In simple terms, training and development refers to the imparting of specific skills, abilities and knowledge to an employee. A formal definition of training & development is… it is any attempt to improve current or future employee performance by increasing an employee’s ability to perform through learning, usually by changing the employee’s attitude or increasing his or her skills and knowledge. The need for training & development is determined by the employee’s performance deficiency, computed as follows:
Training & Development need = Standard performance – Actual performance.
We can make a distinction among training, education and development. Such distinction enables us to acquire a better perspective about the meaning of the terms. Training, as was stated earlier, refers to the process of imparting specific skills. Education, on the other hand, is confined to theoretical learning in classrooms.
|Table 1. Training and Education Differentiated |
|Training |Education |
|Application |Theoretical Orientation |
|Job Experience |Classroom Learning |
|Specific Tasks |General Concepts |
|Narrow / Perspective |Broad Perspective |
|Training refers to the process of imparting specific skills. |
|Development refers to the learning opportunities |
|designed to help employees grow.