TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

UNIT I
Concept of Training

Training is a process of learning through a sequence of programmed behavior. It is aimed at

increasing the skills and knowledge with a view to doing a particular job. After the determination
of training needs, setting, training objectives, and designing training programs, the training
programs need to be implemented. The basic purpose of training is to fill the gap between the
present capabilities of an employee and the requirements of a job.
Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that
relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability,
capacity, productivity and performance. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the
backbone of content at institutes of technology (also known as technical colleges or
polytechnics). In addition to the basic training required for a trade, occupation or profession,
training may continue beyond initial competence to maintain, upgrade and update skills and
related knowledge throughout working life. People within some professions and occupations
may refer to this sort of training as professional development. Training also refers to the
development of physical fitness related to a specific competence, such as sport, martial arts,
military applications and some other occupations.

Training constitutes a basic concept in human resource development. It is concerned with

developing a particular skill to a desired standard by instruction and practice. Training is a highly
useful tool that can bring an employee into a position where they can do their job correctly,
effectively, and conscientiously. Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skill of an
employee for doing a particular job.

Definitions of Training:
Dale S. Beach defines training as ‘the organized procedure by which people learn knowledge
and/or skill for a definite purpose’. Training refers to the teaching and learning activities carried
on for the primary purpose of helping members of an organization acquire and apply the
knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes needed by a particular job and organization.
According to Garry Dessler, “Training is the process of teaching new employees the basic skills
they need to perform their jobs.”

According to Jack Halloran, “Training is the process of transmitting and receiving information
related to problem-solving.”

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

In the words of Dale S. Beach, “Training is the organized procedure by which people learn
knowledge and improve skill for a definite purpose.”

In the words of Michael J. Julius, “Training is a process by which the aptitudes, skills, and
abilities of employees perform specific jobs are increasing.”

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

In simple words, providing the employee’s ability to perform a specific job is called training.
Thus, the art, knowledge, and skill to accomplish a specific job in a specific way are called
training. In simple words, providing the employee’s ability to perform a specific job is called
training.

Characteristics of Effective Training

Characteristics of effective training programs that must be kept in mind to ensure the best
results in an individual and organizational level:

1. PersonalizedAllow for the organization of information into packages for different types
of people and their individual requirements.
2. Inquiry-Based

Allow for learners to share and comment on different sources of information and
experiences, thus working together to solve issues and share advice.
3. Collaborative

Allow participants to work with others and thus enhance their learning experience.
Teamwork is crucial to any organization and training programs should foster this type of
work ethic.

4. Interdisciplinary

Always ensure that training programs incorporate various different areas of knowledge, not
just the person’s area of expertise.

5. Networked

Ensure that as many people as possible can use the resources you provide, anytime and
anywhere. There is now a big shift towards working remotely, and this is the first step to
provide that invaluable opportunity for your workforce.

These five characteristics can undoubtedly help revamp your training program and multiply
its effectiveness.

The objectives of training are as follows:

1. To enlarge Knowledge

Training is provided especially for middle and lower level of employees. Training provides all
information relating to various aspects of the organization; hence, they can develop required skill
and ability to perform the assigned task successfully. It increases the level of knowledge
possessed by individuals.

2. To enlarge skillfulness

Training provides the opportunity for employees to impart new skills systematically so that they
can perform the task successfully. The ever-changing environmental forces require new and
innovative skills and ideas to perform the task. Training helps employees to get acquainted with
new skills and knowledge.
 3. To modify the approach of Workers

Another objective of training is to bring about change in the attitude of the workers towards co-
workers, supervisors and the organization. Furthermore, training helps to develop healthy
attitudes in them so that the good working relationship can be developed in the organization.

4. To develop executive Performance

Training imparts new skills, knowledge, and attitudes in employees so that they can perform
organizational activities better than before. By such training, they can do the job more effectively
and efficiently, thereby improving the overall performance of the organization.

5. To Make Workers for proficient use of assets

When employees are trained, they get additional skills, knowledge, and techniques of handling
resources. This helps them to utilize machines, tools, equipments and other organizational
resources efficiently and effectively.

6. To decrease accidents

Employees can be provided with safety training measures to reduce sudden accidents. When the
workers are known with the technique of handling new and sophisticated technologies, the
chances of occurring accidents will be minimized.

7. To offer enhanced prospect for workers

Training is a learning process, which provides various opportunities to employees to develop the
existing level of skills, knowledge, attitudes and behavioral relations. The improvement in job
performance provides an opportunity for growth and advancement. Due to such training,
employees get an opportunity for doing challenging work, work experience, and promotion.

8. To enlarge efficiency and earnings

What makes an effective training program? Why is the traditional classroom method and
model so widely used, when we have long identified and understood its problems and
contradictions?

Traditional training fails to offer significant value as a learning experience, especially since
human beings only retain 10% of what they are taught in a traditional learning method.

For this reason, organizations today must aim to create training programs that are innovative
and allow all types of employees to maximize their learning potential while gearing their
experience towards their particular interests.

Interlinkages :

 Difference between training & Development & OD

 Points of Difference
 Objective & Purpose
 Duration
 For Whom
 Skills Taught

TRAINING DEVELOPMENT

Meaning Training is a learning process in which Development is an educational

employees get an opportunity to develop process which is concerned with the
skill, competency and knowledge as per overall growth of the employees.
the job requirement.

Term Short Term Long Term

Focus on Present Future

Orientation Job oriented Career oriented

Motivation Trainer Self

Objective To improve the work performances of To prepare employees for future

the employees. challenges.

Number of Many Only one

Individuals

Aim Specific job related Conceptual and general knowledge

Training is linked to various other processes in management.

1.Development

2. Performance Appraisal

3. Motivation

4. Compensation

5. Retention

Nature of Training & Development

Nature:

It refers to the imparting of specific skills, abilities and knowledge to an employee.

Training and Development need= Standard Performance-Actual Performance

Training & Development differentiated

 Inputs in T & D:

 Skills
 Education
 Development
 Ethics
 Attitudinal changes
 Decision making & Problem solving skills.
 Creativity
 Literacy
Training Process

Definition: The Training Process comprises of a series of steps that needs to be followed
systematically to have an efficient training programme. The Training is a systematic activity
performed to modify the skills, attitudes and the behavior of an employee to perform a particular
job.

1. Needs assessment: The first step in the training process is to assess the need for training the
employees. The need for training could be identified through a diagnosis of present and future
challenges and through a gap between the employee’s actual performance and the standard
performance.

The needs assessment can be studied from two perspectives: Individual and group. The
individual training is designed to enhance the individual’s efficiency when not performing
adequately. And whereas the group training is intended to inculcate the new changes in the
employees due to a change in the organization’s strategy.

2. Deriving Instructional Objectives: Once the needs are identified, the objectives for which the
training is to be conducted are established. The objectives could be based on the gaps seen in the
training programmes conducted earlier and the skill sets developed by the employees.

3. Designing Training Programme: The next step is to design the training programme in line with
the set objectives. Every training programme encompasses certain issues such as: Who are the
 trainees? Who are the trainers? What methods are to be used for the training? What will be the
level of training? etc.Also, the comprehensive action plan is designed that includes the training
content, material, learning theories, instructional design, and the other training requisites.

4. Implementation of the Training Programme: Once the designing of the training programme is
completed, the next step is to put it into the action. The foremost decision that needs to be made
is where the training will be conducted either in-house or outside the organization.

Once it is decided, the time for the training is set along with the trainer who will be conducting
the training session. Also, the trainees are monitored continuously throughout the training
programme to see if it’s effective and is able to retain the employee’s interest.

5. Evaluation of the Training Programme: After the training is done, the employees are asked to
give their feedback on the training session and whether they felt useful or not. Through feedback,
an organization can determine the weak spots if any, and can rectify it in the next session.The
evaluation of the training programme is a must because companies invest huge amounts in these
sessions and must know it’s effectiveness in terms of money.

Thus, every firm follows the series of steps to design an effective training programme that serves
the purpose for which it was intended.

Assessment of Training Needs

There are three levels of training needs assessment. These include the following:

Organizational level

The training needs assessment at the organizational level is a macro-level assessment that helps
you determine areas where your employees lack the necessary skills or knowledge and provide
need-based training. It aims to answer the following questions:

 Where is training most needed?

 Is the training needed for a specific department or a group of employees?
 Why is the training program recommended as a solution to the current problem?
TNA at the organization level helps you clearly define measurable outcomes for training,
allowing you to improve the chances of success of the training program.

For instance, your insurance company's claims processing department constantly gets poor
feedback from customers, so you want to improve its customer service rankings. An
organizational-level assessment reveals the problems in claims processing and determines the
need for training employees involved in claims processing. It can also explain why the training
program is necessary and how it can help you achieve your goal of improving your company's
customer service.

Operational level

At the operational level (also known as task or job level), TNA determines what kind of training
do your employees need to achieve a specified level of proficiency. It involves task analysis,
which determines the knowledge and skills required for specific tasks and correlates these
requirements to the actual knowledge and skills of your employees. The gaps or problems
revealed in this analysis can be used to determine the kind of training your employees need.

TNA at the operational level aims to answer the following questions:

 How is the job performed?

 What are the performance standards for the job?
 What are the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to complete the job successfully?

Some of the data sources that you can use to conduct TNA at the operational level include the
following:

 Job specifications
 Job description
 Work performance standards
 Information from small and midsized enterprises (SMEs)
 Analysis of operational problems

Individual level
At the individual or personal level, the TNA determines how each employee performs his or her
role. The difference between the actual performance and the expected performance helps you
determine if there is really a need for TNA at the individual level.

TNA at the individual level gives you a complete picture of your employees' performance and
whether their performance meets expected standards. TNA at this level aims to answer the
following questions:

 What is the expected performance?

 Do your employees possess the necessary knowledge and skills?
 What is the gap between the expected and actual performance?
 What impedes your employees to perform efficiently?
 What training program must be provided to your employees to meet expected
performance standards?

Setting Training Objectives

Training objectives are similar to goals or desired outcomes that provide value to the employees
that participate in the training program.

Many training objectives in the workplace focus on outcomes, such as an improved or mastered
technical skill, an earned credential or another professional application that will relate directly to
the advancement or overall development of their careers.

Additionally, training objectives are essential components for new employee

onboarding procedures and can vary between industries and organizations.

Steps to set Training Objectives

1. Determine the desired outcomes

One of the most important aspects of creating effective objectives for training and development
is to understand what it is you want trainees to be able to do once they complete the training.

The outcomes you want to achieve will ultimately be the guide for writing the actual objectives.
This first step answers the question, "What do you expect trainees to learn during the course or
the program?"

2. Align procedures to lead to outcomes

Once you have determined what you expect trainees to be able to do as a result of the training
program, you can start developing the processes you'll use to support learning and help trainees
progress towards the outcomes you outlined in step one.

For instance, if you want trainees to learn a new technical skill like working with a new software
program, you'll brainstorm the approaches you'll take to help trainees learn this skill. These
processes will ultimately drive the training toward the outcomes you want to achieve.

3. Identify challenges to learning

As you outline activities and procedures that align with the desired outcomes of the training
program, it's important to identify any obstacles that could impede a trainee's learning throughout
the program.

For example, with a diverse team of staff members, it may be difficult to create activities and
learning procedures that account for everyone's unique style of learning. In this case, you might
overcome this challenge by taking a survey to see what kinds of methods your team members
learn best with. This way, you can set achievable objectives for all trainees.

4. Connect objectives to business goals

Once you have your desired outcomes, processes and strategies for overcoming learning
challenges, you can start writing your objectives.
Connect what you expect trainees to know and be able to do with the goals your company wants
to reach. Several questions to ask that can help you connect your training objectives to company
objectives include:

 How will this new skill, knowledge or other outcome help the team contribute to the
company's mission?
 How do the desired outcomes contribute to the company's values?
 How will trainees' development benefit overall productivity, performance and the
achievement of the company's growth and revenue goals?

Asking questions like these can help you relate your training objectives to the overall
achievement of your team's, department's and company's business goals. This can also help you
ensure that the outcomes you develop will be realistic and attainable for trainees who participate.

5. Ensure objectives are realistic and attainable

The objectives you write will need to be relatable and consist of measurable criteria that allow
you to assess trainees' understanding of the procedures and expectations.

For instance, in the case of learning new software, the training objectives should include methods
for you to monitor trainees' progress in using the program's functions, navigating tools and other
evidence that they are learning and gaining proficiency.

Your training objectives also need to be relevant to the trainees' skill level and experience. New
employees for instance would benefit more from introductory training like basic company
policies and procedures while more seasoned employees may benefit from certification training
or another advancement opportunity.

No matter the type of training, your objectives will need to be realistic, relevant and attainable
for the trainees who participate.

Employee Training and Development Policy

An employee training and development policy may also be referred to as Staff Training and
Development Policy or Employee Development Policy.

Employee Development company policy refers to the company’s learning and development
programs and activities.

In the modern competitive environment, employees need to replenish their knowledge and
acquire new skills to do their jobs better. This will benefit both them and the company. We want
them to feel confident about improving efficiency and productivity, as well as finding new ways
towards personal development and success.

Scope
This policy applies to all permanent, full-time or part-time, employees of the company.
Employees with temporary/short-term contracts might attend trainings at their manager’s
discretion.

This policy doesn’t cover supplementary employees like contractors or consultants.

Policy elements
Employees, managers and Human Resources (HR) should all collaborate to build a continuous
professional development (CPD) culture. It’s an employee’s responsibility to seek new learning
opportunities. It’s a manager’s responsibility to coach their teams and identify employee
development needs. And it’s HR’s responsibility to facilitate any staff development activities and
processes.

Training and Development Plan

Training and Development Plan is basically the plan or schedule which management or higher
authorities provide to get effective outcome of work. It helps to create effectivity and thus adds
to the growth of the company.
Training and development improves skills, personality and performance. To choose the right
training and development you need to realize what kind of training is required for your
employees and how it will benefit the organization. In order to inspire the employees to take part
in the training you need to properly explain or demonstrate how it will benefit them or how it
may be helpful in their job role. Ones the training and development plan is chalked out it must be
shared with the employees.
The outcome of the training must be flashed in employee’s self-development and appraisal
process. Here in this section you can find some formats and samples schedule, which you may
use to design your training and development plan.
Procedure: The development plan should be used as a tool for evolving a plan for the
Employee’s personal and professional development.
The development plan should go beyond nomination to training programs and should include
specific actions and tasks that the Employee and his Manager will undertake for the Employee’s
development. The responsibility for the fulfillment of the development plan is jointly shared by
the Employee and his Department Head.

Designing Training Programmes

The process of designing a training program is not an easy task. Many problems occur in the
process of designing a training program. Some of the common problems are; creating training
that does not support a business goal, problems that training cannot fix, how to identify the
purpose of a training program, and sometimes all of these things.

So, how to create an effective training program for the employees? Below are the five steps that
will help you to create a more effective training program:

Step 1: Perform a Training Needs Assessment

The assessment of a training program has four-step to be followed:

 Identifying the business goal that can be supported by a training program.

 Determining the tasks that workers should perform to make the company reach its goals.
 Conducting the training activities that will help in enhancing the learning of the workers
to perform the tasks more effectively.
 Determining the learning characteristics of the workers that will make the training
effective.
Step 2: Develop Learning Objectives

A learning objective address things that your employees can get to know like:

 What is the product flow?

 How to maintain the product flow cycle?
 Importance of good product lifecycle.

Step 3: Design Training Materials

While designing your materials, keep the following points in mind:

 Focus on the learning needs of your employees.

 Create training assessments that can directly relate to the learning objectives.
 Remember the adult learning philosophies.
 Include more hands-on practice or simulation as possible.
 Put the employees in control of the learning process.
 Do possible thing to let the employees talk and interact with the trainer and with each
other while attending the training.
 Make sure there is plenty of opportunity for opinions.
 Break your training materials into small pieces that are easier to understand.
 Use “blended learning” approach that includes training in various types.
 Appeal to your workers’ senses during the training.

Step 4: Implement the Training

Implementation can take different forms by moving forward to the training. It can be classroom
instructions, the completion of e-learning modules, or more.

Step 5: Evaluate the Training

This method involves evaluating the training at four levels. Those four levels of evaluation are:

 Employees’ reaction to training.

 Employees’ learning through the training.
 Employee’s job behaviour post-training.
 Beneficial business results.

Conducting or Implementing a Training Programme

Employee training and development programs provide the perfect opportunity to expand the
knowledge base within your organization. And most importantly, great learning experiences
make for a happier, more productive workforce. Employee training is vitally important to the
success of a competitive workforce. No matter the industry, filling the gaps in your employees’
professional knowledge is essential to keeping them productive and fulfilled. A high-quality
training program can do exactly that.

Implementing an effective employee development program will increase the competency of

your staff and boost their job satisfaction, contributing to improved staff retention. Regular
training can also improve the overall efficiency of your organization and even the workload
between employees with a common knowledge base and skillset. Not only will your employees
benefit, but your clients too, increasing the likelihood of repeat customers and word-of-mouth
referrals.

Steps:

Step 1: Establish goals for your training program

Before you embark on your project, you need to pinpoint the goals, needs and target audiences.
This is a critical step in understanding the gap between what skills your users already have and
where more training is required. It’s not enough to just listen to what senior stakeholders think
users need.

Capturing a clear, honest set of needs helps you establish what you will use as a marker of
success for your employee training initiatives. It also enables you to prioritize which training
objectives need tackling first, which ones will be most appreciated by your employees and which
ones will have the biggest impact on your business.

To do so, you need to ask the right questions and create some user profiles. Our free Capture
template can help with this.
Step 2: Build an employee training plan
Once you have decided on the wider goals of your training, the next step is to focus on the
learning objectives, e.g. what you want your employees to be able to do differently? The best
learning outcomes are specific and easily measurable

A few examples may include:

 Handle complex contract renewal negotiations

 Adopt a new framework to set business targets for the next quarter

 Apply a new process for handling customer complaints

Map out your learning objectives as specific sub goals for each module or lesson in your
employee training plan. This will help to ensure your content is hyper-targeted and tied to that
specific outcome. It also allows you to measure the success of each module, i.e. did the content
deliver on its intended outcome? – and if not, evaluate how it can be improved.

Step 3: Create effective employee learning experiences

The key focus of this step is creating compelling and impactful content and providing an
effective learning experience for the end-user.

Creating employee training content

When it comes to employee training content, it’s important to remember that there’s no ‘one size
fits all’. What works for one audience and requirement won’t necessarily work for the next, so
consider each project individually. For that reason, it’s likely that your employee training plan
will include multiple formats and activities, such as video explainers, interactive quiz modules
and longer form e-book content.

Ultimately, the success of your staff training program relies on your employees engaging with
the content, so it’s essential that you consider the context, design, format and delivery method of
your program at the planning stage.

 Context: What makes the content relevant and useful? Why should employees engage
with it?

 Design: How can you present the information in a digestible, attractive and engaging
way?
  Format: Have you incorporated interactive elements or deployed other strategies that can
help employees retain new information?

 Delivery: How will you distribute the content to your employees? Will you publish it
directly, with its own URL or host it somewhere else?

To ensure your staff training program will resonate with your users, evaluate which training
models will provide most value to them.

Evaluation of Training

The purposes of training evaluation are as follows:

1. To justify the role of training, considering budget availability and cutback situations
2. To improve the quality of training for employee development, training delivery, trainer
deployment, duration, methodology, etc.
3. To assess the effectiveness of the overall programme, quality, and competency of the trainer
4. To justify the course through cost-benefit analysis and ROI approach
The evaluation data, once collected, takes many forms, and is highly valuable.

Kirkpatrick’s Model of Training Evaluation

1 – Reaction:
Questionnaires, interviews, group discussion, or asking trainees to write a report can be used.
Care must be taken with all of these methods. Very often participants have enjoyed a course,
even if they learned very little. Factors such as the quality of the lunch provided, or the comfort
of the chairs, may influence the assessment of the training given. The other participants may
have spoilt a basically sound course, or conversely saved a basically poor course.
Trainees are not always in a position to know immediately whether what they have learned will
be useful and it may be best to wait some considerable time before asking for an opinion.
Sometimes a trainee may have felt unfairly criticised during a course, and so may ‘rubbish’ it in
retaliation. The more training a person receives, the more critical he or she is likely to become.
Standards and expectations rise with experience.
Using more than one technique can be helpful to gain a broader picture. Also look out for cues
such as an increase or decrease in demand for the training (where there is a choice), or if the line
managers start asking for one particular trainer in preference to another.
Level 2 – Learning:
Tests, examinations, workplace-based assessments of competence, projects, or attitude
questionnaires are the key techniques here. Some learning situations are easy to test for (e.g
typing ability), whereas others necessarily involve a good deal of subjectivity (e.g counselling
skills).
Yet other learning is so long-term in its nature that direct methods are frankly not appropriate.
For example, if a newly appointed supervisor attends a course, then an end test or examination
can only tell us if he or she has learned certain terms, concepts or models. It cannot tell us if he
or she will become a good supervisor by applying that learning in the work situation.
The processes used at level 2 are often termed validation.
Level 3 – Behaviour:
This level requires assessment of improved performance on the job. This is easiest in jobs where
before-and-after measures can easily be made (e.g the speed at which an insurance proposal form
can be processed).
It becomes more difficult to evaluate performance in jobs which are less prescribed and where
measurement is imprecise (e.g training design). There may be a time-lag between training and
the appearance of indicators of performance improvement.
For instance, upon returning to work after attending a course on leadership, a manager may
immediately practise what he or she has learned – but the results of this take two or three months
to become apparent.
During that time other factors in the situation may have changed – there may have been some
new staff recruited, or some redundancies have affected morale. If we were to instigate a long-
term assessment process, we would also find it difficult to separate out the influence of day-to-
day experience from the influence of the formal training course, it is often impossible to isolate
the precise influence of the training. Often the trainer has to resort to indirect performance
assessment measures to gauge the influence of the training.
Level 4 – Results:
Because departmental and organisational results depend upon many people and it is difficult to
attribute improvements to the efforts of specific individuals, evaluation at this level often has to
be conducted in a more general way.
Does the overall training programme result in greater efficiency, profitability, or whatever? If we
were to try to look at the impact of a large training programme on a part of a large organisation,
we can take an experimental approach.
Ideally, we take two identical units. One is given lots of training, the other is given none. Two
years later, the difference in performance is apparent!
Obviously such an approach is not one which can be easily advocated. If we really believe that
the training is likely to be of value, it is unfair, perhaps even unethical, to withhold it from one of
the units in order to conduct an experiment.
However, it is sometimes possible to obtain historical information which shows a correlation
between spending (or some other measure) on training and organisational performance. Perhaps
two similar units within the same organisation can be compared and the relationship between
past training activity and other measures can be assessed (e.g. accident rate, machine downtime,
customer complaints).