Since the 1990s the Brazilian public sector has made an effort to improve its performance. In a context of reforms, the human resources area is essential, because it is people who make the change. A human resource policy crucial for the reforms' success refers to training, which gives the employees the skills needed to improve his/hers performance while serving the public. This article identifies the ways in which the training of technical-administrative staff (TAS) influences the activities at the Federal University of Viçosa, UFV (in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil), according to the trained employees and the management. The information was obtained by reviewing the literature, visiting the human resources department and by interviewing a few employees and managers. The results show that there are two factors interfering in the training process, both positively and negatively. The lack of an official improvement policy and the legislation contribute to that. Since the process is not well structured, there is no planning for the training activities, as well as no evaluation of the TAS that underwent this process.
human resource policies; training and development; public organization