Date of Award

10-18-2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

As public agencies struggle with declining revenues, creating a workforce that is efficient, knowledgeable and engaged in the process of providing public services becomes imperative to the long-term success of many programs. The City of Oakland developed a City-Wide Training Program (CWTP) that was designed to increase the skills and competencies of public employees. This research project attempts to determine if there is a correlation between employees who took a training course or a series of courses and whether or not advancement in classification resulted. In addition, this study assesses if there is a relationship between professional development opportunities and the retention rates of public employees. The literature review provides an examination and analysis of best practices of professional development and the retention of a highly trained and effective workforce, while data collected from City-Wide Training records and information collected from an executive level staff survey provide additional perspectives on the effects of training on career advancement opportunities, succession planning and employee retention.

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