Employee Training

By: Rosedel T. Rosas

What is Training?
Training consists of planned programs designed to improve performance at the individual, group, and/or organizational levels. y Employee training incorporates the teaching of the art and science of performing a job. y Training also means that it is a continuous process, starting with the introduction of employees to their first jobs and continuing throughout their careers.
y

Training Trends
1.

The number of unskilled and undereducated youth will be needed for entry-level jobs Increasingly sophisticated technological systems that will impose training and retraining requirements on the existing workforce The need to train currently underutilized groups of minorities, women, and older workers Training needs stimulated by the internationally competitive environments of many organizations

2.

3.

4.

Dual Responsibility of Changes

1.

Organization is responsible for providing an atmosphere that will support and encourage change. Individual is responsible for deriving maximum benefit from the learning opportunities provided.

2.

Retraining
A study by the Work in America Institute found that retraining current workers for new jobs is more cost effective than firing them and hiring new ones not to mention the difference that retraining makes to employee morale y And in downsizing industries where there are furloughs, unions are working with management to retrain displaced workers.
y

Potential Pitfalls in Worker Retraining

Workforce juggling is the way employers juggle their labor forces, laying people off when business dips and calling them back when it brightens. y Wages for new jobs can be half and even a third those of the old factory jobs, leaving them little incentive to seek retraining.
y

Characteristics of Effective Training Practice

y

Top management is committed to training and development; training is part of the corporate culture Training is tied to business strategy and objectives and is linked to bottom-line results A comprehensive and systematic approach to training exists; training and retraining are done at all levels on a continuous, ongoing basis. There is a commitment to invest the necessary resources, to provide sufficient time and money for training

y y

Classification of Training Activities

Employee Orientation Is a planned process of transforming recent hires into productive employees on the job. Three Stages of Orientation 1. Preliminary, which consist of the initial introduction of the new employee to the company 2. Preduty, just prior to starting work in initial assignment 3. Continuing, which is the educational and reorientation process to integrate the employee fully into the organization
y

Classification of Training Activities

Vestibule Training When many employees must be trained quickly, vestibule training can provide the answer. y A training area is set up away from the work area to approximate, as closely as possible, actual working conditions. y With the guidance of special instructors, trainees can learn the skills of the job without the pressures of a production schedule
y

Classification of Training Activities

On-the-Job Training
y

The more common on-the-job (in contrast to vestibule or off-the-job training) requires employees to learn skills at their workplace by receiving individualized instruction on a one-to-one basis from their instructors

Classification of Training Activities

Retraining and Refresher Training
y

Changed work methods, the introduction of new products, reorganization, and the revision of policy give impetus to programs for retraining

Classification of Training Activities

Vocational of Rehabilitation
y

With vocational rehabilitation workers with impaired hearing or sight and amputees with artificial limbs can prove to be as skilled as other employees.

Classification of Training Activities

Apprenticeship Training
y

Is designed to develop specific skills. Apprentices perform useful work while learning a trade, becoming increasingly valuable as they progress in their training.

Classification of Training Activities

Job-instruction Training The quality of training is only as good as the instructors. Therefore, it is essential that instructors be trained in proper teaching techniques y How to Instruct Step 1 Prepare the trainees Step 2 Present the job Step 3 Try out performance Step 4 Follow up
y

Classification of Training Activities

Correspondence Study Convenience is the greatest single advantage of correspondence courses, or home study. y This form of training allows students to complete a series of lessons at their own pace.
y

Classification of Training Activities

Government-Sponsored Training Programs
y

Starting with the Manpower Development Training Act of 1962 (MDTA) the federal government has been creating and funding national programs to provide employment research, skills training, and job location assistance.

Classification of Training Activities

Vocational and Technical Education
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Recognizing the continuing need for specialized skills development, the federal government appropriates funds to promote vocational education by constructing new facilities (vocationaltechnical schools), developing necessary curricula, and encouraging citizens to enroll in programs.

Phases of Training
ASSESSMENT PHASE ASSESS INSTRUCTIONAL NEED TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PHASE EVALUATION PHASE DEVELOP CRITERIA

PRETEST TRAINEES SELECT TRAINING MEDIA AND LEARNING PRINCIPLES

DERIVE OBJECTIVES

MONITOR TRAINING

EVALUATE TRAINING CONDUCT TRAINING EVALUATE TRANSFER

FEEDBACK

Training Needs Assessment Model

ENVIRONMENT Unions Economy Laws

Training Cycle
OPERATIONS ANALYSIS Specific behavior What an employee must do in order to perform job effectively

ORGANIZATION ANALYSIS Objectives Resources Allocation of resources

YES
Training need?

YES
Training need?

PERSON ANALYSIS Knowledge Skills Attitudes

NO

NO
(a) Current level of performance (b) Optimal level of performance

Alternative Solution

Alternative Solution

Training need?

YES

NO
Alternative Solution

Assessing Training Needs

Three levels of Analysis for determining the needs that training can fulfill: 1. Organization analysis focuses on identifying where within the organization training is needed y At a general level, training needs must be analyzed against the backdrop of organizational objectives and strategies. y Analysis of the organizations external environment and internal climate is also essential. y The critical first step is to relate the assessment of training needs the achievement of organizational goals.

Assessing Training Needs

Operations analysis attempts to identify the content of training what an employee must do in order to perform competently. y It involves (1) a systematic collection of information that describes exactly how jobs are done, so that (2) standards of performance for those jobs can be determined; (3) how tasks are to be performed to meet the standards; and (4) the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics necessary for effective task performance
2.

Assessing Training Needs

3. Individual analysis determines how well each employee is performing the tasks that make up his or her job. y The difference between desired performance and actual performance is the individuals training need. y A gap between actual and desired performance may be filled by training.

At the organizational level, needs must be analyzed by the managers who set the organizations goals. y At the operations level, needs must be analyzed by the managers who specify how the organizations goals are going to be achieved. y At the individual level, needs must be analyzed by the managers and workers who do the work to achieve those goals
y