Training and Development: Importance, Types, Methods, Advantages and Disadvantages

Training and Development 

What is training?

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. Purpose of training: The purpose of training and development in organizations is: Improve knowledge and skills to perform their roles effectively. Increasing employee productivity and efficiency. Support employee development and growth. Prevent irrelevance.  

Importance of training: Having a trained workforce means your workers are learning new skills that can improve production, cut time spent in creation of your product (or service), reduce production costs, reduce mistakes, build confidence in your workforce, and create a better working environment. 

TYPES OF TRAINING: 

1. ON THE JOB TRAINING: It is a form of training provided at workplace, highly used for practical task. Its effectiveness is based on the use of existing workplace tools machines, documents, equipment and the knowledge of specialists who are working in this field. Employers learn by actually performing the job under supervision.
2. VESTIBULE TRAINING/Off the job training: The Vestibule Training is one of the methods of training, where the technical staff, especially those who deal with the tools and machinery, are given the job education training in the workplace other than the main production plant wherein the technical staff learns how to operate the tools and machinery, that maybe exactly similar to what they will be using at the actual work floor. Or in other words put the employee through a short course under working condition that closely resemble actual shop or office conditions. 
3. APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING: The Apprenticeship Training program is the combination of on-the-job training and the classroom training, wherein the workers earn while learning the skills required for performing the specialised job. Generally, the apprenticeship training is given to the technical staff such as mechanics, electricians, craftsmen, welders, etc. who work under the experts of each field for a longer period. The apprenticeship training program lasts for 4-5 years until the worker becomes an expert in his field. 
4. INTERNSHIP TRAINING: Simply, the training conducted to offer a practical knowledge or to provide experiential knowledge to the students, lasting for few months. These trainings are conducted for courses such as Engineering, Medical or Management etc. 
5. RETRAINING: Retraining enables displaced workers to learn the new skills or the skills necessary for other jobs.

Methods of training:

1. Coaching: In coaching your senior supervisor under which you are working directly tells you about the job and you will get direct training from your senior supervisor. 
2. Mentoring: A mentor is hired for you or may be for a group of trainees. 
3. Job rotation: In job rotation you are taking training for your job and it involves work from different departments. 
4. Job instruction techniques: In job instruction techniques, instruction is given to you step by step so you will be able to learn your job in a proper way. 
5. Apprenticeship: In this training company hires you for a particular time like of apprenticeship. Most of the trainees work on apprenticeship for some months or for some years and proper stipend is given to them so apprenticeship is also called internship. 
6. Committee assignment: It will give you some work assignment and you have to perform that work.
7. Lecture: lectures are given by seniors or by staff of a company. These lectures are related to job. 
8. Conference: It is held by managers and in this they will tell trainees about the job. 

Advantages of training: 

1. Increasing management skills: Training plays an important role in developing management skills. 
2. Better productivity: A trained manager is an example of better productivity. 
3. More flexibility: A trained employee is more flexible because, he has an ability to be easily modified and willingness, some sort of desires to change or modified. 
4. Less supervision required: The institute or a company with trained employee is relaxed rather than an employee who is not trained because the supervisors are acknowledged about the productivity and efficiency of the trained employees. 
5. Motivation and great empowerment: A trained manager is always motivated and empowered. These empowerment are developed in him during his training sessions. Although the training sessions are the mediums to the great empowerment in a manager. 
6. Better recruitment and employee retention: When a manager is capable of hiring good skilled employees for the company or institutions, then there is no doubt in his recruitment and retention on employees. As these two factors play an important role in the progress of an institution. 

Disadvantages of training: 

1. Money: The organization spends money to hire other people for training. They also need to pay wages for both the trainer as well as the employees which is an extra cost to the business. 
2. Time: Much time is spent in training which could be used for the production of more items. 
3. Increased Stress: In order to keep the staff up to date with the latest trends and knowledge in their specific area, training staffs for more number of hours can make them stressed. 
4. Techno phobia: The fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices which leads to resistance against training and creates disturbance in the organization. 
5. Too much theory: Training programs for certain departments are too much of theory than application which makes it tough for employees to learn the subject.
6. Loss of interest: Long training programs when conducted continuously with the same data or theory again and again, the employees lose interest. 
7. Leave for new job: A trained employee is ready to jump to another organization which offers good perks and salary. 
8. Time requirements: There may not be enough time for staff training with the daily hectic schedule. 
9. Control of training: In On the job training, the employees may pick some bad habits of the trainer which might not be good for the organization. 

Development: 

Development is a process of planned activities that will help an individual over time to develop their full potential. It focuses on enhancing learner’s self-esteem and sense of identity. Development is not only limited to a particular task, but it aims to improve their personality and attitude for their all-round growth which will help them to face future challenges. It changes the mindset of the employees and makes them more challenging or competing. In training, the employees are imparted technical knowledge and skills related to the particular job and stresses on improving the abilities of each worker. In contrast, development is a sort of educational process which focuses on the growth and maturity of the managerial personnel.

Management Development: 

Management development is a planned and organized process and program of training and growth whereby an individual manager or executive (at each level of management hierarchy) gains knowledge, skills and attitude to manage workers and work organizations effectively. Because the management task requires greater creativity and innovation than most line positions, various methods of development have also become more creative and innovative. These methods and techniques can be divided into both On-the- job and Off-the-job techniques.

On the Job Experience and Teaching Techniques: 

1. Coaching and assigning challenging tasks. 
2. Rotational assignments e.g., rotation among managerial training positions, creation of ‘Assistant to…..’ positions etc. 
3. Multiple management, e.g., Committees, junior boards etc. 
4. Conference programs and problem solving committee. 
5. Understudy for management succession. 
6. Management workshop programs. 
7. Temporary promotions. 
8. Planned reading programs.

So we can say that management development is an educational process utilising a systematic and organized procedure by which management personnel learn conceptual and theoretical knowledge for general purpose. These purposes are productivity, quality, human resource planning, morale, obsolescence prevention, and personnel growth.

Advantages of development: 

1. Exposes executives to the latest techniques and trends in their professional fields. 
2. Ensures that the company has an adequate number of managers with knowledge and skill at any given point. 
3. Helps in the long-term growth and survival of the company. 
4. Creates an effective team of managers who can handle the company issues without fail. 
5. Ensures that the employees utilize their managerial and leadership skills in particular to the fullest.