ASSESSMENT OF THE CHALLENGES OF STAFF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

INTRODUCION: Training is considered as the process of upgrading knowledge, develop skills, bringing about attitude and behavioural changes and improving the ability of the trainee to perform tasks effectively and efficiently. Also training is a systematic approach to less ring and development to improve individual team, and organizational effectiveness. Alternatively, development refers to activities keeping to the acquisition of view knowledge or skills for our posses of personal growth. This development includes the process by which managers and executive acquires not only skills and competencies in their present schedules, also capacities future managerial tasks of increasing difficultly and scope in terms of handling workforce and responding to the state of the art in their day-to-day activities. Also, development towards future needs rather than present needs and immediate performance. Therefore training and development in a business organization could be defined as the ability of a business organization to develop skills and knowledge of their workers to enable them carry out the present and future job of the organization (Coles, 2000).

Effective training techniques can produce significant business results especially in customer service, product development and capability in obtaining new skill set. This linkage of training to business strategy has given many business the needed competitive edge in today’s global market. Effective training and development t improves the culture of quality in business, workforce is considered to be essential to the maintenance of a business firm’s competitive advantage in a   economy.

Despite the relevance of training and development organizations are faced with quite a number of problems associated with training and development for instance, some training problems emerge as a result of failure of management to accept responsibility for under-taking training programme. Also, organizations are faced with the problem of lack of adequate knowledge and skills by managers in directing and executing training. The consequence of this situation is that employees productivity becomes low and this in turn affects the general performance of the organization. In order for organizations to be productive, investment in training and development is critical as it has a direct effect on the activities of the organization.

These are however some possible solutions to the problems. In order for organizations to be strategically positioned to be business environment or be efficient in providing quality output to the society, there is need for both the existing and new employees to be trained regularly, policies regarding training and development  of employees should be set and implemented to foster the development of employees in the organization, there should be clear and reliable linkage between training effectiveness and the fulfillment of strategic organization objectives. The issue of training and development of employees should be taken seriously (Coles, 2000).

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Most tertiary institutions and organizations do not give consideration to training and development. They believe people are bound to learn from others and as such do not consider training and development as important tool in the organization. The consequence of this situation is low productivity and output level of the organization. Many organization have not given training and development the attention it deserves, incompetency is another consequence of not taking training and development seriously.

In the face of competition, if staffs of an organization are not well trained, they will not be able to perform the duties expected of them. In addition many organizations do not conduct training needs analysis to determine who needs to be trained and what needs to be learned, the effect of this, is that even though training is conducted, there is no positive impact.