Preparing Tomorrow's HRD Professionals: Perceived Relevance of the 1989 Competency Model

This article follows up on a 1991 study of competencies for trainers ( Leach, 1993 ). University Council of Vocational Education faculty were asked to provide their perceptions of the importance of competencies and the extent to which these competencies are currently included in their Human Resource Development (HRD) professional preparation programs. Of the 25 competencies used for both studies, 23 were rated as important in 1997, and 19 of these 23 were perceived to be less than adequately covered in course work--up from 13 of 25 in 1991.

The field of vocational and technical education has evolved significantly in the past decade to place greater emphasis on preparation of individuals for employment in business and industrial settings. In fact, several vocational and technical education departments in prominent universities have changed their names to embrace the human resource development role. Concurrent changes in the work place have had an impact on the roles of trainers in business and industrial settings and the competencies required of trainers to perform those roles effectively ( Argyris, 1994 ; Baylen, Bailey, & Samardzija, 1996 ; Joyce & Voytek, 1996 ; McLagan, 1996 ; Rhinesmith, 1994 ). The demand for employee training and development continues to increase. It was estimated that U.S. organizations would spend approximately $60 billion on formal training in 1997, up from $43.2 billion in 1991 and up approximately five percent from 1996 ( Industry Report, 1997 ).