Training and development priorities in non -governmental organizations: a case of selected NGOs in Tanzania.

While addressing their institutional objectives and specific areas of functions in the society, the Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) also generate employment opportunities. Efficient human resource management which involves priorities for training and development is becoming imperative and inevitable for NGOs which seeks to achieve functional competence and organizational success. The study seeks to investigate the training and development priorities in two selected NGOs in Tanzania. This study collected data from the employees and management staff of two international NGOs working in Pwani and Dar es Salaam regions of Tanzania. The data were gathered by means of questionnaires and semi structured interviews. The study revealed that the NGO which had a better and more effective training and development policy also had higher training and development priorities, better staff satisfaction regarding the training and development programs, and better career development opportunities than its counterpart. The findings of the study have important managerial implications for the NGOs studied and other similar NGOs in Tanzania in prioritizing their training and development priorities. This empirical study has made a major contribution to the limited body of empirical knowledge on the training and development priorities in NGOs. These results will also give meaningful guidance to the researched NGOs with regards to their training and development programs.