Prioritizing Workforce Development Training in State Health Departments Using TRAIN: Challenges and Opportunities

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Effective public health workforce training is crucial for delivering essential services.
• The Training Finder Real-Time Affiliate Network (TRAIN) is a key learning management platform for public health professionals.
• Understanding current training practices and identifying barriers is vital for improving workforce development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current use of the TRAIN platform in state health departments.
• To identify organizational factors influencing public health training.
• To determine barriers and opportunities for enhancing training initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Structured interviews were conducted with 14 TRAIN administrators and performance improvement managers across 7 state health departments in 2014.
• Data collection focused on training practices, organizational features, and barriers to training.
• Key organizational elements examined included training structure, core competency tracking, and leadership support.

Main Results:

• TRAIN is underutilized as a training tool within many state health departments.
• Inadequate organizational ownership and insufficient valuation/budgeting for training were identified.
• Agency preparation for accreditation stimulated collaboration and shifted perceptions regarding training.

Conclusions:

• Assigning clear responsibility for training and centralizing efforts can enhance buy-in.
• Establishing expectations for training leaders to update policy and mandate TRAIN usage is recommended.
• Improving training management is essential for public health workforce development.