Education assignment essay on: Education and training programs in my workplace and industry
Dear…….,
Education and training programs in my workplace and industry
I work in an IT and software services company. It is a customer-oriented company rather than a product oriented one. Every requirement of the customer in the IT and software space segment is fulfilled by our company.
Workplace training and education is of critical importance in the IT and software services industry. Technological innovations take place on a continuous basis. New technologies come and old technologies become obsolete. In such a dynamic scenario the importance of workplace training and education is greatly increased (Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Seema Sanghi, 2010).
Many times workplace training and education programs differentiate a good software company from a bad one. In a knowledge industry like software and IT, human resources are the most important resource of any organization. Training and education programs target this critical resource. No wonder then that many IT and software companies have training and education budgets which run into millions of dollars.
Many software companies including mine have built their competitive advantage around their training and education programs. On the back of their superior training programs such organizations create better human resources. It is this human resource which gives them an advantage over competitors.
While devising their training and education strategy organizations should ask themselves the following questions:
i) Why do they need workplace training and education programs? What benefits will accrue to them from having such programs?
ii) How will these programs benefit the employees?
iii) How will these programs contribute to improving the performance of the organization on parameters like customer satisfaction, innovation and cost efficiency?
My organization has a strategic perspective towards workplace training and education; this perspective is a long term one. There are programs for employees at every level of the organization. Employees are imparted training programs based on their unique needs and requirements. There are programs for new recruits as well as for senior employees. While some of the training and education programs are mandatory others are discretionary.
Most of the training and education programs in a software company like mine revolve around imparting knowledge of new software programming languages to employees. Training on development of new applications is given and employees are educated in the latest innovations in technology. Such training programs come in the category of technical training programs.
There are many kinds of workplace training programs (Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Seema Sanghi, 2010). These include:
i) Basic literacy training programs.
ii) Technical skills training programs.
iii) Interpersonal skills training program.
iv) Problem solving skills training program.
Besides technical training, my organization also has interpersonal skills training and problem solving training programs.
Interpersonal skills training help employees in working as a team. The performance of employees is largely dependent on their ability to cooperate with their colleagues. Interpersonal skills go a long way in minimizing workplace conflict between employees. Training is given to employees so that they can become better listeners and better communicator of their ideas.
Problem solving skills training is given to employees at the middle and senior level of management. Lower level employees can also take this training but it is not mandatory for them. Employees in the middle and upper managerial positions have to solve problems in their jobs. They need problem solving skills which sharpen their logic, reasoning and problem-defining ability. Such employees should also be capable of analysis and decision making. Problem solving training program is an integral part of my organization’s efforts to make management more effective and improve quality.
Training methods employed by my organization vary according to circumstances. Formal training programs are those which are planned in advance and have a structured format that needs to be followed. Formal training programs are given to newly inducted employees. There are such programs also for senior employees.
Informal training programs are unstructured and unplanned. The advantage of such informal training programs is that they can be easily adapted to the circumstances and can be conducted at a short notice. As part of informal training employees in my organization share information and help each other out. It is the policy of my organization to encourage such informal training sessions between employees.
On-the-job training in my company is delivered through methods like job rotation, formal mentoring programs, apprenticeships etc. The apprenticeships are given according to standards set by Vocational Education and Training (VET) system. One of the disadvantages of on-the-job training programs is that they sometimes cause disruption of work (Patrick J. Montana and Bruce H. Charnov,2000).
Off-the-job training programs are more popular in my company and in other companies of the Information Technology and software sector. Training is delivered in off-the-job training programs through classroom like lectures and sessions. Due to technological innovations it has now become possible to conduct such training through video-conferencing. This technology has cut down the costs of conducting training programs.
My company is a multi-national one; it operates in around nine countries. One interesting aspect of the workplace education and training program here is that it is customized according to the local requirements of the employees of a particular country. This has made the entire training program more effective.
Operational training programs given in my organization are highly structured and well defined. They are aligned with the operational requirements of the company. The objective of operational training programs is to make employees more efficient and effective in their job tasks.
Changes that have taken place recently vis-à-vis workplace training and education in my organization and in software industry
I have noticed certain changes in the workplace training and education programs in my company recently. These changes are not limited to my company alone but extend to the entire software industry.
The first major change is the introduction of ethical training. Employees are given training in ethical standards and the value of ethics. According to one recent survey 75 % of the companies in the software industry are now imparting ethical training to their employees.
Ethical training in my organization is part of a newly inducted employees’ training program. They are also part of the ongoing training programs for senior employees of the organization.
One objective of ethical training programs is to improve the ethical standards and value system of employees. Such employees perform better at their jobs and do not take actions which put them on the wrong side of law.
Ethical training goes a long way in helping employees to recognize their ethical dilemmas and understand the ethical issues underlying their actions. Other companies in the software sector are increasingly inducting ethical training in their training programs.
Ethical training is particularly important for employees in the upper level of management. Employees in my organization who hold senior executive positions are educated in what kind of managerial decisions are ethical and what are unethical. Many organizations have suffered in the past because of the unethical behavior of their senior level management. Managers are educated in their responsibility towards shareholders and other stakeholders of the organization. They are educated in the principle of agency and their fiduciary relationship with shareholders (Brodhead, C. W, 1991).
Link between changes in workplace training and education programs and national and international developments
The other important change in training programs is that they now focus more on workplace diversity. This change has been brought due to globalization. Because of globalization, movement of people across national borders has increased. As a result the diversity of workforce in my organization and other organizations has increased considerably.
Increased diversity means increased cultural differences between the members of the organization. In my organization, I have noticed that the percentage of black employees, Asian origin employees and women employees has increased considerably over the years. Countries around the world are encouraging women to take careers in corporate world. My organization itself encourages and promotes women employees in key positions.
Workplace diversity training programs aim at increasing the cultural sensitivity of employees. They are educated on the different cultures so that can cope with cultural differences in a better way. One of the challenges that have come with increased workplace diversity is that inter-cultural conflicts have increased at the workplace. Education in different cultures increases the tolerance of employees towards their co-workers coming from different cultures.
Workplace diversity training program in my organization educates employees in what kind of behavior towards women can be inappropriate and may fall in the category of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment laws have become severe over the years. In many cases involving sexual harassment in the past, organizations were made liable for the errant behavior of their employees. So education in sexual harassment is important for employees (Achilles, C. M.; Lintz, M.N.; and Wayson, W.W., 1989).
Another change that I notice is that computer based training or e-training has gained significance over the past some years. My organization has created an internal network that allows the employees to take online courses. Many of these online courses follow the VET standards. The advantage of these online courses is that they are cheaper to conduct. They are also more convenient for employees. They do not disrupt work. Employees are given certification for the online courses that they have successfully undertaken. Other companies in the sector are also developing intranet training systems.
E-training has many advantages. It increases the flexibility of companies in delivering training programs. They can deliver training programs anywhere and any place that they want. It is fast and efficient in delivery. However employees do not get peer interaction in e-trainings, which is a major disadvantage. Sometimes the cost of creating online courses and the accompanying intranet can be high. In the absence of a trainer there is no way to ascertain that the employee who has completed an online training program has actually learnt anything from it or not.
Another important change which I have noticed is that more and more workplace education and training programs are being customized to meet the requirements of individual employees. An effective training program is one which is formalized to meet the individual training requirement of the employees. Such individualized training programs are highly effective in imparting training. Technology has made individualization and customization of training programs possible.
Some of the problems and challenges which my organization and the software industry face in imparting workplace training and education:
There are many challenges and problems that organizations in software industry currently face. One of the biggest problems is to develop the right kind of training packages for the employees. Such a training package should effectively address the training needs of the employees. So while designing the training package the following questions need to be asked:
i) What are the training needs of the employees?
ii) How can these training needs be fulfilled effectively?
Sometimes the training packages delivered by VET registered organizations fail to meet the unique requirements of employees. Sometimes new recruits, who have been trained by VET registered training organizations, have to be given additional training before they become employable. This raises the costs of hiring a new employee.
A VET training package is an integrated set of nationally endorsed units of competency and assessment guidelines for a specific industry, like software in this case. Registered training organizations follow the guidelines in VET training packages while delivering their accredited training programs. My organization and other organizations in the software industry often employ Registered Training organizations for delivering training to employees.
Another problem that companies in software sector face is that the requirements of VET keep on changing. To meet the changes in requirements is a big challenge in itself. Competency based training (CBT) has become the preferred method of delivery under Vocational Education and Training (VET). In spite of its many advantages the implementation of CBT has been difficult.
An effective Competency based training program should perform on the following parameters:
i) The emphasis of the training program should be on the outcome of training in terms of competencies developed in employees who take the training program.
ii) The outcome created should be measured against specific standards. These standards should relate to the requirements of the industry.
A CBT program which does not perform on the above parameters cannot succeed in meeting the needs of the software industry and its employees. Trainers need to change their practices and ways in order to make CBT more effective.
Another problem that organizations like mine face in workplace training and education is that of getting qualified and competent trainers. Many of the training programs are conducted by members of the organization who have expertise in their specific areas. For many other training programs, the services of outside trainers and consultants are taken. It becomes sometimes difficult to get outside trainers who can meet the specific training needs of the employees of the organization. Expert outside trainers sometimes charge exorbitant amounts for conducting workplace education and training programs. This raises the whole cost of training and education and organizations sometimes feel discouraged to pursue such programs.
5. Conclusion regarding costs and benefits of recent changes in workplace training and education
Workplace training and education require considerable investments by organization in software and other sectors. Cost-benefit analysis therefore needs to be done to assess the true impact of workplace training and education programs. Recent changes like those entailed by VET have definitely added to the costs of conducting workplace training and education.
While conducting such cost-benefit analysis organizations should bear in mind that the true returns or benefits of a training program accrues in the medium and long term only. A strategic mindset is needed while assessing the true benefits of a training and education program. The costs of conducting a training program should justify the benefits expected to be accrued from it over a given period of time. If the costs exceed the benefits then the whole objective of conducting training programs is likely to be defeated (William J. Rothwell and H. C. Kazanas ,2004).
Without having an effective workplace education and training program organizations cannot succeed in a knowledge economy. Companies that do not invest in the training and development of their employees cannot emerge as leaders. They can never be innovative and are very likely to lose their competitive advantage to competitors in the medium and long run. Such organizations are short-sighted, to say the least. Whatever be the sector of the economy, workplace training and education is important. It enables an organization to transform itself into a learning organization. A learning organization is one that has developed the continuous ability to adapt and change. Such a learning organization succeeds in a dynamic environment which is rapidly changing. A learning organization is more successful in innovating. This innovation in products and processes enables it to create and sustain its competitive advantage. The importance of workplace training and education cannot be understated. And I consider the training program in my organization as one that to large degrees adheres to ‘best practice’ in workplace training and education.
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