How To Achieve Training And Development Among Employees

By Peter Powell


The acquisition of knowledge and skills is a continuous process that begins when we are born and only ends (or so it is assumed) when we die. Training and development occurs in two main ways. The first occurs effortlessly as we attempt to deal with our day to day challenges. This is known as incidental learning. The second is as a result of a deliberate effort to become better and is thus referred to as intentional leaning.

It is the responsibility of an institution to ensure that its employees are regularly trained. This will help them improve on their knowledge and skills. The employees should be actively involved by making themselves available for training. They should create personal development goals that are in line with the aspirations of their employers. Collaboration between the employers and the employees is necessary for this process to succeed.

The management can encourage growth and development in employees by providing them with the necessary resources and environment. Having a clearly defined job description is one of the steps that can be undertaken to provide such an environment. With such a job description, developing a training curriculum becomes easier. Every employee should be equipped with basic competencies that contributes to the success of the organization both in the present and in the future.

Learning opportunities can be found in day to day activities. It is important that one takes on new challenges often and avoid staying to long in their comfort zones if any form of growth is to be attained. Some supervisors will assign new duties that are not necessarily within the job description in a bid to stimulate professional growth. This is known as job expansion. A similar tact known as job rotation ensures that employees get exposure from different departments.

You need to conduct regular self-assessments so as to determine whether or not any progress is taking place. The assessment is usually centered on skills, strengths values, experiences and weaknesses. There are numerous tools that can be used for this on the internet. They may be obtained freely or at a small fee. If you are not in a position to get them, then you can conduct the same exercise by comparing yourself to persons that have similar job descriptions.

Participating in committee activities is one of the ways of gaining exposure to different areas. Committees comprise staff from different departments in an organization. They often have different ideas and approaches to solving problems which help in the professional development of individual committee members as well as the prosperity of the entire organization. All employees should be allowed to sit in these committees on a rotational basis.

Job shadowing refers to the act of one employee learning from a colleague who is, in most cases, more experienced in the field. It is one of the most effective (and cheapest) ways of passing skills and knowledge between employees in the organization. Coaching works in more or less the same way. A coach instructs the employee for a certain period of time and only lets them free after they have acquired the required skill.

Furthering studies is another way in which employees can improve their level of skills and knowledge. This can be achieved by enrolling for professional development courses offered by colleges or universities or doing it in an informal manner on the internet. This is also referred to as e-learning. A number of the websites belong to professional bodies that play a key role in imparting skills among the members.




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