Training and Development

Training and Development is one of the main functions of the human

resource management department. Training refers to a systematic
setup where employees are instructed and taught matters of technical
knowledge related to their jobs. It focuses on teaching employees
how to use particular machines or how to do specific tasks to increase
efficiency.

Whereas, Development refers to the overall holistic and educational

growth and maturity of people in managerial positions. The process
of development is in relation to insights, attitudes,
adaptability, leadership and human relations.

Training and Development Programmes

Training and development programmes are designed according to the
requirements of the organisation, the type and skills of employees
being trained, the end goals of the training and the job profile of the
employees. These programmes are generally classified into two
types: (i) on the job programmes, and (ii)off the job programmes.
(source-miningreview)

Different training is given to employees at different levels. The

following training methods are used For the training of skilled
workers and operators- Specific job training programmes, Technical
training at a training with live demos, Internship training, Training
via the process of rotation of job.

Training given to people in a supervisory or managerial capacity is –

Lectures, Group Discussions, Case studies, Role-playing,
Conferences etc.

People in managerial programmes are given this type of training-

Management Games to develop decision making, Programmes to
identify potential executives, Sensitivity training to understand and
influence employee behaviour, Simulation and role-playing,
Programmes for improving communication, human relations and
managerial skills.

Other Training Programmes

Technical Training – Technical training is that type of training that

is aimed at teaching employees how a particular technology or a
machine.

Quality Training – Quality training is usually performed

in companies who physically produce a product. Quality training
teaches employees to identify faulty products and only allow perfect
products to go out to the markets.

Skills Training – Skills training refers to training given to employees

so as to perform their particular jobs. For e.g. A receptionist would be
specifically taught to answer calls and handle the answering machine.
Soft Skills – Soft skills training includes personality development,
being welcoming and friendly to clients, building rapport, training on
sexual harassment etc.

Professional Training – Professional Training is done for jobs that

have constantly changing and evolving work like the field of
medicine and research. People working in these sectors have to be
regularly updated on matters of the industry.

Team Training – Team training establishes a level of trust and

synchronicity between team members for increased efficiency.

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Benefits of Training

1. Training improves the quantity and quality of the workforce.

It increases the skills and knowledge base of the employees.
2. It improves upon the time and money required to reach the
company’s goals. For e.g. Trained salesmen achieve and
exceed their targets faster than inexperienced and untrained
salesmen.
3. Training helps to identify the highly skilled and talented
employees and the company can give them jobs of higher
responsibilities.
4. Trained employees are highly efficient in comparison to
untrained ones.
5. Reduces the need to constantly supervise and overlook the
employees.
6. Improves job satisfaction and thus boosts morale.
Benefits of Development

1. Exposes executives to the latest techniques and trends in their

professional fields.
2. Ensures that the company has an adequate number of
managers with knowledge and skill at any given point.
3. Helps in the long-term growth and survival of the company.
4. Creates an effective team of managers who can handle the
company issues without fail.
5. Ensures that the employees utilise their managerial and
leadership skills in particular to the fullest.

TRAINING
 Teach a specified skill esp.by practice
 Systemic instruction and drill.
 If the end result is a specific behaviour, such as welding two
metals, and the justification for learning is to improve
effectiveness of the organisation in which the welder
works . . . the enterprise is training.
 TRAINING: Specific transfer of same skills to similar settings
for the purpose of addressing gaps in skills or knowledge
learning.

EDUCATION
 The knowledge and skills resulting from instruction and
training
 . . .systematic instruction.
 Education focuses on learning new skills, knowledge, and
attitudes that will equip an individual to assume a new job or
to do a different task at some predetermined future time.
 When the behavior at the end of a learning experience is
unknown, because it is unknowable, and the justification for
the learning is to enhance a person’s being, not necessarily
the improvement of a performance that translates easily to
the improvement of the organisation’s effectiveness (though
that might happen), the enterprise is called education.
(Curriculum for the Workplace, p. 13)
DEVELOPMENT
 Development activities are not job related but are oriented
to both personal and organizational growth. The focus of
such activities is on broadening the learner’s conceptual and
perceptual base in areas not previously explored or
experienced by the individual.
 DEVELOPMENT: General transfer of similar skills to very
different settings for the purposes of improving the way
people feel, think, behave, or resist learning.

LEARNING
 The act of acquiring knowledge or skill
 Knowledge acquired by study
 Permanent changes in a person that is related to past
experiences and the opportunity to acquire skills and
knowledge.

The different types of training

On-the-job training
On-the-job training is training that happens in the workplace. Employees learn
from more experienced colleagues. Different methods of on-the-job training
include demonstrations, coaching, mentoring, job shadowing and job rotation.

Demonstrations are where an employee will be shown how to do a particular

task by a colleague. This could be done when learning a skill such as stacking
shelves.

Coaching is where a manager, team leader or more senior employee may set
targets for an employee to reach and support them to reach it. An employee may
be taught a new skill, and then given targets to use that skill.

Mentoring is where a manager or more senior employee in a business gives

advice, help and training to an employee lower down the levels of hierarchy of a
business.

Job shadowing is where an employee follows another employee around to gain

an understanding of how they fulfil their role. This may take place for a new
employee, or when someone is taking on a different role in the business.

Job rotation is where an employee switches roles to complete a range of

different duties around a business, with the aim of gaining additional skills and
knowledge.

Off-the-job training
Off-the-job training is a more formal type of training that happens away from
the employee’s normal job role. This can include off-site training, computer-
based training, sandwich courses and use of outside trainers. It can be for as
little as a few hours or can be done on a part-time basis for a number of years.
Off-site training involves an employee going to a training provider away from
their normal place of work. Off-site training may involve undertaking a
qualification such as a degree at a university.

Computer-based training is any training completed by an employee using a

computer, either at their normal place of work, or away from work. Computer-
based training may involve using training software to learn a skill, or could
involve undertaking a distance learning qualification online.

Sandwich courses are where an employee is completing a university degree

and takes a year or more out to work within a business. This training is usually
only undertaken for more skilled roles that require more advanced
qualifications.

Outside trainers may be used to deliver a training course or training on a

specific process, software or equipment used by a business. Outside trainers
may be from an education institution, professional body, or a manufacturer of a
product.

Executive development – or simply development because

it refers to learning opportunities thrown open to
managers working at various levels – is any attempt to
improve managerial performance by imparting knowledge,
changing attitudes or increasing skills. The aim of
development is not just to improve current job
performance of managers but to prepare them for future
challenging roles.

The reasons for undertaking executive development

in organizations may be summarized as follows:
i. Change and competition are continuous features which
require continuous adaptation by the organizations. For
this, continuous upgradation of skills and competencies at
all levels, specifically at the management levels, is
necessary.
ii. There is a need to hone the leadership skills of
managers. Today’s organizations need leaders, not
managers. The executive development programme (EDF)
aims to address this particular need.
iii. Continuous learning and knowledge development
inform and mould managers, which also helps them gain
the respect of their subordinates. Motivating the
management towards learning executive development is a
systematized approach.
iv. Information technology (IT) has become an all
pervasive phenomenon and a majority of the present-day
organizational processes are seamlessly integrated with
IT. The decision making process has also been made easy
with the help of IT support. It is thus necessary for the
managers to become IT savvy to use IT for enhancing the
performance of their departments.
v. People management skills, along with technical skills,
play a crucial role in the growth and evolution of
managers. The EDF addresses the need for developing the
human competencies of managers.