Meeting the Training and Development Needs of Knowledge Workers: What We are Learning at EG&G Idaho, Inc.

Abstract

During the last decade, many commentators have preached the need to improve the quality, productivity, and training of the American workforce. Many of the observations relative to our future competitiveness have been unsettling, if not alarming. Accordingly, prescriptions for change have included such things as doubling and tripling training budgets. Most case studies in the popular literature talk about the management and improvement of manufacturing enterprises. In contrast, this paper deals with the challenges facing knowledge workers and, specifically, those of the Nuclear Reactor Research and Technology Department (NRRT) of EG&G Idaho, Inc. where a full-blown training needs analysis was conducted. The findings, in brief, indicate that a majority of the knowledge workers, especially the scientists and engineers, had at least some training needs that were not being adequately met. Lack of emphasis, scarcity of time, and limited availability of relevant, technical, training were the primary reasons. The employees also noted that they believed the experts needed to provide the training were their colleagues already working within the Department and that on-the-job training and other individualized training methods would be most effective. The employees expressed a stong interest in the company instituting a career development program. Based on this analysis, the NRRT has taken several steps to better the training needs. These findings, which would appear to be typical for knowledge workers nation-wide, underscore the vital importance of leaders seriously assessing and responding to the needs of a vital national resource-the knowledge workers.