USAID/Senegal : assessment of the development impact of participant training -- 1961-1995

Training impact was tracked at four levels: (1) trainee reaction to the program; (2) trainee acquisition of skills and knowledge; (3) trainee on-the-job performance following training; and (4) changes brought to the organization as a result of the training. Most of those surveyed were from the public sector. Key findings were as follows. (1) Overall, participants expressed an exceptionally high degree of satisfaction with the quality of the training. More than 75% of all respondents, and 92% of long-term participants assessed training at the highest quality level. (2) Participants were able to apply their new skills on the job, and in many instances, outside the workplace. (3) Improved job performance had a positive impact on the efficiency, productivity, or profitability of participants" institutions. A number of innovations were introduced in the workplace by trainees upon their return to Senegal, resulting in stream-lined office communication, use of new venture capital mechanisms and creative financing solutions, use of new diagnosis methods for agricultural research, and improved attendance at family planning clinics, among others. These positive impacts were greater in sectors related to agriculture and environment than health, and greater among long-term than among short-term participants. (4) Human Resources Development Assistance (HRDA) participants rated their training programs lower in quality than those funded by the other projects. Roughly half of the participants sponsored by health projects reported institutional improvements, compared to 62% for HRDA and 88% for agriculture and environment. (5) In terms of gender analysis, 83% of women reported that needs assessments were conducted relating to their training; women were more likely than men to have training objectives than men (89% vs. 77%); and more women (94%) than men (84%) reported that training improved their performance.