Training Needs Analysis through DACUM (Hardcover)

Robert Adams

ISBN 10: 0990717623 / ISBN 13: 9780990717621

Published by Edwin & Associates, 2026

About this Item

Hardcover. Training Needs Analysis through DACUM: A Guide for Coordinators is a comprehensive, practice-based guide to conducting systematic training needs analysis and occupational analysis using the DACUM (Develop A CurriculUM) system, originally developed by Robert E. Adams in 1968.This book focuses explicitly on the analysis phase of occupational training development, addressing a critical weakness in many training programs: the failure to accurately diagnose performance problems and define job-relevant skills before designing instruction. Rather than assuming training is always the solution, the authors begin with performance analysis, guiding readers through methods for determining when training is appropriate and when performance issues stem from environmental, organizational, or motivational factors.Central to the book is DACUM's expert-worker-driven approach to occupational analysis. Readers are guided step-by-step through the role of the DACUM coordinator, committee selection, coordinating techniques, skill identification, skill wording, and the construction and validation of DACUM charts organized around General Areas of Competence (GACs). Emphasis is placed on defining observable, measurable skills, avoiding abstract knowledge statements, and maintaining the integrity of the analysis process.The book also explains the use of the DACUM rating scale to establish minimum acceptable levels of competence, differentiate performance expectations, and support later evaluation. While this volume concentrates on analysis, it intentionally situates that analysis within the broader DACUM Development Model, demonstrating how high-quality analysis becomes the foundation for curriculum development, learning activities, and performance-based evaluation.Written for DACUM coordinators, training and development professionals, instructional designers, workforce educators, and career and technical education leaders, this book serves both as a technical reference and a working guide. It is designed to help professionals produce training programs that are efficient, defensible, and directly aligned with real occupational performance-avoiding over-training, under-training, and misaligned curricula.As part of the DACUM series, Training Needs Analysis through DACUM stands as the definitive resource on conducting authentic DACUM-based analysis and preserving its role as the foundation of an integrated occupational training system. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780990717621

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Training Needs Analysis through DACUM (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Edwin & Associates
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0990717623
• ISBN 13: 9780990717621
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

A Practical Guide to Skill-Based Occupational Analysis

Most training needs assessment books focus on theory, surveys, or generic models. The problem? These methods are often too time-consuming, too abstract, or too disconnected from the real demands of the workplace. The result is familiar: training programs that look professional on paper but fail to prepare learners for what they’ll actually do on the job.

This book offers a proven alternative: the DACUM (Develop A Curriculum) system of occupational analysis. Rooted in the principle that the people who do the work are the best at defining it, DACUM captures the essential skills of an occupation in clear, observable terms. It’s fast, practical, and produces data that employers, educators, and workforce professionals can trust.

Written as a step-by-step guide for coordinators, this book shows you how to:

• Build and manage expert worker committees.

• Facilitate the creation of DACUM charts that define an occupation’s real skills.

• Avoid the common traps that undermine traditional needs assessments.

• Translate analysis results into priorities for training, evaluation, and workforce planning.

Grounded in decades of field application and refined through use across industries, this book is both practical and accessible. Whether you are new to training needs assessment or looking for a more effective approach, it provides a roadmap for producing analysis results that are relevant, defensible, and immediately useful.

If you’re ready to move beyond theory and start building training programs that truly reflect workplace realities, this is the guide you need.