Introduction
Training of both new and already working employees is one of the key factors to an organization’s success. Most organizations plan to develop towards meeting higher goals. Organizations are employing people every day and these people are not aware of the operations in the organizations. The trends in organizations are also changing and old employees need to be trained to manage to perform some new tasks. Proper training can help an organization meet its objectives, increase its competitiveness, and maximize profits. An organization needs to do some analysis before implementing a development program. However, organizations have in the past concentrated more on the analysis and very little in taking the necessary actions. The training given should allow an organization to realize its objectives in addition to other factors. This paper will seek to analyze the current trends in training program development that can help organizations increase their competitiveness.
Previous Trends
In the past, the learning that used to take place in organizations involved teaching employees mostly about the objectives of the organization. The training was meant to teach the strategies that could be used to help the organization meet its objectives. Skills that could help in organizational development were also taught by the training managers. Training took place in classes where the trainers used chalk and gave lectures to employees. Employees were trained when they joined organizations and chances of more training were quite low. Individuals from the learning and development team have not been involved in the development of organizational strategy. For those who have been involved, they are not involved from the initial planning stages but they join the training team later when the training has already commenced. Members of the learning and development team were involved in actions such as managing some functions in the organizations, involved in organizational change, internal consultancy, and delivering some training (Wain, 2008, p.26).
Importance of the Learning and Development Department
Helping People to Learn
The learning and training department works closely with the human resources department to enhance the efficiency of work that takes place in an organization. The business model is changing every day and it is the responsibility of the learning and development team to train working employees and new trainees to acquire the skills that are necessary to meet the new needs of the business. This is because the models that businesses are assuming greatly depend on the skills of the employees. The team helps individuals in an organization to learn and therefore increase their skills (Thomas & Christopher, 2008, p.462). To help the organization develop and reach its organizational objective, the learning and development team keeps its focus on where the organization is heading and evaluates the current position about the future objective.
Acting as a Guide
The training and development team acts as a facilitator in an organization. They guide individuals through the learning process and demonstrate what is supposed to be done. This helps individuals achieve their personal goals by directing the goals of the individuals towards the overall goal of the organization. The team also helps in developing the attitudes of individuals who work in the organization where these individuals take the tasks as if they are their tasks. They have the skills that they educate about and therefore act as an influence to the trainees (Julie, 2007, para. 6). The team consists of very responsible guys who train individuals on the importance of being responsible and working without supervision.
Future expectations
Each organization has its needs that are different from the needs of other organizations. The experience, personality, and credibility of the learning and development professionals will determine the ability of an organization to determine its specific needs. It is the responsibility of the team to act as drivers of change that lead to development. The advancement in technology will greatly affect the work of the learning and development team. Innovations will keep on changing the functions of employees in an organization and this means more training will be required on part of the employees and those individuals that join the organization for their first time (Harold & Heinz, 2006, par. 267). Facilitation and action learning will help an organization see the impact of learning in all its operations. Changing the methods that are used alone might not help an organization meet its anticipated development. Some other factors such as continued development of skills, raising individuals’ credibility and caliber, and changing the mindsets of individuals are also important. Changes will be required in many areas in an organization and those areas that affect the development directly need to be prioritized. The individuals need not just do more work but do the work smartly using the skills acquired in training. The learning and development department will be responsible for marketing so that it can attract more employees to the organization and prepare these employees for their jobs. The team needs to give the right training to the right people and also give on-time training.
Conclusion
The skills that are required by employees in an organization determine the ability of the organization to meet its developmental objective. The learning and development team is responsible for training individuals in an organization. Training is required by all employees throughout their life in an organization so that they can be armed with the skills required by the changing business models.
Reference
Harold, K., & Heinz, W. (2006). Essentials of Management. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Julie, B. (2007). Top Trends in Training and Leadership and Leadership Development. Web.
Thomas, G. C., & Christopher, G. W. (2008). Organizational Development and Change. New York: Cengage Learning.
Wain, D. (2008). Method Acting: People Management. Business Source Complete, 14(4): 24-27. Web.