As more firms prepare to compete in the global market due to the recent shift towards greater global competition and the increase of multinational firms more emphasis is placed on the need of training and development. (Hill, C. W. L: 2011). Organisations need to close the gap between itself and its competitors and thus require the highest level of efficiency from all its employees. In South Africa, organisations are faced with rapid transformations due to value systems, increased local and international competition, new technologies, participative management and the changing socio-economic environment (Eramus et al, 2009). For this reason the Skills Development Act was introduced in 1998 giving rise to the Skills Development Levies Act in 1999 (Siyayaskills). The main purpose of both acts are to ensure the development of skills within the South African workforce through training and development. This is achieved by employers paying a 1% levy of their total wage bill, payable to SARS, for the training and development of people within South Africa. In 2008, South African organisations spent an average of 3.43% of their payroll on training highlighting that South African associations are beginning to appreciate the importance and impact that training and development has on the companies. “Training is the way in which an organization uses a systematic process to modify the knowledge, skills and behaviour of employees that will enable it to achieve its objectives.’ (Eramus et al, 2009: p 2)
The process of developing a training and development essentially comprises of four phases namely the needs assessment phase, design phase, implementation phase and the evaluation phase. Sparhawk’s High Impact training model includes 6 phases while remaining within the above four phases as illustrated below (Otrlepp, 2012):
Needs Assessment Phase
Evaluation Phase