Table of Contents
Methods of Training in HRM – Premise!
Before we delve into methods of training used in HRM by organizations and deep dive into and discuss the nine benefits of training to employers and employees in virtually any industry, let me first define and explain what training is in the context of human resource management.
What is training in HRM?
Training in HRM is the process of enhancing individuals’ knowledge and skill level for doing a particular job. It is an organized procedure of imparting knowledge and building skills for a definite purpose. Training can also be termed practical education for skill development.
The training aims to bridge the gap between an employee’s skill requirements and present competence. Training can be of multiple types, ranging from short-term orientation to a never-ending continuous process to prepare individuals for different jobs.
What is retraining in HRM?
Retraining is training a person who has previously undergone similar training in their careers. The objective is to keep experienced employees updated with their job profiles’ newer development and techniques. It is always better to retrain an already skilled person than to train a novice.
What happens if there is no training?
Untrained employees lack specific skill sets they may not have attained through academics. Such workers tend to be unprofessional, inefficient, and less productive, thus adversely affecting the cause of an organization that hires them.
What are the main objectives of training?
The main objective of the training is to impart a specific set of skills, awareness, and capability to trainees so that they become professionals, perform efficiently and productively, and contribute positively to organizational goals.
Methods of Training in HRM: Explaination!
There are two primary categories to segregate all methods of training, On-the-Job Training(OJT) and Off-the-Job Training(OFT).
On-the-Job Training (OJT):
In On-the-Job Training method of training, the trainees learn the requisite skills by doing a regular job under the guidance and supervision of a supervisor, guide, or instructor. In this method the trainees observe the work done by their team or their superior and simultaneously get a chance to apply their learnings practically. OJT is also known as the learning-by-doing method or observational learning method.
OJT method is an excellent way of preparing employees for jobs that require motor skills and repetitive steps on daily bases. There is no price for guessing the fact that most industrial workers, the world over, especially in the united states and major industrial economies, are taught the skills they need in their jobs through the On-the-job training technique.
Types of On-the-Job Training(OJT)
Many sub-techniques are part of the larger OJT concept of training. Let us look at the popular training methods within the broader OJT concept.
Job Instruction Training (JIT):
It is a step-by-step practical training designed and given to raw and unskilled workers before they take on any significant and advanced OJT tasks.
JIT is commonplace in a trade that requires a high degree of dexterity and motor skills. Here trainees are put at ease, and errors are gently pointed out and corrected.
Job Instruction Training helps trainees get the feel of the things to come in actual trade-related work without pushing them directly to the workforce to learn and perform.
Job Rotation:
In Job rotation training technique, participants are given different assignments for a fixed period in various production units or within distinct departments of an organization.
The goal here is to familiarize the trainees with the work culture of an organization and impart flexibility and adaptability to take multiple roles within an organization.
On a positive note, employees get to develop multiple skills. However, job rotation could prevent workers from mastering any skill set, and they may end up as a jack of all trades, masters of none.
Merits of OJT:
The best aspect of on-the-job training is that trainees get to work in a real-world work environment on actual machines and production lines. Exposure to devices and production environments makes learning much more practical and helps workers develop the confidence to take up the task as a professional tradesman or employee.
Secondly, OJT is almost always much less expensive as organizations don’t need any extra space or equipment to impart training to trainees. The minimal training cost associated with OJT makes it a viable and attractive option for many organizations, especially those with large factories or offices.
Demerits of OJT:
As with most methods, the OJT training method has a negative side too. First and foremost, On-the-job training lacks a proper environment and ambiance of a more conventional learning center. OJT trainees have to bear a lot of noise and haphazardness during training and find a way to focus on essential activities.
Secondly, since untrained people are trying to learn the skills within the natural work environment and with real machines, there is always a possibility of material damage or a mishap in such scenarios. Thus management needs to take extra precautions in OJT setups.
Finally, a mix of untrained people with trained supervisors and workers almost always slows the process of production or speed of operations; thus, it can be detrimental to organizational goals.
OFF-the-Job Training:
Contrary to OJT, trainers in Off-the-Job training learn outside the work environment and devote full time to learning. During training, they are neither expected nor contribute significantly to any live real-world project.
Types of OFF-the-Job Training:
There are many types of off-the-job training. Below I have elaborated on prominent ones with their merits and demerits.
Vestibule Training:
The vestibule training method requires organizations to set up training centers stimulating and duplicating the actual job conditions to impart training. Expert trainers train trainees with identical to real-work equipment.
The aeronautical Industry is the best example of an industry employing a vestibule training method. Here very high-end actual flight stimulators are used to teach pilots how to fly planes without risking the life of pilots, trainers, and expensive planes.
The advantage of Vestibule training is that it is very realistic and closely mimics actual work conditions without disturbing the workflow in the workplace.
On the demerit side, vestibule training is the most expensive, as it requires duplication of work environment, dedicated space, machines, and equipment for training.
Apprenticeship training:
In apprenticeship training, young trainees are typically selected and trained through specially designed training programs that combine theory with practical tasks, focusing more on the latter. This method is best suited for trades and blue color mechanical jobs.
Organizations often make apprenticeships attractive by adding an element of paid work to the training program. Thus target apprentices, often youth, can earn and learn together.
The most significant benefit of the apprenticeship training method is that it can produce a skilled and trained workforce in hoards who are immediately employable in the market.
So apprenticeship serves as a means of providing practical education, explicitly targeting youth and preparing them for entry-level trades roles.
Classroom Training or Coaching:
Classromm training method or coaching is one of the most common and easy-to-implement training methods. Under this method, training is provided in-house or through collaboration with educational institutions.
In Classroom Training method, lectures, group discussions, case studies, teaching through audiovisual aid, etc., are popular training techniques.
Classroom training is an appropriate method of training staff for white-collar and executive job profiles. This method is also suited to teach trainees soft skills, interpersonal communication, and theoretical concepts.
The merit of classroom training lies in its cost-effectiveness and easy scalability for many employees. On the contrary, coaching fails to teach practical and stimulated learning which can be essential for some job roles.
Internship Training:
In Internship training method, Educational Institutes tie up with businesses to give their students practical training and exposure to industrial practices.
Typically, a pre-decided Internship arrangement comes into play when students are in the final semester or between the course; they get to work in the industrial setup for some time. The internship allows students to learn the practical dimension of their academic domain.
One significant advantage of internship training is that organizations get to familiarize interns, fresh from academic schooling, with their company’s work and often absorb them in operations.
Students benefit by getting suitable employment offers even before completing their formal studies.
Virtual Training or E-Learning:
In Virtual training method, Organizations impart high-quality learning through animation, audiovisual aid, and remotely deliver through the internet using both live and recording sessions. For instance, WorthyMBA, the website you are currently reading, offers a virtual live training program on Foundations of Digital Content Writing through its education initiative, Worthy Education Academy.
Virtual learning is the most cost-effective training technique and is highly scalable. Content, once made, can be reused multiple times with minimal training delivery cost, and trainees can learn from even the comfort of their homes.
In the post-pandemic world, with the near-universal availability of high-speed broadband and the advent of 5g internet, this is fast becoming the preferred channel for organizations to train their staff.
9 Benefits of Training for Employers & Employees!
Now that you understand various training methods and their applicability let’s go through the nine benefits of training for employers, irrespective of industry and type of business. Though the employer’s perspective is predominantly covered in this article, I have also touched upon benefits of training for employees, wherever it was deemed essential.
Higher productivity:
A properly trained workforce is much more efficient and produces a better quantum and quality of work per capita. Consider this, developing and underdeveloped nations struggle to get the best out of their people due to want of proper training and skill development programs; in contrast, the tremendous production capacity of developed countries is a product of a highly trained workforce in those societies.
Quality Control:
Well-designed formal training programs result in a better quality of work procedures and protocols. Streamlined operations reduce redundant and non-productive activities and produce a better quality of work in less time and with minimum resources. The best and most productive methods are standardized and taught to employees so they need not reinvent the wheel every time they need one.
Shorter Learning Curve:
A systematic and structured training module can help quicken employee learning curve by eliminating hit and trial cycles. Well-crafted training programs are much more cost-effective and time-efficient for both parties, i.e., employees and employers.
Production Cost Optimization:
The trained workforce is usually well adapted to making the best use of available resources, thus minimizing wastage and avoidable delays in production and logistics. Furthermore, a skilled workforce helps cut expenditure on routine and long-term maintenance of machinery and equipment, reducing input costs. Reduced production & maintenance cost leads to better productivity and more profits for organizations.
Reduced Supervision:
Trained employees are usually more motivated and self-reliant. They neither need a supervisor to guide them perpetually nor to be micro-manged for routine tasks. Relatively independent workers feel pride in their job and give better output while saving organizations precious dollars on high supervisory costs for rusty and untrained workers.
Lower organizational attrition:
An open working environment also leads to lower job attrition, which is always a great situation for any organization. After all, no one wants to part ways with trained, adapted, and productive employees. Interestingly this is also a great long-term cost saver as frequently finding, hiring, and training new employees is both inefficient and cost-intensive. It usually takes the organization’s focus away from its core productive activities.
High morale and job satisfaction:
From an employee’s perspective, training motivates them to be more regular and involved in their daily jobs, thus reducing absenteeism. Trained and motivated employees work with zeal, confidence, and self-worth and contribute better to organizational goals. Such employees also report higher job satisfaction in their workspace, leading to a sense of stability in their employment and personal life.
Improved Organizational Climate:
Trained employees are assets that make organizations more professional and disciplined and improve industrial relations with peer industries, ancillary units, suppliers, and distributors, thus helping to enhance the brand image and value of the organization in the market.
Building leadership funnel:
Training is an investment in people. It helps organizational goals in short to medium term but also helps create the next generation of leaders to take an enterprise forward. For this reason, many large and successful organizations maintain a perpetual and continuous employee training cycle through in-house or outsourced channels. From employees’ perspective, they get an opportunity to learn new skills for career growth, often sponsored by organizations. Thus it is a win-win situation.
Now that our readers are clear about what training is and why training is essential, we will move to the next important segment in this article, methods of training, and look into the merits and demerits of all prominent training techniques.
Conclusion:
It is established with the above discussion that the benefits of training for employers and also for employees are numerous. Therefore, investing in training can only help an organization’s cause, and training, as an activity, will always find a way into an organization’s core functionalities.
It is also clear that the methods of training are plenty, but each has its suitability and usability, depending upon the organizational requirements. It is up to businesses to pick the most efficient and effective training technique to mold raw talent into proficient and productive professionals capable of productively serving organizations in the long run.
Kartikay Ungrish is the Founder-director of Worthy Education Academy & Worthy Financial Services. He is a UGC NET-qualified Assistant Professor of Management, A MBA, a licenced mutual fund distributor, and a financial advisor. He helps people build wealth through prudent investments in mutual funds and other financial products. Start by creating your free wealth management account with him as your financial advisor. Contact for more details.
