The main purpose of this study was to undertake a systematic assessment of the current practices of humanrnresource training and development programs in Social Sector Bureaus of Oromia and thereby single out thernstrengths and weaknesses of the programs and eventually come up with plausible recommendations for thernidentified problems. To this end, answers to the basic questions pertaining to training and developmentrnpolicy, the practice of TDNA, criteria for selecting employees for training, methods and evaluation of trainingrnand development programs were sought for.rnA descriptive survey method of study was employed Accordingly, survey questionnaire and interviewrnquestion items were prepared, pilot tested, and administered to a sample of 249 subjects In aggregatern205(82 percent) of the questionnaires were filled and returned. While sample Bureaus were selectedrnpurposively, the respondents of the questionnaires of each respective Bureau were selected using availabilityrnsampling method. Data analysis was made using both descriptive and inferential statistics such asrnpercentages, means, chi-square tests, and one-way ANOVA tests, where appropriate .rnThe findings of the study showed that training and development programs were not governed byrnRegional/organizational policy, though TDNA practices were carried out rarely, on instances where it wasrndone, individual employees were given little opportunity to determine their own needs, that individualrnemployees involvement in setting objectives had been neglected, that most of the training and developmentrnprograms offered so far were short- term oriented and little emphasis has been given to 017- the-job trainingrnand development methods; that the practice of arranging induction programs to new recruits was neglected,rn/and there was no inbuilt system of evaluation by which effectiveness of training and development programsrnwere assessed. Besides this, inadequate organizational facilities, lack of well designed training andrn. development programs, unavailability of training and development policy, absence of appropriate trainingrninstitutions, lack of adequate budget for training and development programs, and fai/ure to prioritize trainingrnand development were seen as some of the major constrain ts in their training and development endeavorsrnIn light of these, recommendations were also forwarded for addressing these issues. Included were, therndesigning and implementation of Regional/organizational policy, the provision of technical assistance by thernRegional esc and eBB in designing Regional TNA manual, and various intensive programs; therndevelopment and endorsement of a system of evaluation, the need for creating appropriate links with trainingrninstitutions and other NGO's