Training and Development

1. INTRODUCTION

In this project I am going to look at importance of training and development in organizations. Firstly, different company attitudes to training and development and cost and benefits associated with it are going to be discussed.

Secondly, the stages in training and development process are going to be identified with a specific focus on different training and development methods and consideration of its advantages and disadvantages.

Finally, the literature on training and development use as a motivation and retention tool is going to be reviewed, moreover, training and development on international scale and its possible issues are going to be discussed. To sum up, a conclusion summarising all findings is going to be drawn.

1.1. Introduction into training and development

Training and development is by definition: “The heart of a continuous effort deigned to improve employee competency and organizational performance.” (R. Wayne Mondy, Robert M. Noe, Shane R. Premeaux, 2002, Human Resources management, p. 214). Training is planned to give trainees information and skills, they need for their job, while development involves learning that goes beyond the knowledge needed just for current job. It is more long-term focused as it enables employees to keep up with the organization and its changes and growth.

Companies have different approach to training and development. Some companies tent to minimise the training of its employees as they see it as an unnecessary budgeted cost. On the other hand, we have companies, which see training of employees more as a strategic investment and a very important attribute, which may increase employees productivity and reduce human error; such companies can be called a learning organizations (R. Wayne Mondy, Robert M. Noe, Shane R. Premeaux, 2002). Training and development obviously has its cost such as course material, facilitator fees and facilities rental, for instance. However, there is a lot of savings caused by proper training such as increased revenues, less need for supervision or lesser staff turnover and lower costs associated with recruiting new employees. “The right employee training, development and education, at the right time, provides big payoffs for the employer in increased productivity, knowledge, loyalty, and contribution.” (Susan M. Heathfield, 2007).

Some companies would train only new employees, but training should be considered also when the company is adopting new management style or acquiring new piece of machinery, as the employees should be familiar with new concept to be able to work effectively. For example, if the company starts to use a new technology, management style or machinery and does not train the staff for it properly, there will be no additional revenue as expected, because the employees do not know how to operate the machinery. Skilled employees are essential for the growth of the organization.

2. PHASES OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Training and development process consist from three stages.

2.1. The preparation phase вЂ" before the training can take place, some preparation has to be done. Company has to identify what are the training needs and what method of training they are going to use. They have to allocate the resources necessary for the training and finally the objectives for the training should be set, in order to be able to evaluate the results of the training at the end.

2.2. The training-development phase вЂ" this stage consist from different methods of training and development, which are going to be discuss later on.

2.3. The evaluation phase вЂ" after the training is over, it is evaluated to find out if the training was successful. Evaluation can be done just by asking the participants what they think about it or by observing their behaviour after training. Alternatively, participants may take a test to asses their knowledge and to find out if they learned something.

3. METHODS OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

To choose the right training method is very important for the business as by this choice they can make sure that the employees have the right skills for the business and are familiar with best and new practices.

Training and development methods are as follow:

3.1. Demonstration

Can be called as well “sitting next to Nellie” and it is a widely used technique as it is an inexpensive method of training. A trainee is showed how to do the job by supervisor or a colleague and then does it himself. As trainee actively participate in the training process, he may pick up the skills faster and the learning process is more effective. On the other hand, it may be time consuming and the person providing the training may not be qualified enough or do not give enough attention to the trainee at it keeps him/her from doing his own job. Additionally, the trainee may pick up their bad habits and feedback from the colleague may not be very constructive. From my experience, the demonstration is a good way of training as you can get a good feel for the job and in some cases it is the best way how to learn the job.

3.2. Coaching

The trainee is guided by supervisor. Meetings are held to provide the trainee with guidance, support and help. The trainee has some responsibilities assigned and supervisor just advises him how to deal with them. However, sometimes the supervisor may not have enough time for the trainee and that may put a lot of pressure on him. I believe this is an effective method of training, especially for an individual, who wants to develop as the trainees have problems to solve and they have a needed support for it.

3.3. Mentoring

Mentoring has many things in common with coaching as coaching is one aspect of mentoring. Mentor is usually a senior manager, sometimes even from different department. Mentor is counselling the trainee and helps him improve his performance and encourages his career development. Although, senior managers are often very busy and they do not have to have enough time to pay attention to the trainee or they may not have required mentoring skills.

3.4. Job rotation

Trainees go through range of placements within the organization. It is an inexpensive method of training and trainees have the opportunity to get different knowledge and skills as it provides exposure to different situation on the positions. The training may be ineffective if it is not designed