Employee training

Employee training and development is a very important function of human resource management. Organisations must train employees on a continuous basis in order to ensure long-term success of the business. Without appropriate training programs in place, it is difficult for organisations to operate in today’s constantly changing and technology-driven business environment.

What is Training?

Training is the systematic application of formal processes to impart knowledge and help people acquire the skills necessary for them to perform their jobs satisfactorily (Armstrong, 2012). The purpose of training is not a public relations exercise, rather development of people.

Why training employees?

There are a number of reasons why organisations should train their employees. Firstly, training usually increases productivity of the employees. Secondly, it keeps them updated with the new development in the field. Thirdly, training sometimes becomes necessary e.g. introducing a new system will require some relevant members of staff to be trained.

Issues to consider

Developing a training program is not always easy. Organisations need to consider a number of issues. For example, identifying training needs, persuading the management to invest money in training, learning styles of the participants, and hiring an appropriately qualified training are some of the major issues.

Types of training

Training can be broadly divided into two types, namely on-the-job training and off-the-job training. On-the-job training includes sitting with Nellie, job rotation, coaching, mentoring and many more. Off-the-job training includes lecture, vestibule training, distance learning and many more.

Which one to follow: on-the-job or off-the-job training?

Using on-the-job or off-the-job training method exclusively may not be effective. Therefore, a combination of both is necessary. For example, a new sales advisor may participate in an off-the-job training programe to understand how sales work. He/she may then work with a mentor for further training. This combination of both on-the-job and off-the-job training methods should provide better results.

Finally, billions of dollars are spent on training worldwide every year. It attests to the fact that organisations understand the importance of training their employees. Employees should also proactively understand it so that employee training programs can bring in desired results.

The article publication date: 06 November 2016

Further reading/references

Armstrong, M., (2012) Armstrong’s Handbook of Reward Management Practice: Improving Performance Through Reward, 4th edition, Kogan Page

BPP (2013) Human Resources Development and Employee Relations, 3rd edition, London: BPP Learning Media.

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