A study of the training of the in-company trainer of young people in Ireland was conducted from January through March 1988. Directors of training and the trainers themselves were interviewed in 15 companies. An additional 50 trainers responded to a mailed questionnaire. Trainers were primarily men in their thirties with a background in teaching, personnel work, or a technical area. The competencies trainers need were identified as follows: understanding of basic learning theory, a wide range of instructional techniques, analytical skills to identify the knowledge needed by the trainee and the skill content of the job, understanding of attitude development, program planning skills, record maintenance and monitoring skills, flexibility, and good rapport with trainees. Gaps between the competencies trainers possess and those they need were identified in all of these areas. The following trends were identified: the need for trainers to develop skills to a high degree; open learning for theoretical training combined with practical "hands on" training; need for a more competitive industrial spirit in Ireland, with training making a vital contribution; and the need for preparation of trainers for new technologies. (Four appendices provide a proposed training program for training managers, data tables, the learning cycle for training, and the questionnaire. A listing of seven definitions of words used in the report is included.) (CML)