Training Development

Training and development has become increasingly essential to the success of modern organizations, yet some still look at training as a problem or as something that is not taken seriously. Training and development is one key approach used by organizations to improve and maintain the capabilities of its workforce. However, many experts distinguish between training and development, being that training tends to be more closely focused and adapted towards short-term performance concerns, while development tends to be adapted more towards expanding an individual’s skills for future responsibilities (Snell and Bohlander 2007). The main reason that organizations train their employees is to bring their knowledge, skills and abilities up to the level required for a suitable performance (Snell and Bohlander 2007). Nevertheless, despite the benefits that these organizations and employees gain from training, some are still not willing to capitalise on it.

According to Molander (1989), during the early to mid-1990s, training was not generally seen as a crucial element in a company’s corporate strategy, except possibly for management training. However, recent evidence seems to show that formal training activities have risen in the last few years, with this increase being as a result of heightened competition, provision of new services or improvement of existing ones, changes in product design, and changes in manufacturing processes (Molander 1989).

Investments in training and development are linked with a range of organizational and individual benefits, such as being a major determinant of economic growth and organizational performance (Santos and Stuart 2003). According to Pigors and Myers (1977), training is very essential to organizations likewise employees as there are chief benefits to be derived from it, amongst these are; complaints, dissatisfaction, turnover and absenteeism can be greatly reduced, and as employees respond to continuous s training, they can...