Training

Training is the process of providing the ideas, knowledge and methodology to the staffs to fit-in in the job requirements. In other words, training is a learning experience, which relatively change an individual behavior that will improve his/her ability to perform on the job.

According to Edwin B. Flippo, “Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skills in an employee for doing a particular job.”

Similarly, According to Casio: “Training consists of planned designed to improve performance at the individual, group and organizational levels.”

Thus, training is a technique to upgrade employees’ skills and knowledge to work in a changed work process and position and to fit-in in it.

Objectives of training:

The major objective of training is to bring positive change in employees’ knowledge, skills and attitude towards the work. The general objectives of training are as follows:

1. Update capabilities: Environment is dynamic. Change in environmental factors obsolete the working methods, technology and also change the peoples’ behaviors. Thus, training aims to update the knowledge and ideas needs to overcome these challenges by the employees.
2. Develop healthy attitude: Work knowledge is must for any workers, who is responsible to do it. Training provides the necessary skill and techniques to perform the job easily and promptly. It not only develops the positive attitude toward the work but also facilitates better co-operation, commitment and loyalty of employees.
3. Socialization: Training always aims to socialize employees towards organizational setting. The skills and ideas learned from training is helpful for an individual to fit-in the job and behave as per its requirement.
4. Develop future potential: An individual with skills and knowledge is a possible candidate for promotion or getting the challenging job. This helps an individual to fulfill his career goals. Thus, training is means for future growth of employees.
5. Improve Productivity: Training improves individual potentiality. It develops confidence and positive attitude towards work. These bring less labor turnover, absenteeism, operational errors, which enhances overall productivity of an organization.

Benefits of training:

The benefits of training programs are as follows:

1. It helps to make successful implementation of change program (change management).
2. Increases organizational performances.
3. Makes people committed to achieving organizational objectives.
4. Increase attraction in organization.
5. Maximize individual performance and minimizes complaints.

Determining Training Needs

Training needs can be determined by answering the following questions:

1. What are organizational goals?
2. What tasks are must to be completed to achieve these goals?
3. What behaviors are necessary for each incumbent to complete hi/her assigned tasks?
4. What deficiencies, if any do incumbents have in the skills, knowledge or attitude required to perform the necessary behaviors?

Job requirements – Employee capabilities = Training Needs.

Training is required only when, three is a deviation or gap between the job requirement and employee capabilities. Usually, due to the following reasons training is required.

1. Worsening of employees’ performance.
2. Change in current technology and work practices.
3. Employees’ promotion.
4. For increasing productivity and effectiveness of certain units of operation.

Training need analysis is a systematic process of understanding training requirements. It is conducted as three stages. They are:

1. Organizational need analysis: The organizations’ need analysis is aimed at short listing the focus area for training within the organization and the factors that may affect the  same .The study of organizational mission, goals, people inventories etc. gives idea about the kind of learning environment required for the training. Besides, the financial ability to conduct training programs can also be ascertained by organizational analysis.
2. Job need analysis: The job analysis is the need assessment the job to be performed to achieve an organizational goal. It is done to get information on the task to be performed on each job and the skill required to do it.
3. Individual analysis: Individual performance is a major factor for goal achievement. His/her abilities and attitude towards the job is crucial for success of organization. So individual ability is measured and evaluated to find out deficiencies that restrict to meet the standard performance of the job.

Another view of training need is that, it is the deviation between what is and what should be. The assessment gives insight into what kind of intervention is required, knowledge or skill or both. In certain cases when both of these are present and the performance is still missing then the problem may be motivational in nature. It thus, highlights the need and appropriate intervention which is essential to make the training effective.