The present study was conducted in western region of the Maharashtra state. The region consisting of ten districts, falls under the jurisdiction of Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri. Thus, the KVKs at Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule and Nandurbar were selected. All the SMSs of these KVKs were selected as respondents for present study. Questionnaire was used to elicit data from the respondents and collected information was subjected to appropriate statistical analysis. The study indicated 78.42 percent of overall training needs working in KVKs. Maximum training needs of SMS were observed towards agricultural engineering (82.71%), agricultural finance, marketing and exports (82.08%) and Integrated Nutrient Management (80.83%), Integrated Pest Management (80.33%), Extension Education (80.33%), Natural Resource Management (78.75%), Horticultural Crop Production and Management (78.11%), Seed Production, Processing and Marketing (77.50%), Crop Husbandry (76.04%), and, Animal, Dairy, Veterinary and Fishery (75.06%). Fifty percent of SMSs preferred short duration and 65.00 percent of them demanded off campus and, both theory and practical oriented training programmes. In this direction ICAR Research Institutes, State Agricultural Universities and, National and Regional Level Extension Training Institutes need to take concrete efforts to organize need based training programmes for capacity building of KVK professionals

Keyword: Knowledge and Resource Ce