Meaning

Training is an organized activity for increasing the technical skills of the employees to enable them to do particular jobs efficiently. In other words, training provides the workers with facility to gain technical knowledge and to learn new skills to do specific jobs. Training is equally important for the existing as well as the new employees. It enables the new employees to get acquainted with their jobs and also increase the job-related knowledge and skills. 

The purpose of training is basically to bridge the gap between job requirements and present competence of an employee. Training is aimed at improving the behavior and performance of a person. It is a never ending or continuous process. Training is closely related with education and development but needs to be differentiated from these terms.

Definition

“Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skills of an employee for doing a particular job.” — Edwin B. Flippo 

Dale S. Beach defines training as ‘the organized procedure by which people learn knowledge and/or skill for a definite purpose’. 

Training and Education

Training should be distinguished from education. Training is any process by which the aptitudes, skills and abilities of employees to perform specific jobs are increased. On the other hand, education is the process of increasing the general knowledge and understanding of employees. Thus, education is wider in scope and more general in purpose than training. Training is job-oriented or occupational having an immediate utilitarian objective and the major burden of training falls upon the employers. Training is vocational whereas education is general and major burden of education falls on the Government. Education is person-oriented while training is job-oriented. Training is essentially practical consisting of knowledge and skills required to perform specific tasks. On the contrary, education is theoretical consisting of concepts aimed at stimulating analytical and creative faculties of the individual.

Education generally refers to formal instruction in a school or college, whereas training is often imparted at the work-place. However, it is difficult in practice to differentiate between education and training because in many cases both of them occur simultaneously. There is some education in all training and in all education there is some training. The two are complementary and both involve development of talent and human potential.

Need for Training

Training is required on account of the following reasons:

1. Job Requirements

Employees selected for a job might lack the qualifications required to perform the job effectively. New and inexperienced employees require detailed instruction for effective performance on-the-job. In some cases, the past experience, attitudes and behavior patterns of experienced personnel might be inappropriate to the new organization. Remedial training should be given to such people to match the needs of the organization. New employees need to provide orientation training to make them familiar with the job and the organization.

2. Technological Changes

Technology is changing very fast. Now automation and mechanization are being increasingly applied in offices and service sector. Increasing use of fast changing techniques requires training into new technology, For instance, staff in public sector bank are being trained due to computerization of banking operations. No organization can take advantage of latest technology without well-trained personnel. New jobs require new skills. Thus, both new and old employees require training.

3. Organizational Viability

In order to survive and grow, an organization must continually adapt itself to the changing environment. With increasing economic liberalization and globalization in India, business firms are experiencing expansion, growth and diversification. In order to face international competition, the firms must upgrade their capabilities. Existing employees need refresher training to keep them abreast of new knowledge. Training programmes foster the initiative and creativity of employees and help to prevent obsolescence of skills. An organization can build up a second line of command through training in order to meet its future needs for human resources. Trained staff is the most valuable asset of a company.

4. Internal Mobility

Training becomes necessary when an employee moves from one job to another due to promotion and transfer. Employees chosen for higher level jobs need to be trained before they are asked to perform the higher responsibilities. Training is widely used to prepare employees for higher level jobs.

Thus, there is an ever present need for training people so that new and changed techniques may be taken advantage and improvements in old methods are effected. Need for training has increased due to growing complexity of jobs, increasing professionalization of management, growing uncertainties in the environment, global competition, growing aspirations, vast untapped human potential, ever-increasing gap between plans and results and sub-optimal performance levels.

Importance of Training

A well-planned and well-executed training programme can provide the following advantages:

1. Higher Productivity

Training helps to improve the level of performance. Trained employees perform better by using better method of work. Improvements in manpower productivity in developed nations can be attributed in no small measure to their educational and industrial training programmes.

2. Better Quality of Work

In formal training, the best methods are standardized and taught to employees. Uniformity of work methods and procedures helps to improve the quality of product or service. Trained employees are less likely to make operational mistakes.

3. Less Learning Period

A systematic training programme helps to reduce the time and cost involved in learning. Employees can more quickly reach the acceptable level of performance. They need not waste their time and efforts in learning through trial and error.

4. Cost Reduction

Trained employees make more economical use of materials and machinery. Reduction is wastage and spoilage together with increase in productivity help to minimize cost of Operations per unit. Maintenance cost is also reduced due to fewer machine breakdown and better handling of equipment’s. Plant capacity can be put to the optimum use.

5. Reduced Supervision

Well-trained employees tend to be self-reliant and motivated. They need less guidance and control. Therefore, supervisory burden is reduced and the span of supervision can be enlarged.

6. Low Accident Rate

Trained personnel adept the right work methods and make use of the prescribed safety devices. Therefore, the frequency of accidents is reduced. Health and safety of employees can be improved.

7. High Morale

Proper training can develop positive attitudes among employees. Job satisfaction and morale are improved due to rise in the earnings and job security of employees. Training reduces employee grievances because Opportunities for internal promotion are available to well-trained personnel.

8. Personal Growth

Training enlarges the knowledge and skills of the participants. Therefore, well-trained personnel can grow faster in their career. Training prevents obsolescence of knowledge and skills. Trained employees are a more valuable asset to any organization. Training helps to develop people for promotion to higher posts and to develop future managers.

9. Organizational Climate

A sound training programme helps to improve the climate of an organization. Industrial relations and discipline are improved. Therefore, decentralization of authority and participative management can be introduced. Resistance to change is reduced. Organizations having regular training programmes can fulfill their future needs for personnel from internal sources. Organizational stability is enhanced because training helps to reduce employee turnover and absenteeism. Training is an investment in people and, therefore, systematic training is a sound business investment. In fact, “no organization can choose whether or not to train employees . . . the only choice left to management is whether training shall be haphazard, casual and possibly misdirected or whether it shall be made a carefully planned part of an integrated programme of human resource administration. "  

Benefits of Training to Employees

Training is useful to employees in the following ways:

1. Self-confidence

Training helps to improve the self-confidence of an employee. It enables him to approach and perform his job with enthusiasm.

2. Higher Earnings

Trained employees can perform better and thereby earn more

3. Safety

Training helps an employee to use various safety devices. He can handle the machines safely and becomes less prone to accidents

4. Adaptability

Training enables an employee to adapt to changes in work procedures and methods.

5. Promotion

Through training, employee can develop himself and earn quick promotion

6. New Skills

Training develops new knowledge and skills among employees. The new skills are a Valuable asset of an employee and remain permanently with him. 

Objectives of training

Once the training needs are identified, the next step is to set training objectives in concrete terms and to decide the strategies to be adapted to achieve these objectives. The overall aim of a training programme is to fill in the gap between the existing and the desired pool of knowledge, skills and aptitudes. Objectives of training express the gap between the present and the desired performance levels. Definition of training objectives in both quantitative and qualitative terms will help to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of training involvement of top management is necessary to integrate the training objectives with the organizational objectives.

The main objectives of training may be defined as follows:

• To impart to new entrants the basic knowledge and skills required for efficient performance of definite tasks

• To assist the employees to function more effectively in their present positions by exposing them to the latest concepts, information and techniques and developing the skills they would require in their particular fields

• To build up a second line of competent officers and prepare them to occupy more responsible positions;

• To broaden the minds of senior managers through interchange of experience within and outside so as to correct the narrow outlook caused due to over specialization

The above objectives may be classified in terms of learning levels. e.g., motor skills, adaptation level, interpersonal understanding, and values. These may alternately be classified into status quo objectives, corrective objectives, problem solving objectives and innovative objectives.

According to Harris, “Training of any kind should have as its objective the redirection or improvement of behavior so that the performance of the trainee becomes more useful and productive for himself and for the organization of which he is a part. In other words, training objectives should be stated in terms of changes required in behavior and performance.

While setting training objectives, the following criteria may be used:

• Nature and size of the group to be trained

• Roles and tasks to be coined out by the target group

• Relevance, applicability and compatibility of training to the work situation

• identification of the behavior where change is required

• Existing and desired behavior defined in terms of ratio, frequency, quality of interaction, repetitiveness, innovations, supervision, etc.

• Operational results to be achieved through training, e. g., productivity, cost, down time, creativity, turnover, etc.

• Indicators to be used in determining changes from existing to the desired level of terms of ratio and frequency.

Difference between Training & Development