Understanding, Learning, Training, Development and Education

Quality performance from the workforce is the need of every organization to stay in business in today’s competitive environment. There is nothing wrong if the CEO of a company after going through this, you will expects quality work performance from his employees, current and potential.

If workers and employees are good and not performing up to the mark, they need to be trained to raise their level of skill, knowledge and versatility. The complexity of jobs increases the need for training. The advancement in technology, wide use of computerization and related sophistication has increased the need for training by manifold.

Learning

The learning of skills and increase in the level of understanding of the employees has become imperative. Training widens the knowledge of the employee. He learns a lot through training. Training polishes the employee’s insight.

He becomes sharper and updates his knowledge through training. Training provides necessary instructions for performing the current job. It has a narrow aim of providing skills to benefit the organisation quickly. Training usually refers to the skill development of non supervisory personnel’s. Training applies to operative staff of the organisation.

Edwin B Flippo has defined training as, “the act of increasing the knowledge and skill of an employee for doing a particular job.” Thus, the training refers to the process of increasing the knowledge, skill, attitude, abilities, aptitude and potentials of the employee to increase and sharpen the job performance. The training ensures better performance of the job. Training differs from education and development.

Education and Training:

Training differs from education. Training is concerned with increase in knowledge, skill and abilities of the employees in doing a particular job. It has a narrow aim limited to increase in knowledge and skill. Education, on the other hand, has broader aim in sight and its purpose is to develop the individual.

Education is concerned with enhancing general knowledge and motivating him to understand the total environment. Education is imparted in schools, colleges and universities. Training is vocational in orientation and is given at the factory or at workplace.

The difference between training and education becomes hair thin when in certain cases training and education imparted at the same time. Employee development programmes conducted by certain organizations fall in the same category and are very wide in scope.

Training and Development:

Training refers to the instructions provided to increase the knowledge and skill for the current job. Development on the other hand has broader scope and aims at developing an individual in all respects. Training aims at achieving immediate gains for the organisation while development aims at achieving long term needs of the organisation.

Organisation takes up executive development programmes to enhance the capabilities, potential and creative instinct of the managers enabling them to be more effective in performing various managerial functions to achieve the predetermined goals.

The development programmes include a course in management information systems that help the organisation to develop into efficient one in the long run. The development programmes are meant for executives and supervisory staff only.

Training on the other hand is meant for both. For instance, a marketing executive is trained to use the programming language. Lotus 1, 2, 3 to have a grip over marketing budget is a training aiming towards learning skills of programming.

Training and Organisational Development:

The training as stated earlier has a narrow scope and aims at increasing the knowledge and skill of the employee. Organisational development on the other hand refers to the overall improvement of the organisation such as its structure, objectives, policies and procedure including managers and employees.

Organisational development aims at bringing about a change in organisational culture. This can be achieved by hiring the services of professional consultants. Training and development programmes are often viewed as part of organisational development.