“Training Strategies for Small and Medium Sized Businesses: One Size Doesn’t Fit All.”
Abstract
The prerequisites for training vary in different businesses, with size being a significant factor. The smaller firms tend to conduct their training for their employees on a superficial level, having their entire focus on learning informal skills. Whereas in comparatively larger SMEs, there is a broader spectrum for the learning perspective. These companies want to obtain a more formal training with an objective of achieving standard skills. Thus, different firms have different training strategies regardless of the size. This paper analyzes these differences and identifies the challenges that may inhibit certain training strategies.
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The owners of these business entities were also dissatisfied with the array of training which the external parties were providing. Usually, the owners accounted that they face a lot of sill shortages because of unavailability of appropriate training needed for both present as well as future business necessities. All the respondents in this survey claimed that they have searched for relevant training programs with economical prices at local, regional, and national levels. But after finding a suitable program, the managers were still hesitant to ensue because the costs were very high and there was no appropriate support available. As a result, the training packages were having more economically low prices and guaranteed general rather than ideal support. R. Hill and J. Stewart (2000) utilized a number of case studies in order to clarify the Human Resource practices of SMEs operating in the US. They found that a variety of companies in different industries have the tendency of short term and impulsive Human Resource Development. Training in such firms was informal, imprudent and had the objective of solving the workplace problems immediately, instead of the long-term employee development. They also found that these firms have a propensity to justify the active promotion of a developmental strategy in the absence of training. Nevertheless, the philosophy of owners and managers towards the business and their perception about the
Training for employees on key areas are the foundation for well-prepared workforce and will lead to a stable structured organization. The main objective of this type of training is to help to illustrate the importance of training and why achieving the proposed goals is so important for the success not only of the employee but of the entire company.
“Strategic HR planning predicts the future HR management needs of the organization after analyzing the organization's current human resources, the external labor market and the future HR environment that the organization will be operating in” (HR Council, n.d.). Human resource planning directly ties in to an organization’s strategic development and implementation by calculating company trends, resources, design, previous works and future expansion and ensuring that the impending requirements are met. This paper will further examine the role of human resource development
Due to the ever changing landscape of the business world many employers often send their employees to attend trainings and seminars. Though this specialized training sessions are costly the return a company gets from it is worth the investment. A company that constantly sends its employees to school to acquire a fresh and new ideas has a greater advantage than a company that do not offer such benefit.
Today’s corporations are highly advanced in communication, operations, and productions. The need for highly educated people is in great demand for both white and blue collar workers. With the continuing evolution of technology, companies will need to train and educate their employees to upgrade their level of knowledge. This is being accomplished through company training or
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Employee training not only contributes towards benefiting individual, but also to the organization, allowing it to continue operating effectively. Improved profitability and service delivery (Morrison et al.2010)
As a part of our study, we tried to understand the training method adopted by various organizations for different classes of employees under different verticals. In essence, unlike the other facets of HR, training and development methodologies do not differ much across verticals in an organization. However, the methodologies vary as per the type of employee who is undergoing the program.
Daycare centers are used most often by working parents, single mom’s and dad’s and sometimes stay at home parents who want some time to themselves a couple days a week. It’s a great alternative if you don’t have relatives that are available to watch your children that are not old enough to go to elementary school. Daycare centers should provide the emotional and social needs for babies that are crucial during the first two years of life in developing the learning structures of the brain. They provide a loving environment that will give your child a chance to grow and learn
Human resources are the most valuable assets of any organization, with the machines, materials and even the money; nothing gets done without man-power. In today’s business climate, businesses are faced with stiff internal and external competition. There are various human resource functions that give an organization a competitive edge, but most scholars argue that human resource functions becomes only operational when training has run through them all. This places training and development as an essential function in the survival of any organization. Increasingly, high performance organizations today are recognizing the need to use best training and development practices to enhance their competitive advantage.
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Training and development has become increasingly essential to the success of modern organisations, yet some still look at training as a problem or as something that is not taken seriously. Training and development is one key approach used by organisations to improve and maintain the capabilities of its workforce. However, many experts distinguish between training and development, being that training tends to be more closely focused and adapted towards short-term performance concerns, while development tends to be adapted more towards expanding an individual’s skills for future responsibilities (Snell and Bohlander 2007). The main reason that organisations train their employees is to bring their knowledge, skills and abilities up to the
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· Training - Employees want to increase their skills, knowledge, and abilities to remain marketable. It gives them a sense of job security. In today's workplace, the more training employees get, the more likely the employer will retain them. "According to a 1999 Emerging Workforce Study conducted by Interim Services and Louis Harris and Associates: Among employees who say their company offers poor training, 41 percent plan to leave within a year, versus only 12 percent of those who rate training opportunities as excellent. (Business Week, March 1, 1999)"
Employee training programs are important in a business' success. Without an effective training program implemented the business could suffer from confused employees, ill direction and incompetence. The new employee can only excel further when taken through a properly planned training program.
A training program that is well-designed is proven to achieve maximum results and meet the training needs identified during a training needs analysis. A well-executed training program will increase overall productivity and provide the knowledge, skills, and attitudes the employees need to perform successfully. This paper presents considerations for the design of a two-phase training program for existing employees – a two (2) day program, which covers the training needs to move the company in the right direction.