Transition Engineering

This article focuses on transition engineering that is in demand throughout Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, where transition of economic life started more than a decade ago. The larger companies had access to consulting resources of international firms to guide them in meeting their new responsibilities. But the smaller firms—from a few employees to several thousand—did not have the money to buy such advice. USAID stepped in to help with a series of programs using volunteer advisors, coordinated by local offices in the newly independent states. In the former Soviet Union, USAID programs seek to fill the void created by a lack of experienced managers and sufficient sources of newly trained personnel, by providing advisors with industry experience and necessary relevant skills.