Training People for Maximum Impact

"Education has a clear multiplier effect; with educaton comes increased health, economic growth and food security." Students in a school in Mingun, Burma, a village just north of Mandalay.

Margaret Koziol

USAID works to ensure maximum impact and long-term sustainability of its development programs by providing people in the countries we work in with the skills and knowledge critical to the achievement of country development goals. Training to address skill and knowledge gaps is a key element of USAID’s efforts to build human and institutional capacity.

Training can take place in the home country, in a third country or the United States. Participants in these programs may be mid-level or high-level managers or other professionals from the public and private sectors.

Bringing participants to the United States involves additional planning and procedural steps to acquire a J-1 visa, required of all training and exchange visitors.

• Visa Compliance for Exchange Visitors
• Complete Guide to USAID J-1 Visa Compliance.

In 2011, USAID supported training for over two million people, including more than 4,000 who received training in the United States. Most training programs were short-term technical training, study visits, and leadership development programs.  USAID also supports a limited number of longer-term academic degree programs, non-degree research, and other training programs.

Learn more about USAID’s Human and Institutional Development Policy.