Step 1: Need-focused Planning and Analysis
Identify the Target Population
Before designing and developing an education and training program, it is also critical to understand the people who will be the learners – their work history, educational background, English proficiency, communication skills, general literacy skills and any relevant occupational skills they may already have. This kind of information is important for determining what special needs and barriers they may have. For example, the population (or a portion thereof) may be lacking basic skills, they may have a sporadic work history, or they may not have a high school diploma or GED (Massachusetts Association for Community Action, 2004).
Surveys, focus groups and/or individual interviews can help clarify needs and barriers. Questions to guide your discussions may include:
- What are the basic literacy levels of the target population?
- Are there non-native English speakers? If so, what is the range of ESL fluency in the population? Is the population literate in its native language?
- Does the population have basic computer skills?
- What are their short-term and long-term occupational goals? Do they have a career plan? An education plan?
- What is the nature of their work experience? What kinds of jobs have they held in the past?
- What barriers do they face and what support services are needed?
- Do they understand the nature of the work for which they are applying? (Adapted from Henle et al, 2005.)