Role of training in business development

New developments within the seafood sector are requiring a change in the skill base of the work force. The increasing emphasis of formal food safety and quality systems in both legislation and- market requirements, changes in manufacturing technology involving new machinery,.materials and computer based systems have all led to the need for new skill requirements. The strategic role of training in effectively achieving this skill development to meet these increased requirements is often under rated. The paper reviews the stages in planning and delivering effective training programs to meet the needs of the differing businesses in requiring new skills. The use of participative methods to build on group experience and the development of realistic case material to enable practical application and development of the skills is discussed. Evaluation methods to ensure that training has met the agreed goals and to promote feedback and facilitate changes to training programs are described. The need for integrating people development in conjunction with new system development is emphasized and the importance of motivation to the success of these programs and thus to business development is explained.