Real Estate Training Needs Analysis

Appendix - Discussion Outline For Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews

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Opening remarks

Introduction:

Moderator introduction.
Thanks for taking part in this discussion.
Reminder that all comments are confidential (tape for research only).
As you know, the National Highway Institute provides a great many training resources for people in states and localities who are involved with real estate management issues. It is their charge to develop training resources that do not compete with other agencies or associations, but rather draw upon those things that NHI can do that others cannot do.

The purpose of today's discussion is to give you the opportunity to provide your perspectives on three issues:

What are your real estate training needs and is what NHI doing now working for you?
Are there things they could be doing that would help you, or help you more? (What topics or subject areas should they be giving attention to?)
What does the future hold in terms of real estate training in your organization?

How we'll do this:

The role of the moderator
Focus groups as an exploratory tool
No selling
No changing of minds
No forcing of consensus
No right or wrong answers
Please be frank
Agree to disagree
Everyone has a right to their opinion

Introductions:

State/locality
Job description
Tenure with current agency

I wonder if we could start today by letting you tell me about your current real estate training needs:

What are your current real estate training needs?
How often do your needs change?
Is there any mandated training?
What real estate-related content areas are being addressed in your current training? By whom? (probe for inside versus outsourcing, etc).
What real estate-related content areas should be addressed in your current training? By whom? (probe for inside versus outsourcing, etc).

[Following open-ended discussion, these probes may be used]

What real estate content issues are most important to you?
How important are:
- Appraisal
- Acquisition
- Property management
- Relocation
- Outdoor advertising and other emerging issues
- Are there others?
Please prioritize these content issues from most to least important.
For the top three priority issues you mentioned, would you describe the types of items that should be covered in a training program for this area.
What real estate training [content areas] have you found to be most useful?
- What makes it useful?
Do any barriers stand in the way of your people getting the real estate training they need?
- If so, what are these barriers?
- Does the format of training programs hinder them in any way?
Who is responsible for real estate training in your organization?
- Does real estate training get support from upper management for training?
What funding priority does real estate training have in your organization?
- Is this adequate?
Where do you turn for materials, courses, programs and other content for your real estate training? [probe for role of NHI materials and classes]
What kind of technology are you currently using for training?
- CD-ROM
- Online, i.e. via the Internet - Do your people have access to the Internet? Do you use it for training?
- Videotape?
- Other?
Is training done on-site or at other places?
Do you allow outsiders (people from other agencies, other states, consultants, etc.) to take part in your real estate training? Why is that?
In what format is real estate training usually done? [probe for classroom, use of own instructors versus outsourcing, etc.]
Do you have dedicated training programs for your people or do they attend training sessions at colleges, associations or private firms?
Does your training budget allow for appropriate staff training and development?
Does your training budget allow you to send people to training that requires overnight travel? What about out-of-state travel?
Are your training needs and methods changing?
- In what ways?
- How is your organization addressing these changes?

I'd like to look now at your impressions of real estate training programs offered by NHI.

Have you ever attended any of NHI's programs?
- Which one(s)?
- What was your impression of this experience?
Is there any reason you would not consider using NHI's real estate training programs?
How familiar would you say you are with NHI's inventory of real estate training programs?
- What is your impression of the overall quality of these programs?
- What is your impression of the quality of the content of these programs?
- Do these programs fit the specific needs of your organization?
- How do you feel about the cost of these programs?
  - Is it reasonable?
  - Is it affordable to your organization?
- How do you feel about their delivery methods?
- How do you feel about the scheduling of NHI programs?
- Is the length of these programs appropriate for your needs? Would shorter or longer sessions be more appropriate? Why?
What NHI training materials do you use most often? Why is that?
What NHI training materials do you use rarely or never? Why is that?
What do you consider their strengths? Why is that?
What do you consider their weaknesses? Why is that?
Do you have any suggestions as to how NHI could make their training resources more effective for you or your organization? What, if anything, could they do to make them better?
If NHI training courses could be taken for continuing education or re-certification credit, would they be more appealing to your organization?
When do you think is the best time to be doing real estate training? [after initial responses, probe to see if answers relate to time of the year, career stage, time after being hired, etc.]

Let's look forward now - let's think 3 years. Where do you see your real estate training program going over the next 3 years?

Are there any changes in your organization or personnel, or in the environment in which you all work, that may change the way real estate training is done or the subjects you cover in your training? Tell me about this.
If you were to step into your organization five years from now, how might you expect real estate training to be different from the way it is done today?
Do you envision changes in:
- The way real estate training is managed?
- The number of people being trained?
- Budgeting for real estate training?
- Your organization's training resources:
  - Do you expect to have or need more people?
  - Do you expect to outsource training more/less, at all?
  - Do you expect to use consultants more/less, at all?
The job descriptions of people being trained?
How and where you train them?
The content of your training?
- The technology used?
- Other factors related to content or delivery?
How interested do you think your organization would be in real estate training delivered:
- By CD-ROM?
- Online, such as over the Internet?
- [Other]

Thanks and closing

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