ABSTRACT
Staff development for open and distance learning is still largely seen by organisations as a cost, not an investment. It is often given low priority in organisational plans and funding allocations. Provision tends to be unsystematic, piecemeal or minimal, and staff may often be left to pick up what knowledge and skills they can from doing the job. Even when staff development is provided, organisations are not always ready enough to utilise the new learning. This results in lost opportunities for capacity building and wastes resources. Organisations need to adopt a more strategic perspective on staff development. This chapter suggests how this might be done.
