This note summarizes the methodology, challenges and lessons learned in the planning, management and organization of the Contracting Training Program (CTP) in Lesotho. The Contractor Training Program (CTP) started in 1994 with the main objective to phase out force account procedures for carrying out rural road maintenance, which were neither efficient nor cost effective. Some of the lessons learned are : CTPs need long term expensive TA, and adequate attention is needed for the selection and monitoring of local staff; financing of construction equipment can be overcome with imaginative and proactive management from the road agencies as well as a supportive private sector; a CTP program can make a significant impact on generating employment, but to ensure work quality, it is important to use appropriate technology; packaging work appropriately helps both the road agencies in the management of contracts and the contractors to develop their implementation capacity. to create market incentives, greater cooperation between the private and public sector is needed through providing a regular flow of works, and simplified competitive bidding procedures.