Friday, May 6, 2016

The Process Of Training And Development

By Peter Powell


Acquiring knowledge is a process and not an event. It occurs during our entire lifetime in two main ways: incidentally and intentionally. Incidental learning occurs with very little effort. It is the knowledge that we acquire as we attempt to solve various challenges in our lives. Intentional learning, on the other hand, is due to a deliberate effort. Training and development should take place at personal and institutional level.

Every organization (whether private or public) has the responsibility of ensuring that employees are trained regularly. Individual employees should also remember that they have a role to play in development and need to work in collaboration with their employers. They should challenge themselves to have individual goals on personal development that are in line with the goals of the firm.

The management should strive to provide the resources and the environment that makes this process possible. Such an environment should include a clear job description on which the training is to be based. The employees should be taught basic competencies needed in the present as well as in the future.

Learning opportunities can be found in day to day activities. It is important that one takes on new challenges often and avoid staying to long in their comfort zones if any form of growth is to be attained. Some supervisors will assign new duties that are not necessarily within the job description in a bid to stimulate professional growth. This is known as job expansion. A similar tact known as job rotation ensures that employees get exposure from different departments.

Employees should conduct self-assessments that will help determine the type of training that they will need. Such an assessment is centered on the identification of skills, values, strengths, weaknesses and experience among others. There are a number of self-assessment tools that are available freely over the internet for free or for a small fee. Another alternative of doing the same is to compare oneself with persons who have a similar job description as theirs.

Committees are typically made up of employees from different departments. This gives the members an opportunity to learn from each other and expound their knowledge of different aspects of their organization. In the end, the entire organization benefits since the individual employees gain more skills and knowledge and grow professionally. Every employee should be given an opportunity to be part of such committees whenever the chance arises.

Learning from a more experienced colleague is one of the most effective ways of getting knowledge and skills. This may be done through coaching or job shadowing. In job shadowing the learner follows the more experienced individual around and observes what they are doing but does not have to help with the work. A coach helps demonstrate skills and impart knowledge that is needed in discharging specific duties within the organization. They give feedback from time to time.

Further studies are necessary for all employees regardless of their level of responsibility. This comprises both self-study and enrollment for courses in colleges or universities. There are a number of websites that help people to gain in both skill and knowledge (popularly known as e-learning). Such websites may belong to universities or professional associations where training is done formally or to accomplished individuals in the industry where the training is informal.




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