Courses providing for the education and training needs for staff nurses and care officers should be designed to provide training at two levels. First, the results indicate a significant number of courses undertaken by nurses were accredited third level courses which support the notion that many nurses want third level accredited courses. The findings also indicate that there was a high level of participation by both grades of staff in certificate and inservice courses. This suggests that both care officers and nurses want education and training programs aimed at developing their skills. Based on these results two education programs have been developed. The first was designed for the non-nursing staff. The second was designed for a range of disciplines: doctors, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, psychologist, legal professions, probation and welfare officers, and prison officers. It was intended that an education and training needs analysis for both nurses and care officers working in the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) in Dublin, Ireland could be achieved to provide an environment where personal development and learning could take place. The study consisted of 101 psychiatric nurses and care officers. Tables and references