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ABSTRACT
Operating a business with employees who have the skills and knowledge to stay productive is dependent upon a few factors. One of the biggest is developing and implementing a successful training program that nurtures employees and capitalizes on their talents. Long-term competitiveness requires an organization to be committed to putting employees first and developing quality training programs that are linked to its strategic objectives. Without a true commitment to the employees at all levels throughout an organization, the journey to enhance organizational performance will be an elusive adventure. Quality employees equate to organizational success. Unqualified and poorly trained employees equate to organizational failure. This paper has dealt with the various procedures which helps to decrease the cost expenses involved in training of employees in any organisation.
INTRODUCTION
Allocating adequate organizational resources to achieve an effective training environment has been a budgetary and operational challenge that has eluded many organizational decision-makers, primarily because they do not realize that training is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to enhancing employee performance. Lurking beneath the issue of training is the commitment that an organization makes to its employees as reflected by the HR policies that management has established. In a recent Wall Street Journal, article it was reported that despite the claims from a majority of executives that their organizations treat employees with respect and offer fair pay for the tasks performed, the evidence tends to indicate that most organizations do not practice what is preached.
Both conventional or modern methodologies are being followed in training. The traditional training methods include lectures, seminars and workshops. Lectures are of one way communication and conventional. The participatory methodologies such as learning by doing and group dynamic approaches are effective training methods. Multicultural workforce in the current trend is making good business and so managers have to think beyond the traditional methods of training such as sensitivity training, role playing inorder to overcome the cultural barriers.Simulation and business games are used for skill development. Nowadays interactive learning techniques are at the rise. Training through audiovisual aids and simulations can help people understand the real-life situations.
CURRENT ISSUES IN TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Training occupies a key position in human resource development. Training is considered to be very significant for both the employees and the organization as it enhances the performance of the system as a whole. To cater to the needs of improving the overall performance, effective training is a must. Training is part and parcel of any industry and human resource planning forms the basis for this. Training and development helps the organization to take it to the expected results of achieving organizational objectives. Training need assessment is the first step followed before proceeding with the training programmes. It lays emphasis on sorting out the gap between what is and what is expected out of the employee that highly influences the performance. It not only determines the necessity of the training programme and but also focuses on the required areas of training.
There are several areas of challenges in the area of training and development. In general, the current issues in training and development can be categorized as follows:
* Management issues
* Financial issues
* Social issues
* Environmental issues
* Psychological issues:
* Legal issues
* Safety issues
The training process involves planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating the training programs. Issues can occur at any stage of the training process such as during the fixing of objectives of training need analysis, collecting data or at the time of analysis of results. Lack of standardization, lack of recognition, non -availability of appropriate trainers are also the problems encountered while conducting training programmes. The resource management is one of the areas of that managers have to focus in training. The company's budget is to be taken into consideration while planning the training programmes. The training resources are to be managed efficiently to make it cost effective.
The cost to benefit ratio is to be worked out while formulating the training process. This will make the training get going smoothly. The managers are to be fully aware of the training budget so that they can correlate with the benefits obtained out of training. Issue can also arise when the employees lack the commitment towards learning and training.
The absence of proper follow up after the training programme is one of the training issues that is common in several organizations. Finally the employees should apply the skills gained by them through training. Hence follow up of the training programme is a very crucial stage in the training process as the ultimate aim of the training is to improve the knowledge, skill and attitude of the trainees.
COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYEE TRAINING EXPERIENCE
Based on training principles, here is a checklist for a successful employee learning experience:
The goals of the employee training or development program are clear
The employees are involved in determining the knowledge, skills and abilities to be learned
The employees are participating in activities during the learning process
The work experiences and knowledge that employees bring to each learning situation are used as a resource
A practical and problem-centred approach based on real examples is used
New material is connected to the employee's past learning and work experience
The employees are given an opportunity to reinforce what they learn by practicing
The learning environment is informal, safe and supportive
The individual employee is shown respect
The learning opportunity promotes positive self-esteem
TRAINING PROCESS
1. NEEDS ANALYSIS
Identify specific job performance skills needed to improve performance and productivity.
Analyze the audience to ensure that the program will be suited to their specific levels of education, experience, and skills, as well as their attitudes and personal motivations.
Use research to develop specific measurable knowledge and performance objectives.
2. INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
Gather instructional objectives, methods, media, description of sequence of content, examples, exercises, and activities. Organize them into a curriculum that supports adult learning theory and provides a blueprint for program development.
Make sure all materials, such as video scripts, leaders’ guides, and participants’ work-books, complement each other, are written clearly, and blend into unified training geared directly to the stated learning objectives.
Carefully and professionally handle all program elements – whether reproduced on paper, film, or tape – to guarantee quality and effectiveness.
3. VALIDATION
Introduce and validate the training before a representative audience. Base final revisions on pilot results to ensure program effectiveness.
4. IMPLEMENTATION
When applicable, boost success with a train- the –trainer workshop that focuses on presentation knowledge and skills in addition to training content.
5. EVALUATION AND FOLLOW UP
Assess program success according to:
COST-EFFECTIVE PROCESS FOR EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Employee training and development needs to suit your organization's context, job descriptions, employment contracts and collective agreements. When selecting employee training and development methods, it is important to remember the learning process. There are many ways to provide employees with learning opportunities, including:
ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCE
COMMITTEES
• Committees are part of every-day activity in any organization. They can also be effective learning tools, with the right focus
• Committees made up of staff from different areas of your organization will enhance learning by allowing members to see issues from different perspectives
• Set aside part of the committee's work time to discuss issues or trends that may impact on the organization in the future
CONFERENCES AND FORUMS
• Employees can attend conferences that focus on topics of relevance to their position and the organization
• Upon their return, have the employee make a presentation to other staff as a way of enhancing the individual's learning experience and as a way of enhancing the organization. (Some conferences and forums may be considered off-the-job learning)
CRITICAL INCIDENT NOTES
• Day-to-day activities are always a source of learning opportunities
• Select the best of these opportunities and write up critical incident notes for staff to learn from. Maybe a client complaint was handled effectively. Write a brief summary of the incident and identify the employee's actions that led to a successful resolution
• Share the notes with the employee involved and with others as appropriate. If the situation was not handled well, again write a brief description of the situation identifying areas for improvement
• Discuss the critical incident notes with the employee and identify the areas for the employee to improve upon and how you will assist the employee in doing this
FIELD TRIPS
• If your organization has staff at more than one site, provide employees with an opportunity to visit the other sites
• This helps your employees gain a better understanding of the full range of programs and clients that your organization serves
• Field trips to other organizations serving a similar clientele or with similar positions can also provide a valuable learning experience
• Give staff going on field trips a list of questions to answer or a list of things to look for
• Follow up the field trip by having staff explain what they have learned and how they can apply that learning to your organization. (Fieldtrips can also be an off-the-job activity)
JOB AIDS
• Tools can be given to employees to help them perform their jobs better. These tools include: manuals, checklists, phone lists, procedural guidelines, decision guidelines and so forth
• Job aids are very useful for new employees, employees taking on new responsibilities and for activities that happen infrequently
JOB EXPANDING
• Once an employee has mastered the requirements of his or her job and is performing satisfactorily, s/he may want greater challenges. Consider assigning new additional duties to the employee
• Which duties to assign should be decided by the employee and her or his manager
• Organizations with flat organizational structure are starting to give some managerial tasks to experienced staff as a way of keeping those staff challenged
JOB ROTATION
• On a temporary basis, employees can be given the opportunity to work in a different area of the organization
• The employee keeps his or her existing job but fills in for or exchanges responsibilities with another employee
JOB SHADOWING
• If an employee wants to learn what someone else in your organization does, your employee can follow that person and observe him or her at work
• Usually the person doing the shadowing does not help with the work that is being done
LEARNING ALERTS
• Newspaper articles, government announcements and reports can be used as learning alerts
• Prepare a brief covering page which could include a short summary and one or two key questions for your employees to consider. Then circulate the item
• Include the item on the agenda of your next staff meeting for a brief discussion
PEER-ASSISTED LEARNING
• Two employees agree to help each other learn different tasks. Both employees should have an area of expertise that the co-worker can benefit from
• The employees take turns helping their co-worker master the knowledge or skill that they have to share
'STRETCH' ASSIGNMENTS
• These assignments give the employee an opportunity to stretch past his or her current abilities. For example, a stretch assignment could require an employee to chair a meeting if the person has never done this before
• To ensure that chairing the meeting is a good learning experience, the manager should take time after the meeting to discuss with the employee what went well and what could have been improved
SPECIAL PROJECTS
• Give an employee an opportunity to work on a project that is normally outside his or her job duties. For example, someone who has expressed an interest in events planning could be given the opportunity to work as part of a special events team
CONCLUSION
An effective training program is one of the best ways to prepare employees for success. By equipping them with the tools and knowledge to perform their jobs, you can expect better performance and a more cohesive unit. The long-term effects are often higher productivity,better company culture, and increased sales. This cost effective procedures have been useful for training people.