Abstract
Currently, federal agencies are facing multiple issues that can affect their ability to meet their mission. The agency’s workforce plays a vital role in their ability to meet their mission. However, federal agencies are encountering workforce vacancies and high turnover rates that affect the organizations’ ability to meet their missions. These workforce vacancies are largely due to workforce retirements and these positions being left vacant due to budget cuts that prohibit hiring or new, untrained employees filling in. In order for federal agencies to fulfill their mission during these uncertain times, agencies need methods to assess whether or not they are meeting the mission and identify solutions to enable its existing workforce to better meet these goals. If the agency is not meeting its goals, training and development of the employees that remain is critical in ensuring that the workforce is successful and capable of carrying out the agency’s mission. A training needs assessment is one method agencies can use in order to assess these issues. The careful planning of a training needs assessment is an important task prior to conducting the assessment. Guidance when planning a training needs assessment benefits all agencies, especially those that have not done this previously. This thesis develops a framework for planning a training needs assessment based on evidence from the literature and strategies that other agencies have found effective. The framework developed in this thesis will assist agencies in conducting a training needs assessment and aligning their training and development programs with the mission and strategic goals of the agency. I then apply this framework to the California Bureau of Land Management. As a result of this project, the California Bureau of Land Management can use the information to proceed with conducting a training needs assessment in order to develop a workforce capable of carrying out its mission and strategically align their Training and Development program with the mission of the agency.