Promoting Training And Development In An Organization

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 are present in everyday activities. Unusual incidences happening in the work place should be used as opportunities to gain experience. If such do not exist, one should make a deliberate effort to take on newer challenges. Job expanding is a strategy that is usually adopted by the management in an attempt to help employees develop new skills. It involves the allocation of newer tasks to employees that have mastered skills in their area of specialty and need a new challenge.

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.

A committee is usually made up of members that represent different departments in an organization. When one gets a chance to sit in the meeting of such a committee, they get to learn more about the other departments. They gain skills and knowledge that help them work in greater harmony with their colleagues. The general advice is that all the employees should have the chance to be part of such committees from time to time.

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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