Professional development-a program to stimulate personal growth

In 1968 the development engineering division of IBM recognized the desirability of continuing education for engineers, programmers and scientists in fields other than technology. Needs were defined which included improving the professionals' understanding of the company, improving their career management capability and their ability to achieve personal growth through work. A one-week school was established. This article describes two schools of this type, one on the east coast and one on the west coast. Actually most divisions or locations in IBM are today running similar or related programs. Using these schools as examples, this article reviews their design, their conduct and how the concepts and program have evolved over the years. Original goals are contrasted with current goals. The evolving content of the program is reviewed and some measures, albeit subjective, for the success of the school are discussed. It is believed this program represents a leading experiment in expanding the breadth and types of learning sponsored by industry for the growth of professional employees.