Summary: During the 1990s, many federal agencies cut back on hiring new staff to reduce the number of employees on the payroll and to meet downsizing goals. As a result, these agencies also reduced the influx of new people with new knowledge and skills that agencies needed to help build and sustain excellence. Moreover, anecdotal evidence on overall federal spending on training indicates that, in trying to save on workforce-related costs, agencies cut back on training investments needed if their smaller workforces were to make up for institutional losses in knowledge and skills. Agencies may need to take a fresh look at their training needs today. This report provides information on (1) how high-performing organizations approach the design and implementation of their training and development programs and (2) the design, implementation, and evaluation of training and development programs at four federal agencies--the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, the Health Care Financing Administration, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the State Department.
