I am submitting this report as a request for your consideration to develop and implement new employee training and development programs within your organization. The main purpose of this report is to give you a better understanding of how the adoption of new employee training and development programs is critical to your organization. This report also suggests some of the training programs that could be adopted by the company.
Employee training and development is an important activity in any organization. Most organizations train their employees to better their knowledge and skills as well as improve performance. According to Noe (2009) and Sims (2010), training should be done to both newly recruited employees and those who have served in the company for a long time. Noe and Sims further assert that development often concerns improving service delivery from long-serving employees.
Although some employers consider employee training and development as a costly expense with minimal returns to the organization, I would argue that untrained personnel might be more costly. Moreover, numerous benefits are likely to accrue to an organization that trains and develops its employees. Employee training and development also helps in reducing possible mistakes that employees are likely to make in the course of the duties.
Although ABC Limited has been providing trainings and developments to employees, I would assert that the methods and programs of employee training and development used by ABC Limited are traditional, outdated and old-fashioned; hence, does not lead to full realization and achievement of the goals and objectives of employee training and development. In addition, this has led to lower impacts of training initiatives.
Review of the Current Programs used for Training and Development of Employees at ABC Limited.Prior to writing this justification report, I carried out a research study to find out the various methods and programs of training and development that are currently used by ABC Limited. The study also investigated the effectiveness and appropriateness of the current programs used for training of employees as well as the impacts of such programs on the level of performance for the employees and the organization as a whole. Moreover, the research study sought the views and opinions of all employees in relation to the current training programs. The findings of the research study are herein presented in this justification report.
Findings.The research study revealed that most of the programs used for training and development are less popular amongst the employees. After conducting my research on current training and development programs used by the company, I realized that the organization has been using traditional classroom training techniques that have little impact on the level of performance of employees. For example, most employees reported that they easily forget the theories taught in classrooms during trainings, hence unable to apply the knowledge and skills learned after such training. Most of the employees also claimed that trainings in classroom settings do not provide adequate practical skills required at the workplace.
Secondly, the employees asserted that most of the training and development techniques used by the organization, especially classroom programs, do not encourage active participation of employees during training and development programs.
Thirdly, most employees cited that training programs conducted within the company do not provide adequate exposure to the external environment. Consequently, employees do not learn new skills and operation techniques. Most employees have reported that they prefer external training to internal training, for example, by taking field trips to other organizations, attending professional seminars and workshops and attending technical colleges and universities for further education. For internal training, the employees preferred coaching and mentoring.
The research study also established that most employees prefer long-term or continuous training and development programs such as mentoring to short-term training programs. Mentoring and coaching are the top five training programs favored by most employees.
Last but not least, it was revealed that the current training and development programs have little impact on the performance of employees. This has resulted into poor performance by employees. The overall performance of the organization has also been greatly affected.
Due to the above-mentioned shortfalls of the current programs used in training and development of employees, I would recommend ABC Limited to develop and implement new employee training and development programs that would help in improving the performance of employees. The new programs will entail various training techniques such as coaching, mentoring and field trips to other organizations operating within the same industry.
From my part, the adoption of new programs for employee training and development by the company is necessary because it would assist in broadening workers’ understanding of different business strategies as well as provide new ideas on how to make ABC Limited more successful.In my view, field visits to other companies would keep the employees aware of current changes, emerging trends and new advancements in their professional fields.
Reasons for Adopting New Training Programs at ABC Limited.The main reasons for adopting new employee training and development programs include improving the overall professional development of employees, equipping employees with new skills such as problem solving skills, computer skills, critical thinking and analytic skills as well as preparing employees to take up new roles and responsibilities in future. In my view, mentoring and coaching programs may also be used for succession plans in the organization. Previous researches have also shown that appropriate training and development programs helps in motivating employees.
Previous research studies have also indicated that good training and development usually improve the level of production, the knowledge and skills of employees as well as employee loyalty. According to London (2011), most employees who are trained by their employers usually opt to remain in the organization for a period, usually five to ten years after receiving the training as a way of showing loyalty and appreciation to the employer. Thus, adopting new training programs would increase employee retention.
The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) (2007) also asserts that organizations that commit substantial resources to employee training and development have reported substantial increase in their profits margins. Thus, the new training and development would help improving the competitiveness of the employees as well as that of the company.
In my view, external trainings would also expose the employees to the societal values; hence help in improving the company’s corporate social responsibility. The new training programs would also help in fostering customer care and public relations skills amongst employees.
Finally yet importantly, Rothwell (2009) postulates that employers who provide appropriate training and development opportunities to their employees usually get big payoffs from their employees. I also believe that production volume could be greatly increased when the company adopts appropriate methods and new programs for training and development of employees. Therefore, it is important for organizations to initiate adequate training and development programs at the right time for their employees.
What ABC Limited should do to improve Training and Development of Employees.In order to implement the suggested training and development programs successfully, ABC Limited should create a conducive environment that encourages learning. For example, the interrelationship between junior employees and senior management should be increased. The company should also ensure that there is free flow of information and sharing of ideas, knowledge and skills within the entire organization.
The employees also suggested that the company should cater for or reimburse tuition fee and other related expenses incurred by employees who attend educational trainings in technical colleges and universities. In my view, this would motivate more employees to seek additional trainings. The organization should also create flexible work schedules that would enable employees to seek further trainings in their fields of interest.
Similarly, the company should pay for professional association memberships for the employees. in my opinion, professional associations, conferences and seminars would enable employees to acquire knowledge and skills and ideas by sharing their experiences with colleagues from other organizations. The interchange of information at conferences and seminar is very vital for organizational development.
Benefits of New Employee Training and Development Programs.Some of the benefits that would accrue to the company upon implementation of new training and development programs include increased employee motivation, job satisfaction and high morale amongst employees. This would result into increased productivity and profitability of the organization due to increased employee competence and efficiencies in execution of duties and responsibilities. Similarly, the company would also become more attractive to potential employees, thus attracting highly skilled workers. In addition, the company would experience lower overall employee turnover, hence reduced costs of recruitment.
In my view, adoption of new training and development programs would also increase the capacity of ABC Limited to adopt new technologies and production techniques. Consequently, overall productivity would be improved. Through external trainings, the employee are likely to learn innovations and inventions, hence it would encourage production of new products.Lastly, coaching and mentoring would assist the employees in developing better understandings of their corporate roles, responsibilities and functions.
Conclusion
New training and development programs would help the employees as well as the organization in keeping up the pace of change in the competitive business world. In my opinion, all employees have the potential to acquire, grow and develop new knowledge and skills; hence, it is important for employers to continuously train their employees.
I hope that you will be able to realize the numerous benefits that are likely to accrue to your organization upon formulation and implementation of new programs for employee training and development. I also hope that this justification report will merit your approval.