The on the job application of skills and knowledge learned in training, referred to as transfer of training, is the subject of increasing interest by management, performance technologists, and trainers. As training budgets increase, questions are being asked about the return on this investment, and practitioners are searching for strategies to increase the likelihood of transfer of training. In this article transfer is conceptualised in terms of a five stage process (ranging from initiation to unconscious maintenance) rather than as an outcome or product of training. Two factors which are commonly cited as inhibiting the transfer process -low motivation, and an unfavourable perception of supervisor support -are discussed. A model of transfer, based on force field analysis, which considers the process of transfer in terms of inhibiting and supporting factors is proposed. Potential strategies to support greater transfer are introduced, and will be explored in detail in the second part of this article [Foxon, 1994].Training and corporate education has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Despite the current recession, business is continuing to invest heavily in training its people. In the USA, nearly 41 million corporate employees were predicted to receive training during the 1992/93 year. The total dollars budgeted for this formal training in organisations with 100 or more employees was estimated at $45 billion, an increase of 4% on the previous year's figure. If the budget estimates for outside training expenditures (such as packaged training programs, seminars, and the like) are included, this figure increases to more than $53 billion (Industry Report, 1992). This pattern of investment can be observed in many other industrialised countries. Since 1990, for example, Australian organisations