Training for development : review of experience

This study identifies design and implementation measures to increase the contributions that trainees can make to economic and social development over the course of their careers. Two general types of training programs are discussed and compared. The first is the standard participant training program, in which individuals are selected and trained to meet specific human resource needs in an institution or country. The second is leadership training, which is exemplified by the Caribbean and Latin American Scholarship Program (CLASP). CLASP is distinctive in that it selects participants who are socially and economically disadvantaged, while also meeting the human resource needs of the economy and because all training is conducted in the United States to promote understanding of a pluralistic society and market economy. The report is organized according to the different stages in the program and project cycle -- program context, project design, implementation, and evaluation. A final section reviews topics of special concern, such as USAID management issues, women in development, and CLASP. The study concludes that while many of the lessons relating to participant training are well known, they are not consistently applied by Missions. In general, participant training is designed and implemented on a project by project basis rather than viewed within the larger context of Mission policy and standards. Moreover, the management structure of the Missions inhibits the development of program-level, cross-sectoral approaches to human resource development.