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Knowledge and skills development is vital to
the health of organisations. We live in an information age today, and
organisations are routinely valued not just on their physical but on their
intellectual capital. Training is one of the chief methods of maintaining
and improving intellectual capital, so the quality of an organisation’s
training affects its value. Untrained or poorly trained employees cost
significantly more to support than well-trained employees do. Training
affects employee retention and is a valuable commodity that, if viewed as an
investment rather than as an expense, can produce high yielding returns.
Training is an organisations effort aimed at
helping employees to acquire the basic skills required for the efficient
execution of the functions for which they are hired. Development, on the
other hand, deals with activities undertaken to expose employees to perform
additional duties and assume positions of importance in the organisational
hierarchy.
Training and
development are initiated in order to:
1.
Build a more efficient,
effective and highly motivated team, which enhances the company’s competitive
position and improves employee morale.
2.
Relevantly remain in business.
3.
Create a pool of readily
available and adequate replacements for personnel who may leave or move up in
the organisation.
4.
Enhance the company’s ability
to adopt and use advances in technology because of a sufficiently knowledgeable
staff.
5.
Ensure adequate human
resources for expansion into new programs.
6.
Pilot or test the operation of
a new performance management system
7.
Benchmark the status of
improvement so far in a performance improvement effort.
Training is also initiated:
1.
As part of an overall
professional development program
2.
When a performance appraisal
indicates performance improvement is needed
3.
When special projects and
products are to be embarked upon
The benefits of training and development to
employees and organisations alike are numerous:
1.
Workers are helped to focus,
and priority is placed on empowering employees.
2.
Productivity is increased,
positively affecting the bottom line.
3.
Employee confidence is built,
keeping and developing key performers, enabling team development and
contributing to better team/organisation morale.
4.
Employees are kept current on
new job-related information, thereby contributing significantly to better
customer service.
5.
Employees are updated on new
and enhanced skills, with a view to aligning them to business goals and
objectives.
6.
After a downsizing, remaining
workers are given the technical and management skills to handle increased
workloads.
7.
Companies with business
problems are given a fresh or unbiased professional opinion or exploration,
evaluation, or critique.
8.
Job satisfaction, employee
motivation and morale are increased, reducing employee turnover.
9.
Processes increase in
efficiency, resulting in financial gain.
10.
Innovation is increased,
bringing new strength to strategies, products and the company’s capacity to
adopt new technologies and methods.
Typical Topics of Employee Training
- Communications: The increasing diversity of today's workforce brings a wide
variety of languages, customs and platforms
- Computer skills: Computer skills are a necessity for many company tasks.
- Customer service: Increased competition in today's global marketplace makes it
critical that employees understand and meet the needs of customers.
- Diversity: Diversity training
usually includes explanation about how people have different perspectives
and views, and includes techniques to value diversity
- Ethics: Today's society has
increasing expectations about corporate social responsibility.
- Human relations: The increased stresses of today's workplace can include
misunderstandings and conflict. Training can people to get along in the
workplace.
- Safety: Safety training is
critical where working with heavy equipment, hazardous chemicals,
repetitive activities, and hazards in workplaces.
- Sales: The focus on sales has never been greater,
with opportunities harder to find and where every prospect is lost to a
competitor. This means losses are more costly and that the companies who
focus on building this strength will emerge financially victorious
Learning and upgrading employee skills
makes business sense. It starts from day one, and becomes successive as your
employees grow. Granted, it may take some time to see a return on your
investment, but the long-term gains associated with employee training make a
difference. The short-term expense of a training program ensures you keep
qualified and productive workers who will help your company succeed. That’s an
investment you can take to the bank.
Emmanuel @ Logicus Training
Solutions
Leading
the Training and Development Revolution by Daring to be Different!
Multi Award Winning Training and business consultants (www.logicustraining.com.au)
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