EMPLOYMENT TRANINIG AND DEVELOPMENT WHAT IS TRAINING? The concept of training predates history. One of the earliest types of training was on the job training. Our ancestors on the African plains taught their children how to hunt and prepare food, the earliest form of on-the-job training, which is still in wide use today Move forward tens of thousands of years to mediaeval Europe, and the first universities were founded for training in the professions of the priesthood and the law, and apprenticeships were established by the guilds for training young craftsmen. But the realistic starting point must be the Industrial Revolution, when the factory system brought large groups together and true international competition in manufactured goods began. This had two consequences: employers needed to train their employees to make production more effective; and the realization grew among governments that that the quality of workforces was an important factor in the growing competition for trade. This realization resulted in various forms, methods and types of training and developmental activities. Training is a form of guidance and instructions for performing the job safely and efficiently. It is necessary and useful in case of all categories of operative employees, supervisory staff and managers. It polishes an employee’s skills relative to the job he performs, giving him or her greater insight into it. Training programmes aim at not only improving the skills and efficiency of the employee but also his/her attitude and social behavior. Training programmes are conducted specially to improve the motivational levels and leadership skills of employees (read: soft skills) DEFINITION OF TRAINING What is training? (Nov. ’01, ’02, ’06 – Concept queson or Short note. Explain its importance (Nov ’05 – 10 marks) EDWIN FLIPPO: Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skill of an employee for doing a particular job Training is any attempt to improve current or future employee performance by increasing the an employee’s ability to perform through learning, usually changing the employee’s attitude or increasing his or her skills and knowledge. The need for training and development is determined by the employee’s performance deficiency, computed as follows: Training and development need = Standard performance – Actual performance. Thus training is responsible in bridging the existing gap between expected and actual performance. Bridging this gap is very important for any organization to function optimally and achieve good results. 1 | Page