsourcing, and technology-based training. (SK)

Identifies the top 100 U.S. companies in terms of the amount spent on training and development, the number of hours of training per employee, percentage of payroll spent on training, and tuition allotment per employee. Describes best practices in succession planning and leadership development, mentoring, and job shadowing and provides a detailed…

A postgraduate diploma course for trainers offered by the University of East Asia is a learner-centered process in which participants select their own goals and evaluate their own learning experience. Although participants saw the value of an action learning approach, their learning preference was basically teacher centered and the process met…

Presents the cases for and against advanced degrees for human resource development professionals. Notes that degree programs offer theory and internship experience, but there is such wide variety that employers cannot be sure of the quality of graduates. (SK)

The 11th annual survey of employer-provided training includes "The Budget Blahs" (Lee); "What Employers Teach" (Filipczak); and "Work Teams: How Far Have They Come?" (Gordon). (SK)

Explains ways to resolve training session conflicts in four contexts: supervisor/employee teams, trainee interaction during breaks, group work, and trainer/trainee interaction. (SK)

Describes six methods that can make mandatory training sessions more successful, including the use of icebreakers; emphasizing relevance; maintaining training focus; the use of humor; providing practice; and the use of evaluations. (LRW)

The training component of the Kellogg-funded Education Information Centers used a train-the-trainer approach with cross-training for librarians and counselors. The training was concerned with clarifying librarians' role in career guidance and counseling. (SK)

Respondents (n=75) to a University Council for Vocational Education survey rated 13 of 25 competencies important for business/industry trainers but indicated that these were not adequately covered in vocational teacher education programs. (SK)

Responses from 112 human resource managers in Chicago indicated that 42% offer diversity programs because it is an ethical approach to management; they offer only a few of the programs available and identified in the literature. Organizations whose major purpose is recruiting and developing a diverse work force offered more programs and a wider…

English-as-a-Second-Language practitioners who work as consultants view the flexibility of nonpermanent employment status positively. However, organizations tend to treat such staff in traditional needs, suggesting a need to redefine the role of flexible trainers in more opportunistic, value-added directions. (Author/SK)

Responses from 187 of 350 human resources development (HRD) practitioners identified values in the organizational culture of HRD, including both humanistic and corporatist orientations, high priority on program planning, stronger preference for preclass over in-class skills, and emphasis on trainee reaction in evaluation. (SK)

Traces the expansion of human resource development (HRD) into spirituality. Identifies associated problems: contradiction between the purposes of spirituality and HRD, religious fundamentalism, invasion of privacy, potential for manipulation, coercion into the global economy, and simplistic and naive treatment of spiritual community. (SK)

Focuses on the growth of training industry in the United States and the increase of its influence. Discusses organizations' expenditures on training; training industry associations; postsecondary programs; credibility of the training profession; intellectual leadership; shortage of skilled employees; and the overall impact of training today. (AEF)

Shares experiences of a human resource development (HRD) book group. Offers practical startup tips, descriptions of different types of book groups, and lessons learned about such groups. Suggests that membership on an HRD book group is an opportunity for self-directed learning in a social context, and it fosters a mindset for lifelong learning.…