LEARNING, TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

TRAINING
The act of increasing the skills of an employee for doing a particular job, and thus it’s a process of learning
a sequence of programmed behavior to do that particular job.
DEVELOPMENT
It refers broadly to the nature and direction of change induced in employees, through the process of training
and educative process.
Training is defined by Wayne Cascio as “Training consists of planed programs undertaken to improve
employee knowledge, skills, attitude and social behavior so that the performance of the organization
improves considerably.”
Training Development

 short term  long term

 Technical in nature  educational
 for a definite purpose  for general purpose
 Job centered  Career Centered

CHOICE OF TRAINING METHODS INFLUENCED BY

 Training objectives
 Time Available
 Participants level of understanding
 Previous Experience
 Available Resources
 Equipment / Facility Availability
 Degree of Interaction required
 Degree of participation required
 Group Size

TRAINING NEED IDENTIFICATION

 Specific Problem
 Anticipating Future Problems
 Management Requests
 On the job observations
 Performance Appraisals
 Questionnaire Survey

IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT/ THE BENEFITS OF TRAINING

 Gives the supervisor more time to manage, standardized performance,
 less absenteeism,
 less turnover,
 reduced tension,
 consistency,
 lower costs,
 more customers,
 better service
  Gives the workers confidence to do their jobs, reduces tension,
 boost morale
 job satisfaction,
 reduces injuries and accidents,
 gives them a chance to advance.

 Gives the business a good image and more profit.

WHY IS TRAINING OFTEN NEGLECTED?

 Urgency of need
 Training time
 Costs
 Employee turnover
 Short-term worker
 Diversity of worker
 Kinds of jobs (simple-complex)
 Not knowing exactly what you want your people to do and how

TYPES OF TRAINING
1. SKILLS TRAINING
Focus on job knowledge and skill for:
 Instructing new hires.
 Overcoming performance deficits of the workforce.

2. Retraining
Maintaining worker knowledge and skill as job requirements change due to:
 Technological innovation
 Organizational restructuring

3. Cross-Functional Training
Training employees to perform a wider variety of tasks in order to gain:
 Flexibility in work scheduling.
 Improved coordination.

4. Team Training
Training self-directed teams with regard to:
 Management skills.
 Coordination skills.
 Cross-functional skills.

5. Creativity Training
Using innovative learning techniques to enhance employee ability to spawn new ideas and new
approaches.

6. Literacy Training
Improving basic skills of the workforce such as mathematics, reading, writing, and effective employee
behaviors such as punctuality, responsibility, cooperation, etc.

7. Diversity Training
Instituting a variety of programs to instill awareness, tolerance, respect, and acceptance of persons of
different race, gender, etc. and different backgrounds.
8. Customer Service Training
Training to improve communication, better response to customer needs, and ways to enhance customer
satisfaction.

DESIGNING TRAINING CONTENT/ THE TRAINING PROCESS

TRAINING METHODS

On-the-job training Methods

 Under these methods new or inexperienced employees learn through observing peers or managers
performing the job and trying to imitate their behaviour.
 These methods do not cost much and are less disruptive as employees are always on the job,
training is given on the same machines and experience would be on already approved standards,
and above all the trainee is learning while earning.

Coaching
 Coaching is a one-to-one training.
 It helps in quickly identifying the weak areas and tries to focus on them. It also offers the benefit
of transferring theory learning to practice.
 In India most of the mechanics are trained only through this method.

Mentoring
 The focus in this training is on the development of attitude.
 It is used for managerial employees. Mentoring is always done by a senior inside person.
 It is also one-to- one interaction, like coaching.

Job Rotation
 It is the process of training employees by rotating them through a series of related jobs.
 Rotation not only makes a person well acquainted with different jobs, but it also alleviates
boredom and allows to develop rapport with a number of people.
 Rotation must be logical.

Job Instructional Technique (JIT)

It is a Step by step (structured) on the job training method in which a suitable trainer :
a) Prepares a trainee with an overview of the job, its purpose, and the results desired,
b) Demonstrates the task or the skill to the trainee,
c) Allows the trainee to show the demonstration on his or her own, and
d) Follows up to provide feedback and help.

Apprenticeship
 Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill.
 This method of training is in vogue in those trades, crafts and technical fields in which a long
period is required for gaining proficiency. The trainees serve as apprentices to experts for long
periods. They have to work in direct association with and also under the direct supervision of their
superiors.
 The object of such training is to make the trainees all-round craftsmen. It is an expensive method
of training.
 The apprentices are paid remuneration according the apprenticeship agreements.

Under Study
 In this method, a superior gives training to a subordinate as his understudy like an assistant to a
manager or director (in a film).
 The subordinate learns through experience and observation by participating in handling day to day
problems.
 Basic purpose is to prepare subordinate for assuming the full responsibilities and duties.

Off-the-job training methods

  Off-the-job training methods are conducted in separate from the job environment, study material
is supplied, there is full concentration on learning rather than performing, and there is freedom of
expression.

Lectures and conferences

 Lectures and conferences are the traditional and direct method of instruction. Every training
programme starts with lecture and conference.
 It’s a verbal presentation for a large audience.
 The speaker will have considerable depth in the subject.
 In the colleges and universities, lectures and seminars are the most common methods used for
training.

Vestibule Training
 Vestibule Training is a term for near-the-job training, as it offers access to something new
(learning).
 In vestibule training, the workers are trained in a prototype environment on specific jobs in a
special part of the plant.
 An attempt is made to create working condition similar to the actual workshop conditions. After
training workers in such condition, the trained workers may be put on similar jobs in the actual
workshop.

Simulation Exercises
Simulation is any artificial environment exactly similar to the actual situation. There are four basic
simulation techniques used for imparting training: management Games, case study, role playing,
and in-basket training.
(a) Management Games:
 Properly designed games help to ingrain thinking habits, analytical, and reasoning capabilities,
importance of team work, time management, to make decisions lacking complete information,
communication and leadership capabilities.
Use of management games can encourage innovative mechanisms for coping with stress.
(b) Case Study:
 A case study allows the application of theoretical concepts to be demonstrated, thus bridging the
gap between theory and practice, encourage active learning, provides an opportunity for the
development of key skills such as communication, group working and problem solving, and
increases the trainees” enjoyment of the topic and hence their desire to learn.

(c) Role Playing:

 It emphasizes the “real- world” side of science and challenges students to deal with complex
problems with no single “right” answer and to use a variety of skills beyond those employed in a
typical research project.
 A valuable opportunity to learn not just the course content, but other perspectives on it. The steps
involved in role playing include defining objectives, choose context & roles, introducing the
exercise, trainee preparation/research, the role-play, concluding discussion, and assessment. Types
of role play may be multiple role play, single role play, role rotation, and spontaneous role play.
(d) In-basket training:
 In-basket exercise, also known as in-tray training, consists of a set of business papers which may
include e-mail SMSs, reports, memos, and other items. Now the trainer is asked to prioritise the
decisions to be made immediately and the ones that can be delayed.

Sensitivity training
 Sensitivity training is also known as laboratory or T-group training.
 This training is about making people understand about themselves and others reasonably, which is
done by developing in them social sensitivity and behavioural flexibility.
  It is ability of an individual to sense what others feel and think from their own point of view.
 It reveals information about his or her own personal qualities, concerns, emotional issues, and things
that he or she has in common with other members of the group. It is the ability to behave suitably
in light of understanding.

EVALUATING OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT (elements)

In order to evaluate training programs, companies must collect relevant data. The data should include
easily measurable and quantifiable information such as
I. Costs: budget changes, unit costs, project cost variations, and sales expenses.
II. Output: Units produced, units assembled, productivity per hour, and applications
reviewed.
III. Quality: Error rates, waste, defective products, customer complaints, and shortages.
IV. Time: On-time shipments, production or processing time, overtime, training time,
efficiency, and meeting deadlines.

KIRKPATRICK MODEL
RECENT TRENDS IN L&D

E-LEARNING AND GAMIFICATION FOR LEARNING (refer article in the reference material
section)

GAMIFICATION IN LEARNING (refer more examples in the reference material section)

Example- Professional Skills Enhancement (account management fundamentals for project

managers and account managers).
The gamification concept: An avatar based gamification approach. The highlights of this approach
were:
Creation of different learner paths.
Alignment of the learning and gamification path to the proficiency of learners.
Presentation of a mix of questions in each path (mapping to real-life challenges commensurate with
the proficiency level of the learners).
Non availability of learning aids of theory (lifeline) for higher proficiency learners to make the
challenge tougher. (The complexity and the nature of the challenges posed to the learners tested
their cognitive proficiency to tackle the situation at hand, thereby resulting in immersive learning.)

UPSKILLING & RESKILLING FOR THE DIGITAL WORKPLACE (refer article in the reference
material section)