gear something to/towards something

[Tofu]

oxfordadvancedlearnersdictio … ary/gear_2
gear something to/towards something [usually passive]
to make, change or prepare something so that it is suitable for a particular purpose
The course had been geared [color=red]towards the specific needs of its members.

Can I say “for” in place of [color=red]towards?

[Beeesneees]

It wouldn’t be correct.

However you could say,
“The course had been designed for the specific needs of its members.”

The two sentences mean slightly different things though.

[Tofu]

@Beeesneees

The two sentences mean [color=darkblue]slightly different things though.

Thank you, B.
Could you tell me the [color=darkblue]slightly different things?

[Tofu]

us.asiancorrespondent.com/bangko … heory.html

At the height of that crisis, King Bhumibol delivered in late 1997 his landmark “sufficiency economy” speech, in which he called on the Thai population to reduce its reliance on exports and shift toward a more localized economic system, where at least 25% of the local production [color=red]was geared for individual needs.

Is [color=red]was geared for individual needs incorrect, and is [color=green]was geared towards individual needs correct?

[Beeesneees]

In my opinion and experience, ‘was geared towards individual needs’ would be more precise:

The course had been geared towards the specific needs of its members.
The course had been designed for the specific needs of its members.

In the same way
at least 25% of the local production was geared towards individual needs.
at least 25% of the local production was manufactured (or intended) for individual needs.

‘Geared toward(s)’ is an idiom meaning ‘aimed at’.
‘Geared for’ is not the true idiom, though it is used, as you can see from the example you found.

This leads to your other question about the slight differences between the two phrases:
The course had been geared towards the specific needs of its members.
The course had been designed for the specific needs of its members.

The course had been geared towards - the course was aimed at the needs of the members.
The course had been designed for - the course was created with the intention of fulfilling the needs of its members.

[Tofu]

Thank you, B. I’m still confused. The Collins Dictionary says:
dictionary.reverso.net/english-cobuild/gear
If someone or something is geared to or towards a particular purpose, they are organized or designed in order to achieve that purpose.

[Beeesneees]

I would say that another way of saying “The course was aimed at the needs of the members” is “The course was organized and designed to meet the needs of the members.” which is exactly what that definition suggests.

In this sentence, I consider ‘design’ to be the [i]structure[./i] of the course.

If I read that a course was designed to meet the members’ needs, then I would consider ‘design’ to include the course content as well as the structure.

It’s a small difference in meaning which will vary from context to context. Such are the subtleties of the English language.
I pointed out that the difference between the two sentences was only a small one. It would depend on the wider context. The only reason I mentioned that there was a small difference was so that you would understand they weren’t always wholly interchangeable

[Tofu]

Thanks so much, Beeesneees.

Could you give me some examples of “The course had been designed for”?