Training & Development Expository Essay

The essay is to describe three concepts relating to the topic you have chosen and show your knowledge and insight of scripture as it relates to each of the three concepts. Please make this a final polished professional-looking document using APA format.

You will have five sections — introduction, three concepts, and a conclusion.

 

ANSWER

 

Training & Development

Introduction

Different companies globally specialize in various products and service delivery to meet customer needs and fill market gaps. Each company is unique in its way, yet, all are similar in one aspect. Each company relies on human resources and employee contribution to produce services and goods. Employees are a critical asset to the survival of a company, and organizations should invest their assets in developing and growing their skills (Bibi et al., 2018, p. 117). In addition to that, companies should safeguard their employees to ensure quality and sustained productivity. This paper analyses three concepts/strategies that companies can adopt in employee training. These strategies are commonly adopted in most production companies, and their numerous advantages and disadvantages characterize each (Bibi et al., 2018, p. 117). Over the years, employee training has revolutionized companies, how they work, and manage industry competition. Employee training strategies exploit various materials, methods, and tools to train employees along their career paths effectively (Bibi et al., 2018, p. 119). The main employee training and development strategies adopted by various companies globally are hands-on training, interactive methods, and instructor-led training.

Hands-on Training

This employee training strategy is experimental and offers various ways through which a company can train its workers. In this training strategy, employees learn by doing. It is effective for companies looking to teach their employees software applications, equipment, and procedures (Rubin et al., 2018, p. 377). It is also effective in helping instructors assess whether an employee has adequately learned a new process or skills. Apart from that, it helps deliver a strong ROI, increases engagement, motivates employees, creates self-directed employees, accelerates learning, and provides a safe learning environment (Rubin et al., 2018, p. 377). It includes coaching, drills, apprenticeships, demonstrations, and cross-training.

Coaching

Under coaching, the main aim is to improve the performance of employees on their assigned tasks. This hands-on employee training method focuses on each employee’s individual needs, and compared to other training methods, it is less formal. There are no training sessions in this training method, but rather, a veteran employee, supervisor, or manager serves as the trainer or coach (Rubin et al., 2018, p. 377). The instructor gets together with the employees being trained and works with them to provide knowledgeable feedback, offer encouragement and support. The instructor also guides them towards achieving their training goals, corrects their mistakes and errors, suggests more effective work strategies, and answers any of their questions.

Drills

On the other hand, this hands-on training method allows the employees to improve their practical work skills. Through evacuation drills, employees are trained to prepare for things like emergencies.

Apprenticeships

This training method is the most common among the hands-on employee training strategy. Apprenticeships enable employers to shape the knowledge of inexperienced workers to fit future and existing work demands. Often, apprenticeship programs enable a young worker to learn a profession or trade while earning a modest income (Rubin et al., 2018, p. 378). It is a training method that most companies capitalize on new workers, fresh graduates, interns, and attachees. It combines formal classroom instruction and supervised training in a structured way that can last as long a year.

Demonstrations

This training method is an attention grabber. It is an excellent way to teach employees new production steps, new processes, and how to use new technology or equipment. It is also effective in teaching company safety skills (Knudsen et al., 2018, p. 582). It offers an engaging form of training, is powerful, and allows both employers and employees to ask questions and receive answers.

Cross-Training

On the other hand, this hands-on training method enables employees to experience other work tasks and jobs. The company benefits by having employees who can conduct and perform numerous tasks and enhance their skills. Cross-training also enables employees to appreciate each other’s tasks and skills and work with others to achieve company goals and objectives (Knudsen et al., 2018, p. 582). It also enables them to understand how their job description fits in the overall company vision and plan.

Benefits of Hands-on Training

1. Delivers Strong Return on Investment

The hands-on employee training strategy enhances knowledge and involves more than classroom teaching. It offers the company an efficient way to reduce future training and further training. It also offers an effective method for employees to acquire skills (Yoo et al., 2017, p. 1532). Apart from that, active participation in this training method contributes to higher employee retention, thus producing an exceptional ROI compared to classroom-based learning.

1. Increases Engagement Levels

This training strategy also allows the employees in training to engage in the learning process. As a result, they develop critical thinking skills, and their learning focus is increased. Further, it also increases collaboration between the workers and instructors.

1. Motivates Employees

This experimental training method also motivates the employees. When they see the relevance of the training in their work and company productivity, they are more motivated to earn the skills provided (Yoo et al., 2017, p. 1532). Further, they are also motivated to practice what is learned and receive immediate feedback on their performance.

1. Creates Self Directed Learners

The hands-on training method requires employees to deal with unfamiliar tasks and situations in a real working context. Therefore, to effectively complete the assigned tasks, they must learn new information, navigate what they do not know, and know (Yoo et al., 2017, p. 1533). This type of employee training helps them become lifelong learners and self-directed. It requires them to apply the knowledge acquired from previous training sessions, reflect on prior knowledge, and master new skills.

1. Provides a Safe Learning Environment

Conversely, the experimental training strategy allows the employees training to make mistakes. It is through mistakes that they can learn some tasks. A controlled training environment provides a safe environment for learning. During training, a virtual training environment provides the employees with the freedom to try new things and learn without putting them at risk (Yoo et al., 2017, p. 1535). The company can also provide a non-production data training environment for added privacy and security.

1. Improves Learning

Similarly, this training method allows the employees to learn new tasks and procedures better.

Limitations of Hands-on Training

1. This training method can disrupt the instructor’s productivity.
2. It is quite effective when it comes to companies with many employees and training groups.

Interactive Methods

This employee training and development method is the most effective in a workplace setting. It can take the form of games, quizzes, role plays, scenarios, and simulations. It involves employees learning in their own learning experience. Further, it allows employees trained to retain the knowledge learned by practicing and applying the skills learned to their work (Khoroshikh et al., 2018, p. 788). Unfortunately, it can sometimes be time-consuming, and the workers under training may need constant feedback from the trainer. In interactive training and development, there are numerous ways that training sessions can be broken (Khoroshikh et al., 2018, p. 788). These sessions can include demonstrations, participant control, role-playing, Q & A sessions, active summaries, case studies, small group discussions, and quizzes.

Demonstrations

In this training session, tools and equipment are used to help in teaching the training topic. They are also used to demonstrate processes and steps being adopted and taught

Participant Control

In this interactive training model, the instructors or coaches create a subject menu to be covered during training. They then ask the employees in training to preview the menu and choose items they want to learn and know more about (Markova et al., 2019, p. 453). After that, each participant is asked to identify their choice. After their suggested topic is covered, the instructor moves to the next participant.

Role-Playing

In this training session, the workers adopt and assume roles. They act out situations that might occur in the organization, and employees practice dealing with various situations at the workplace. This interactive training model provides an excellent way for the employees to learn supervising, interviewing, and customer service, most of which are interpersonal skills.

Question and Answer Sessions

In this method, instructors ask participants to identify questions on the subject matter or training topic. Thereafter, they collect the suggestion, review them and conduct quiz sessions.

Active Summaries

On the other hand, this interactive training model capitalizes on small groups. These groups choose team leaders who summarize the instructor’s major points to their groups (Markova et al., 2019, p. 454). In some instances, they use prewritten summaries, read them, and compare them with the other groups’ impressions of the lessons.

Case Studies

In workplace training, the workers will often bring problem-oriented ways of thinking. In such a situation, case studies are the most training methods in this type of environment. The workers analyze real job-related situations and how employees can handle similar situations in the workplace setting (Markova et al., 2019, p. 455). Further, the employees under training can analyze how various work elements can create solutions and problems.

Small-Group Discussions

In this interactive model, the instructor breaks the employees under training into groups to handle work situations and case studies. In such a training environment, managers and veteran employees can pass on their skills and experience to new company employees.

Quizzes.   

On the other hand, this model is most effective for long training sessions. While training, the instructor can stop and administer quizzes to the employee groups under training. The process can begin with pre-quizzes in some training sessions, and follow-up quizzes can follow up later (Markova et al., 2019, p. 456). With quizzes in the program, the workers under training will remain engaged to improve their quiz scores in preparation for the final evaluation. Further, rewards for top scorers also motivate the employees to improve their scores.

Benefits of Interactive Training

1. Increased Resource Availability

Interactive training and development in an organization offer various technology options such as data-driven development and learning strategies, enhanced learning platforms, and gamified learning content. In addition to that, most of the models used in interactive training are mobile and flexible (Tashkenbayevna et al., 2020, p. 44). They offer exciting methods and dynamic training ways. Further, they provide a way through which the employees can undergo individualized learning. Online space training also allows the instructors to offer individualized support to the workers.

1. Increased learning Efficiency

This training method also allows for the professional and personal growth of the employees. Employee performance in this training model can be measured, and the set goal shifted accordingly to align with a company’s objectives. The employees’ achievement rates can also be measured and compared (Tashkenbayevna et al., 2020, p. 44). They can then help the company monitor employees individually and their development opportunities.

1. Increased Learner Motivation

In this training model, interactive technologies can be used to appeal more to the employees and offer them a more appealing way to learn the offered lessons. It offers training methods such as using video games to train employees as opposed to sit in PowerPoint presentations.

1. Greater Retention Rates

In addition to the numerous training session and methods this training strategy offers, it is also characterized by higher retention rates in a company. The interactive learning strategy immerses the workers in training paces that improve their understanding of the learning. In turn, better recall of what they learned allows them to implement more creative solutions in the workplace (Tashkenbayevna et al., 2020, p. 45). It also improves team collaboration at the workplace and understanding of individual work tasks. As productivity in the company is improves, so is the employees’ retention as they learn and grow.

1. Higher Engagement Level

Higher engagement levels characterize the interactive training strategy compared to the traditional training methods. Therefore, it can be personalized to suit the needs of an employee, the company, or team. These opportunities offer a better learning experience and the possibility of understanding (Tashkenbayevna et al., 2020, p. 45). Further, it enhances learning through feedback, improved decision-making practices, and enhanced creativity. It creates an all-around learning process. The integrated learning also improves the workers’ engagement levels in the training program, making it more effective.

Limitations of Interactive Training

1. Some of the interactive training methods can be less structured, making it is critical for the learners to ensure that all suggested agendas have been covered.
2. This strategy often takes a long to complete due to the numerous activities and sessions involved.

Instructor-Led Training.

This training strategy involves any training method that occurs in a room. Most often, it occurs in conference rooms, classrooms, and offices. It can often include more than one instructor teaching material and skills to employees through discussions, demonstrations, presentations, and lectures (Corradini, 2020, p. 119). Even with today’s technological advances, this training strategy remains effective and viable. Some of the common instructor-led training methods include storytelling, PowerPoint presentation, videos, overhead projectors, and whiteboards.

Storytelling

This model is used to give examples of how various tasks can be conducted at the workplace. Often, this method can be used with debriefing questions such as:

What would she have done differently?

• How do you think this story relates to the training?
• Generally, this model makes the training interactive and communication easier. It allows the workers to learn without fear of being wrong or right. Further, stories make the learning sessions personal and interesting. Stories used for training are also easy to develop as some can be found online.

PowerPoint Presentation

Presentations are the most common way of training employees in a classroom setting and creating customized training lessons. The lessons from PowerPoint presentations can be displayed on a large screen for the employees in training (Corradini, 2020, p. 120). The presentation can be used by individual employees, making it easy for them to learn when they miss training sessions (Corradini, 2020, p. 120). It can also be combined with other interactive methods and handouts.

Videos

On the other hand, video portions can be used to explain various sections in a training topic. They can also be used to discuss case studies in the organization (Jevana, 2017, p. 304).

Overhead Projector

This method is traditional and has been increasingly replaced by PowerPoint presentations. However, this method offers the instructor a way to customize presentations on the spot.

Backboard or Whiteboards

Though old-fashioned, it is still an effective instructor-led teaching program. It can be used in sessions that need the participation of employees under training or group training (Christensen et al., 2020, p. 517).

Benefits

1. Storytelling helps maintain the trainees attention
2. It is cost-effective when the instructors and coaches are not outsourced
3. Allows all employees to get training information at the same time
4. Provides face to face training
5. Provides an efficient method to present to large groups of people

Limitations

1. Limits interactions in some instances
2. Scheduling coaching and training sessions for large groups can be challenging and difficult
3. The success of this training strategy depends on the instructor’s effectiveness.

Conclusion

Conclusively, most organizations’ three main common training methods are hands-on training, interactive methods, and instructor-led training. Employee training, as discussed, is critical in helping them develop new skills and become more competent in completing their assigned tasks. Through training, they become competitive and productive. Therefore, company management must develop the most effective training methods for their employees. Further, training improves employees’ morale in the company to practice teamwork and perform their duties efficiently and confidently. Training and development also equip a company’s employees with techniques and skills to adopt new service delivery and production trends. It also helps build a stronger teamwork culture in an organization.

References

Bibi, P., Ahmad, A., & Majid, A. H. A. (2018). The impact of training and development and supervisor support on employees retention in academic institutions: The moderating role of work environment. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 20(1), 113-131. https://search.informit.org/doi/reader/10.3316/informit.569509524542345

Christensen, L., Rasmussen, C. S., Benfield, T., & Franc, J. M. (2020). A randomized trial of instructor-led training versus video lesson in training health care providers in proper donning and doffing of personal protective equipment. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness, 14(4), 514-520. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.56

Corradini, I. (2020). Training Methods. In Building a Cybersecurity Culture in Organizations (pp. 115-133). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43999-6_7  

Jevana, R. J. (2017). Research on effective training method in organizations–A millennials need. International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies (IJIRAS), 4(5), 300-305. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jevana-R-J/publication/319851805_Research_On_Effective_Training_Method_In_Organizations_-_A_Millennials_Need/links/59be07c00f7e9b48a293be93/Research-On-Effective-Training-Method-In-Organizations-A-Millennials-Need.pdf

Khoroshikh, P. P., Sergievich, A. A., & Platonova, R. I. (2018). Development of students’ critical thinking by active and interactive training methods. TEM Journal, 7(4), 787-790.

Knudsen, L., Nawrotzki, R., Schmiedl, A., Mühlfeld, C., Kruschinski, C., & Ochs, M. (2018). Hands‐on or no hands‐on training in ultrasound imaging: A randomized trial to evaluate learning outcomes and speed of recall of topographic anatomy. Anatomical sciences education, 11(6), 575-591. https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1792     

Markova, S. M., Zanfir, L. N., Vaganova, O. I., Smirnova, Z. V., & Tsyplakova, S. A. (2019). Department of educational process in conditions of implementation of interactive training of future engineers. Amazonia investiga, 8(18), 450-460. https://amazoniainvestiga.info/index.php/amazonia/article/view/353

Rubin, S. E., Maldonado, L., Fox, K., Rosenberg, R., Wall, J., & Prine, L. (2018). Establishing and conducting a regional, hands-on long-acting reversible contraception training center in primary care. Women’s Health Issues, 28(5), 375-378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2018.04.010

Tashkenbayevna, S. K., Rozikovich, S. I., Vladimirovna, L. L., Sotivoldiyevich, O. M., Mukhammadjonovich, B. A., Omonboyevich, A. B., & Valikhojayevich, S. Z. (2020). Pedagogical technologies and interactive methods as a factor of increasing special knowledge of students. Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(6), 42-46. http://www.jcreview.com/fulltext/197-1587719022.pdf

Yoo, S. J., Spray, T., Austin III, E. H., Yun, T. J., & van Arsdell, G. S. (2017). Hands-on surgical training of congenital heart surgery using 3-dimensional print models. The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, 153(6), 1530-1540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.12.054

 

To get your original copy of this completed paper, please Order Now