This Skills Development Program (SDP) provides a generic set of actions employers could take to ensure that their organization has the work force skills necessary to compete globally today and tomorrow. The guide is organized by the 13 critical steps of the SDP: (1) determine if there is a need for improving workforce skills; (2) set specific objectives for an SDP; (3) identify SDP roles and responsibilities; (4) communicate the SDP concept to the entire organization; (5) select and analyze the targeted jobs; (6) assess the skill level of the present employees; (7) complete a "Gap Analysis" on the difference(s) between the job analysis and employee assessment; (8) identify specific methods to close the "gaps"; (9) identify specific resources for the SDP; (10) finalize all details and communicate the SDP process to the entire organization; (11) monitor, measure, and evaluate the results of the SDP; (12) communicate the results of the SDP; and (13) modify/evolve the SDP as appropriate. Questions that should be addressed in each step are provided along with suggested answers and alternatives. "Fix-It" Ideas are also provided for each of the critical steps. Twelve references are listed. (YLB)