Trends in Human Resource Development and Training

Abstract

Training and development refers to a "planned effort by an organisation to facilitate the learning of job-related behaviour on the part of its employees" (Wexley and Latham, 1981, 2). Training and development is also a means to provide employees with relevant skills so as to improve the efficiency of their organisation (Boydell, 1983). Many people have traditionally considered training and development to deal only with increasing a person's specific job-related skills such as word processing, electrical wiring, reading a blueprint, setting priorities or handling an employee grievance. 'Training' is now considered to be learning related to the present job while 'Development' is learning for growth of the individual which may not be related to a specific present or future job (Nadler, 1984). Training and development programs can have one or more of these three goals:• to improve an individual's level of self-awareness;• to improve an individual's skill in one or more areas of expertise.• to increase an individual's motivation to perform his or her job.