Training Methods in Human Resources Essay Example

become a ‘necessity’ in industrial organizations on account of the following reasons:

Job Requirements

New employees require detailed instructions and training for effective performance on the jobs. Employees selected might lack the required qualifications and skills for a particular job. New entrants also need to provide orientation to make them familiar with the working conditions and the organization.

Technological Changes

Technology is changing very fast. Mechanization is increasingly used in offices and factory jobs. Thus, increasing use of fast changing techniques and work methods requires training into new technology. New jobs require new skills. No organization can miss the advantages of latest technology without well trained employees.

Organizational Viability

Trained employees are the valuable assets of a company. But the skills of men become outdated due to fast changing conditions in the market and economy. Over the passage of time, employees suffer from personal obsolescence. Their knowledge becomes old. Hence, existing employees need refresher training to keep them abreast of new knowledge.

Increasing competition

Due to economic liberalization and globalization the firms are experiencing expansion and diversification of business and products. The keen competition has increased uncertainties and complexities in the market. Thus, in order to face international competition, the firms must improve their capabilities. It necessitated acquisition of new skills through training.

Change in Job Assignment

Training becomes necessary when an employee moves from one job to another due to promotion or transfer. Employees chosen for higher level jobs also need training. Training is also necessary to equip the old employees with the advanced disciplines, principles, and concepts. When somebody is asked to perform

the higher responsibilities, he is given training.

Human Relations Approach

In this age of industrial democracy, employees are partners rather than servants. Modern managers have to maintain human relations besides maintaining sound industrial relations. Now training has to become a right of employees, although hitherto the managers were adopting a commodity approach towards workers.

Hiring Misfits

Today, public welfare, reservation policy or social responsibilities have made it necessary to employ those generally regarded as unemployables. The social goal of equal employment opportunity has been accepted nationwide. Minority group members have claimed to be recruited. Sometimes, these persons may be misfits. But their shortage of skills can be removed by training.

Contract Training

Sometimes, training is needed under a service contract. At times, ethical codes, social norms, or business practices provide a carrot as well as a stick to persuade managers to co-operate. Thus, firms can contract to provide training for work and pay the cost as their contribution.

Motivation and Creativity

Training programmes foster the initiation and creativity among employees. Training motivates employees to work harder. Employees who understand their jobs are likely to have higher morale. Training provides a sense of assurance to employees that they are valued members of the organization.

Other Factors

• increase in quantity and quality of product or service.
• improves organizational climate.
• prevents accidents.
• minimize the resistance to change.
• harness the human potential.
• prevent suboptimal performance.

Methods of training Training is generally imparted in two ways: 1.On the job training- On the job training methods are those which

are given to employees within the everyday working of a concern. It is a simple and cost effective training method. The employees can be well trained by using such training method. The employees are trained in actual working scenario. The motto of such training is “learning by doing.” Instances of such on the job training methods are job–rotation, coaching, temporary promotions, etc.

Off the job training methods are those in which training is provided away from the actual working condition. It is generally used in the case of new employees. Instances of off the job training methods are workshops, seminars, conferences, etc. Such method is costly and is effective if and only if large number of employees have to be trained within a short time period. Off the job training is also called vestibule training, i.e. the employees are trained in a separate area (may be a hall, entrance, reception area etc. known as a vestibule) where the actual working conditions are duplicated. “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn” -Benjamin Franklin

Types of Training

Orientation Training: New employee orientation effectively integrates the new employee into your organization and assists with retention, motivation, job satisfaction, and quickly enabling each individual to become contributing members of the work team.

Job instruction training: Step by step (structured) on the job training method in which a trainer

• prepares a trainee with an overview of the job, its purpose, and the results desired,
• demonstrates the task or the skill to the trainee,
• allows the trainee to mimic the demonstration on his
  

or her own,

Apprenticeship: An apprenticeship program combines on-the-job training with academic instruction for those entering the workforce. Also called dual-training programs because of the combined occupational and in-class components, apprenticeships help individuals put their academic skills to practical use in various careers. Whereas internships are often short-term, rarely lasting more than a year, apprenticeships can last as many as four or five years. Apprenticeships also differ from internships in that most apprentices are paid, with salary increasing as the apprentice completes parts of the program.

Internships: Internship is a system of on-the-job training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career; they may also be as young as middle school students in some areas. Student internships provide opportunities for students to gain experience in their field, determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts, or gain school credit. Internships provide employers with cheap or free labour for (typically) low level tasks. Some interns find permanent, paid employment with the companies in which interned. Their value to the company may be increased by the fact that they need little to no training.

Job Rotation: It is a technique in which employees are moved between two or more jobs in a planned manner. The objective is to expose the employees to different experiences and wider variety of skills to enhance job satisfaction and to cross-train them.

Coaching: It is the practice of

giving sufficient direction, instruction and training to a person or a group of people, so as to achieve some goals or even in developing specific skills. Though coaching is a system of providing training, the method of coaching differs from person to person, aim or goals to be attained, and areas needed. Still there are some common methods in coaching

• Motivational speaking
• Seminars
• Supervised practice

Off the Job Training

Vestibule training: A method of job education where educational facilities approximate real working conditions and are equipped with actual production machinery. In a typical vestibule training situation used by a manufacturing business, less than ten trainees would be supervised by one skilled trainer, and the training provided simulates on the job training without compromising production speed or quality.

Lecture: Lecture is a verbal presentation by an instructor to a large audience. The lecture is presumed to possess a considerable depth of knowledge of the subject at hand. The virtue of this method is that it can be used for large groups, and hence cost per trainee is low. This method is mainly used in colleges and universities mainly.

Demonstrations and examples: In this type of training method trainer describes and displays something , as and when he teaches an employee how to do something by actually performing the activity himself and going on explaining why and what he is doing. This method is very effective in teaching because it is much easier to show a person how to do a job then to tell him or give him instruction about a particular job.

Audio-visuals: Audio-visuals

include television, slides, overheads, video types and films. These can be used to provide a wide range of realistic examples of job conditions and situations in a short period of time. Further the quality of the presentation can be controlled and will remain equal for all training groups. But, audio visuals constitute a one way system of communication with no scope for the audience to raise doubts for clarification.

Programmed Instructions: Programmed instruction is a Computer-based training that comprises of graphics, multimedia, text that is connected to one another and is stored in memory. Programmed instruction is the procedure of guiding the participants strategically through the information in a way that facilitates the most effective and efficient learning. It provides the participant with content, information, asks questions, and based on the answer goes to the next level of information i.e. if the trainee gives the correct answer; one branch moves the trainee forward to the new information. And if the trainee gives the wrong answer then different branch is activated, taking the trainee back to the review relevant information in more elaborate manner.

This method allows the trainees to go through the content according to the individual speed, and capability. Those trainees, who respond better, move through the content rapidly. Programmed Instruction also comes in Printed form i.e. books, Tape, Interactive Video and other formats.

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI): A self-learning technique, usually offline/online, involving interaction of the student with programmed instructional materials. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is an interactive instructional technique whereby a computer is used to present the instructional material and monitor the learning that takes place.CAI uses a combination of

text, graphics, sound and video in enhancing the learning process. The computer has many purposes in the classroom, and it can be utilized to help a student in all areas of the curriculum. CAI refers to the use of the computer as a tool to facilitate and improve instruction. CAI programs use tutorials, drill and practice, simulation, and problem solving approaches to present topics, and they test the student's understanding.

Simulation: Acting out or mimicking an actual or probable real life condition, event, or situation to find a cause of a past occurrence (such as an accident), or to forecast future effects (outcomes) of assumed circumstances or factors. A simulation may be performed through

• solving a set of equations (a mathematical model),
• constructing a physical (scale) model,
• staged rehearsal,
• game (such as war games),
• a computer graphics model (such as an animated flowchart).

Whereas simulations are very useful toolsthat allow experimentation without exposure to risk, they are gross simplifications of the reality because they include only a few of the real-world factors, and are only as good as their underlying assumptions.

Conference: In this method, the participating individuals confer to discuss points of common interests to each other. It is a basic to most participative group centered methods of development. This emphasis on small group discussion on organized subject matter and on the active participation of the members involved.

Case studies: Documented study of a specific real-life situation or imagined scenario, used as a training tool in business schools and firms. Students or trainees are required to analyze the prescribed cases

and present their interpretations or solutions, supported by the line of reasoning employed and assumptions made.

Role playing: In role-playing trainees act out of the given role as they would be in stage play. Two or more trainees are assigned parts to play before the nest of the class. Here role players are informed of a situation and of the respective roles they have to pay. Sometimes after the preliminary planning, the situation is acted by the role players. This method primarily involves employee-employer relationship-Hiring, firing.

Training process

Every company has a specific training procedure, depending upon its requirements. A general training procedure is explained below along with diagram:

Determining training needs of employee

In the very 1st step of training procedure, the HR department, identifies the number of people required training, specific area in which they need training, the age group of employee, the level in organization etc. in some cases the employee may be totally new to the organization. Here the general introduction training is required. Some employees may have problems in specific areas; here the training must be specific. This entire information is collected by HR department.

Selecting target group

Based on information collected in step 1 the HR department divides employee into groups based on the following:

1. The area of training
2. Level in the organization
3. The intensity of training

Preparing trainers

Once the employees have been divided into groups, the HR department arranges for trainers. Trainers can be in house trainers or specialized trainers from outside. The trainers are given details by HR department, like number

of people in group, their age, their level in organization, the result desired at the end of training, the area of training, the number of days of training, the training budget, facilities available etc.

Preparing training packages

Based on the information provided by trainers, he prepares entire training schedule i.e. number of days, number of sessions each day, topics to be handled each day, depth of which the subject should be covered, the methodology for each session, the test to be given for each session, handout/printed material to be given in each session.

Presentation

On the first day of training program the trainer introduces himself and specifies the need and objective of the program and then actually starts the program. The performance of each employee is tracked by the trained and necessary feedback is provided.

Performance

At the end of training program the participants reports back to their office or branches. They prepare report on the entire training program and what they have learned. They then start using whatever they have learned during their training. Their progress and performance is constantly tracked and suitable incentives are given and mistakes are corrected. As soon as the trainee is able to do the job in the right way, he is put on his own job and the training is over.

Follow up or Evaluation

Without monitoring the training process, it is possible that a well designed training programme may be conducted improperly, or otherwise fails to accomplish its goals. At the end of training, formal evaluation of the training programme is also necessary. This must be directly related to

the competition of training goals. Evaluation involves a comparison of what was accomplished during the training programme with what was intended (goals). It should provide feedback on training effectiveness. It reinforces the learning process and also helps in designing future training programmes.