Identifying Training Needs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

APHIS created an innovative training program to keep supervisors up to date and motivated. The experienced supervisor applied workshop directs managers to focus on the spirit and practice of effective management as well as current policy changes. The purpose of the program was to provide in-person training that would meet the organization’s mandatory supervisory training requirement. The training focused on how to mentor employees, improve employee performance and productivity, conduct performance appraisals, and deal with unacceptable performance. To help ensure that this new training program met the organization’s needs, the planning team conducted interviews with supervisors who had at least two years of management experience in the agency to determine what kind of training would be most helpful to them. The team also met with subject-matter experts to determine where they saw the biggest need for improvement. Also, the planning team analyzed participant feedback from an already existing training program for new supervisors.

1.In addition to the interviews, meetings with subject-matter experts, and analysis of participant feedback from an existing training program, what else could APHIS have done to conduct the needs assessment? Describe the method, why you would recommend it, and who would be involved.

2. Would you recommend your method replace or be used in addition to the methods already in use? Explain.