Chapter 7: Training and Development

Exercise 7-1

One of the big advantages of internship programs is that they give students the chance to get some “real world” experience in their area of study. One program is Career Edge, which is run by the Federal Government. Are these programs successful at helping students enter the job market?

Go to Career Edge, read any two testimonials and answer the following questions:

1. What barriers to employment was the individual experiencing?
2. What duties did they have in their internship job?
3. Did the internship contribute positively to the individual’s career goals?

Exercise 7-2

A training technique that is used in almost every type of training is the lecture. In fact, your professor probably used a lecture as part of his/her lesson to teach you about training. Lectures allow for the fast transfer of information to a large number of people. However, they have a number of drawbacks – one of which is they can be really boring!

How can a lecture be modified to make it a more interesting and effective training technique? Visit http://www.thiagi.com/pfp-issue-list.html (there are ideas in the November 2002 to April 2003 newsletters) and find two interactive lecture techniques that you think your professor could use in his/her lecture about training. Provide a brief description of each technique and how it could be incorporated into the existing lecture.

While you’re there, take some time to surf Thiagi’s site. It’s full of ideas on how to make training more interactive and effective.