New ways to learn at work draw upon workers' previous experiences, link concepts and practices, and encourage reflection and the transfer of knowledge from one situation to another. Action, situated, and incidental learning are three current approaches. Action learning is a systematic process through which individuals learn by doing. It has been…

A study was undertaken to ascertain the position of inservice training for librarians in South Africa and to determine what adjustments were necessary for inservice training practice in South African libraries. An examination of the literature on inservice training revealed current trends, and the literature in the field of library science was…

Argues that student employees need improved on-the-job training and more staff development opportunities. Describes the structured student employee training program at St. Louis Community College (SLCC) at Meramec, Missouri. Underscores the importance of employer support for the program and reviews results of the SLCC project. (DMM)

Training effective camp staff starts with reviewing last year's schedule. Desired competencies can be determined by examining existing documents, asking former staff, consulting industry materials, and projecting the future. Specific skills can be taught in orientation and through guided informal experiential learning during the season. A climate…

A pilot project was conducted to implement the Oregon A.I.M. (Assessment, Instruction, Mastery), a tutor program accountability system developed in Oregon, in 15 volunteer-based programs in Pennsylvania and to make recommendations on the usefulness of this system as a means of collecting and aggregating data on student progress for these and…

Although there are many reasons to evaluate training and development (T & D) programs, it is often time-consuming and expensive to do so. However, evaluations can be conducted by an auditing approach. The auditing approach to evaluating T & D offers three advantages. Auditing is quicker and less expensive than traditional methods, and it uses a…

Proposes four training steps: (1) management expresses commitment to system implementation, (2) organizational levels increase awareness, (3) managers/metric coordinators receive special training, and (4) staff receives implementation training. Discusses five program elements: awareness and metric update, international units system, functional…

Data from 15 United Kingdom organizations highlighted best practices in developing entry workers: direct managers play a key role, coaching in learning by doing is essential, and networking with peers is valuable. Development is influenced by a mix of factors: mentoring, personnel practices, attitude, organizational culture, peer group, and…

A National Staff Development Council (NSDC) survey examined the status of staff development and staff developers in North America. This article summarizes data from 1,057 respondents focusing on identity of the field of staff development, resources for staff development, demographics of NSDC members, and the role of higher education. (SM)

In January of 1996, North Central College (Naperville, Illinois) turned on its campus-wide, PC-based network. A Technology Training Group (TTG) was created; this group focused on technology training for new staff hires, while also considering the ongoing needs of the current employees. Goals of the TTG included bringing new employees quickly up to…

Because hospitalization is often a frightening and traumatic experience for children and their families, a practicum designed a system of inservice training experiences for hospital personnel. These experiences were intended to enhance or develop skills that would assist them in addressing the needs and concerns of hospitalized children and their…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on learning organization practices. "Learning Lenses of Leading Organizations: Best Practices Survey" (Laurel S. Jeris) shows that successful learning organizations view learning initiatives through multiple lenses with a clear, sustained focus on strategic outcomes. "Dimensions…

The experience of Chase Manhattan Bank in hiring a diverse group of college graduates and preparing them to be entry-level relationship managers is discussed. The objectives and procedures followed by the bank in recruitment and training of new staff are addressed. Trainees are screened for six mental abilities that correlate with success in this…

Assembled in a loose leaf notebook, this collection of independent on-the-job activities is designed to facilitate employee development and intended to help improve an organization's performance appraisal system. The on-the-job development activities described derive from job descriptions, performance appraisal forms, and discussions with job…

This booklet was designed to help supervisors with employee training problems. The problems may relate to upgrading job knowledge and skills or other training areas. The supervisor can share the training workload with fellow supervisors, the larger organization, and the personnel officer. Knowledge of an enthusiasm for the training subject will…