Training and Development
Definition: Employee training and development implies a program in which specific knowledge, skills and abilities are imparted to the employees, with the aim of raising their performance level, in their existing roles, as well as providing them learning opportunities, to further their growth.
Training implies a process of upgrading an individual’s knowledge, skills and competencies. When an employee joins the organization, he/she is given job-related training to ensure satisfactory performance of the tasks and duties assigned, so that the employee can contribute more to the organization.
On the other hand, development has a long-term view. It is all about preparing the employee for the current as well as future jobs, by providing them with learning opportunities to increase their capacities, to undertake more challenging and complex tasks.
Importance of Training and Development
- For organization:
- Training and Development programme facilitates better utilization of an organization’s resources, i.e. men, machine, material and money.
- It ensures less wastage, with respect to resources and time. When a worker is skilled and trained enough, the amount of wastage will be less, as well as the learning time will be reduced, and the work will be performed in very less time.
- It improves the performance of the employee which results in increased profitability.
- The employees learn new and improved methods of performing an activity, which helps the organization to survive, compete and grow in the market.
- It results in a reduction in employee turnover, idle time and absenteeism.
- It develops a positive attitude in employees towards the work and organization, as well as boosts their morale, which helps them adapt themselves to the changing environment.
- For Employees:
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- An individual focuses more on career than a job. And so, the skills and knowledge acquired from the training add to their resume.
- Improved performance is a sort of motivation for an individual which encourages them to perform much better than before and contribute to the organization’s success, which ultimately increases their incentives.
- When an employee is trained enough, he/she will handle any situation or problem and deal with the challenges in a better way.
- Training makes workers machine or equipment-friendly, which reduces the number of accidents during the process.
- It helps the employee to stay up-to-date with the technological changes.
- It results in job satisfaction and boosts employees morale.
Training is often imparted to middle or low-level employees. In contrast, the development programmes are specifically designed for the employees working in higher positions in the organisational hierarchy.
Inputs in Training and Development
- Skills: Basic skills should be imparted to the workers, to help them operate the machinery and other equipment correctly, with least wastage and damage.
- Education: It aims at teaching theoretical concepts along with providing a hands-on experience to the employee. It also improves their judgement and reasoning power.
- Development: Training involves development, wherein more stress is given on increasing knowledge, rather than the skills. Here, knowledge means an understanding of the business environment, human relations, management, etc.
- Ethics: Ethics are the principles that regulate the conduct of an employee, at the time of undertaking any activity. So, the training and development programme must provide knowledge regarding ethical conduct.
- Change in attitude: One of the important benefits of training is the attitudinal changes in employees. Attitude indicates the feelings, outlook, reaction and beliefs of the employee towards others. It has a great impact on an employee’s morale, motivation, loyalty, commitment and satisfaction.
- Extraordinary Skills: Apart from basic skills, training and development scheme should impart some other skills to higher level employees such as problem-solving, decision making, industrial analysis, etc.
- Literacy: Here literacy is not related to education, but proficiency in the corporate language and he/she must be fully aware of the corporate culture, to deal with international clients and customers.
In a nutshell, any activity that intends to enhance the present or future performance of an employee, by improving his/her ability through the process of learning, by changing approach, sharpening skills, strengthening competencies and increasing the knowledge base, comes under the ambit of training and development.
Importance of Skill Development in Education
by cdadmin | Posted on July 13, 2019
It is well said by an individual, “Education is more important but skill is the most important”.
What are Life Skills?
A set of basic rules that are gained through learning or with direct experiences in life are termed as Life Skills. These skills enable groups and individuals to tackle various sorts of issues & problems effectively which are commonly faced in daily life. They are the abilities for adaptive & positive behavior that enable human beings to deal with every life challenges & situations effectively. One needs them to make the most out of life. In short, any life skill which is useful in life can be considered as a life skill.
Talking about school children, these rules also equip students to thrive in the classroom & to the world outside.
Why are Life Skills important?
Life Skills are important as these bring positive effects in the life of an individual. In this 21st century, all these skills are essential to gain success not only for a healthy society but also for successful individuals. Thus, it is important to evolve skill training among children from an early age itself.
What is Life Skills Education?
Activities like critical thinking, creative art & craft work, decision-making, problem-solving, an ability to collaborate & communicate along with a sense of responsibility towards personal as well as society at large, to contribute good citizenship comes under Life Skill.
Life Skill Education in Schools
These life skills must be made compulsory in school education as without learning these skills, children can struggle when it comes about real-world responsibilities. Therefore, it becomes necessary that schools provide their students with these types of basic mental, social & physical skills to make them ready for leading a better after-school life. Overall, it can be said that these life skills should also be brought into high-school education. Concluding all this, there are lots of skills that children must need for their future. Some of these are:
1. Collaboration across networks
2. Finding new ways of problem-solving ability with Critical thinking.
3. Imagination & Curiosity
4. Agility & Adaptability
5. Initiative & Entrepreneurialism
6. Oral & written effective communication
7. Accessing & analyzing information.
8. Potential to lead by influence
9. Working well as part of a team
10. Time and People management
Skill Development in Schools
Schools in India, at large, adopt an academic-centric model of Education. For the most part of schools, the learning process is confined only to classrooms. In fact, this process is more about gaining facts & less about learning. The very best way to address this problem is to introduce life-changing skill training in the school-based curriculum. Giving them some options at the onset of teenage gives them the chance to explore & learn more things beyond their textbooks & whatever is taught in classrooms. One more advantage of introducing Life skill for kids is that they get the freedom to choose at an early age. Skills like team-spirit, inquisitiveness, creativity, trustworthiness, sympathy, co-ordination, assertiveness and much more comes with life skill activities.
It is thus a process which helped children to build a stronger foundation for a thriving future on the academic as well as at the professional front.
The Importance of Life Skills
In a constantly changing environment, having life skills is a basic part of being able to address the difficulties of regular day to day existences. The dramatic changes in global worldwide economies over the course of the recent five years have been coordinated with the change in innovation technology. All these are putting a greater impact on education, the working environment and at our home life.
To be able to cope up with the increasing pace and change of present-day life, students need to learn life skills, for example, the capacity to manage pressure and disappointment.
Benefits for the Individual
In regular day to day life, the development of life skills encourages students to:
1. Encourages them to take responsibility for what they do, instead of shifting blames.
2. Build confidence both in speaking skills, for group collaboration & cooperation with joint effort and participation.
3. Analyze various alternatives, make decisions and understand why they make certain specific decisions outside the classroom.
4. Develop a greater sense of self-awareness, feeling of mindfulness and an appreciation for other people.
5. The capacity to self-manage, tackle issues while understanding individual responsibilities.
6. Readiness and flexibility to various jobs in adaptable workplaces.
7. Help them develop self-confidence & higher self-esteem.
8. Give them a voice in their group, community, society & at schools.
9. Enable them to make a positive contribution by developing experience & expertise within them.
10. Prepare them for upcoming challenges, difficult situations as well as opportunities in their later life.
Benefits for Society as a Whole
The more we develop life skills individually, the more these benefit the world in which we live by recognizing cultural awareness and citizenship makes international cooperation easier with people of other societies and by respecting diversity to allow creativity and imagination to flourish a more developed society.
Vocational & life skills need to be encouraged. These factors are the reason that developing countries like India should invest in skill development for youth with proper education.
In short, “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.