Topic 114

the balance in responsibility between an individual and an organization for training by Nitish

This is a very important topic concerning individuals and jobs nowadays. A balance in responsibility between an individual and an organization for training is required for a full and efficient job. That being said, we will discuss now the outcomes and more features on this topic.Training for jobs is necessary. This is done quite often, and in all companies. This is required so that the individual can ‘get a hang’ of things going on in the office, as well as to give him an idea of the future ahead of him.

This is also done when an individual does not meet the needs of the company and the company feels that they can improve the individual by training him in that area. For example, if a person is an Economics post-graduate from oxford, and he is computer illiterate (this is an extreme idea but it is a simple one), then the company feels that they can expand his abilities by training him in computers. Another scenario is when an individual has not studied computers, and his job is as a manager at a software company.

The company will train the individual so that he is a computer literate and can do well in both managing, and understanding the areas.We all agree that it is the responsibility of the company to train the individuals. But that is assumed to be to a certain extent. I mean, a company can’t train an individual more than enough. That would be a loss for the company, esp. if the individual quits.

In fact, that would be a gain for the company he joins next. But the point is, the individual, too, must have a responsibility concerning his own training. He should consider his options before applying for an interview, or before taking up a career. Before applying, he should see that he has the necessary skills for the job, and that the company should not train him for expected material which he is already supposed to know. There is a difference between one or two day trainings, and 5 month trainings.

I know a person who’s company employed him so he can go to U.S.A and study there at a private institute. I mean, sure, the individual is talented, but, isn’t that a waste of money and precious time. Shouldn’t the lucky fellow study on his own in the institute first and then apply for the job? This is the type of responsibility I am talking about.Therefore, there should be a balance in responsibility between an individual and a job for training. Both the individual and the company should consider whether it is of profit, or whether it really is required. Some of the factors mentioned above would really affect the future of the company.

To end the article, I will put some statistics about jobs and training. Some of them are very interesting:

Statistics

Part 1

From a recent survey "Other than job related skills, which of the following are the hardest to find in new candidates?" (OfficeTeam 2884 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025) - The responses:
Leadership skills- 30%
Writing skills- 29%
Problem Solving skills - 14%
Interpersonal skills - 11%
Organizational Skills - 7%
Oral Communication skills - 5%

Statistics

Part 2

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Some sampling of their statistics: Average number of hours of formal training per employee (10.7).Average number of formal training activities per employee (2.1).

Job skills training accounted for 67% of the total training hours and 48% of total training participants.

Computer training took up 20% of the total training hours, the largest share of any training type.

General skills training accounted for 33% of total training hours and 52% of total training participants, with occupational safety training accounting for 11% of total training hours.

The transportation, communications, and public utilities industries provided the most hours of formal training, followed by finance, insurance, real estate and mining.

Retail trade and construction provided the fewest.65% of establishments increased the proportion of their employees who received training in the last 3 years, with only 3% indicating a decrease.

Nearly 70% increased the amount they spent on training, while only 5% experienced a decrease.The most common type of training was classified in the study as 'off-site training', used by 80% of the establishments. 40% had mentoring programs, slightly more reported using individualized career and development plans, and only 24% had formal apprenticeship programs.91% reported in-house staff providing at least some of the training.

Committed EmployeesAlso, the Hay Group reported that committed employees (workers that plan on staying with their curent employee more than 5 years) found satisfaction in: Type of work (89%)Respectful treatment (69%)Coaching and feedback(64%)Learn new skills (61%)Top Five ReasonsWhile Aon Consulting of Chicago (Training & Development, Nov 98, p. 10) reported that the top five reasons (salary was not even in the top 10) for employee commitment are: Employer's recognition of personal and family timeThe organization's vision and directionPersonal growthThe ability to challenge the way things are doneEveryday work satisfactionMajor Trends in Learning & Technology 92% of large organizations are implementing some form of network training in 1999.41% currently have placed at least one course-mainly from external content vendors-online for employees.

COMPUTER RESELLER NEWS -- 03-15-99, p.196CBT vs. Classroom The August 1998 edition of HR Magazine (Society for Human Resource Management) listed the following (a study by Strategic Solutions Group Inc., Annapolis, Md.) for setting up technology-based training, including the web-based variety: Needs analysis - $5,000 to $10,000Training design - $20,000 to $40,000Training development - $10,000 and higher per hour of training.They also created a hypothetical situation to calculate the cost of delivering training to 500 employees through the traditional classroom mode versus computer-based training. It assumes that 40 hours of classroom instruction equates to 24 hours of more-effective computer-based training.

AUTHOR NOTE: You have to watch out for situations like this. They use estimated percentages that CBT is almost twice as effective as classroom training - they are going to have to show me some hard data before I believe that! Now, depending upon the task at hand, CBT can be more effective, but to use it in an outright statement like this is very misleading. In-Class Instructor-led TrainingComputer-based TrainingWages of trainees $400,000 $240,000 Opportunity lost(cost of productive days lost to training) 1,000,000600,000 Travel costs 250,0000 Trainer wages 47,500 11,400 Trainer travel 20,0000 Development costs 160,000 600,000

TOTALS $1,877,500$1,451,400Coaching & Mentoring A survey of more than 300 companies nationwide found that companies are focusing on developing the leadership abilities of managers, executives, and employees internally through coaching and mentoring programs: 59% currently offer coaching or other developmental counseling to their managers and executives. Another 20% plan to offer coaching within the next year.25% have set up formal mentoring programs, with another 25% planning to do so within the next 12 months.With a tight labor market it is more important than ever to retain quality employees.