Training constitutes a basic concept in human resource development. It is concerned with developing a particular skill to a desired standard by instruction and practice. Training is a highly useful tool that can bring an employee into a position where they can do their job correctly, effectively, and conscientiously. Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skill of an employee for doing a particular job.
Definition of Training:
Training refers to the teaching and learning activities carried on for the primary purpose of helping members of an organization acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes needed by a particular job and organization.
Need for Training:
Every organization should provide training to all the employees irrespective of their qualifications and skills.
Specifically the need for training arises because of following reasons:
1. Environmental changes:
Mechanization, computerization, and automation have resulted in many changes that require trained staff possessing enough skills. The organization should train the employees to enrich them with the latest technology and knowledge.
2. Organizational complexity:
With modern inventions, technological upgradation, and diversification most of the organizations have become very complex. This has aggravated the problems of coordination. So, in order to cope up with the complexities, training has become mandatory.
3. Human relations:
Every management has to maintain very good human relations, and this has made training as one of the basic conditions to deal with human problems.
4. To match employee specifications with the job requirements and organizational needs:
An employee’s specification may not exactly suit to the requirements of the job and the organization, irrespective of past experience and skills. There is always a gap between an employee’s present specifications and the organization’s requirements. For filling this gap training is required.
5. Change in the job assignment:
Training is also necessary when the existing employee is promoted to the higher level or transferred to another department. Training is also required to equip the old employees with new techniques and technologies.
Types of Training:
Various types of training can be given to the employees such as induction training, refresher training, on the job training, vestibule training, and training for promotions.
Some of the commonly used training programs are listed below:
1. Induction training:
Also known as orientation training given for the new recruits in order to make them familiarize with the internal environment of an organization. It helps the employees to understand the procedures, code of conduct, policies existing in that organization.
2. Job instruction training:
This training provides an overview about the job and experienced trainers demonstrates the entire job. Addition training is offered to employees after evaluating their performance if necessary.
3. Vestibule training:
It is the training on actual work to be done by an employee but conducted away from the work place.
4. Refresher training:
This type of training is offered in order to incorporate the latest development in a particular field. This training is imparted to upgrade the skills of employees. This training can also be used for promoting an employee.
5. Apprenticeship training:
Apprentice is a worker who spends a prescribed period of time under a supervisor.
6. Team Training
Do you know the exercise in which a person is asked to close his or her eyes and fall back, and then supposedly the team members will catch that person? As a team-building exercise (and a scary one at that), this is an example of team training. The goal of team training is to develop cohesiveness among team members, allowing them to get to know each other and facilitate relationship building. We can define team training as a process that empowers teams to improve decision making, problem solving, and team-development skills to achieve business results. Often this type of training can occur after an organization has been restructured and new people are working together or perhaps after a merger or acquisition. Some reasons for team training include the following:
- Improving communication
- Making the workplace more enjoyable
- Motivating a team
- Getting to know each other
- Getting everyone “onto the same page,” including goal setting
- Teaching the team self-regulation strategies
- Helping participants to learn more about themselves (strengths and weaknesses)
- Identifying and utilizing the strengths of team members
- Improving team productivity
- Practicing effective collaboration with team members
Team training can be administered either in-house or externally. Ironically, through the use of technology, team training no longer requires people to even be in the same room.