Thank you for taking the time to go over this proposal for recommendations on establishing training and development departments in businesses large and small and improving existing training and development departments. Companies may feel that they are able to hire experienced employees through the candidate pool that is currently available and that having a specialized department for this purpose will be too expensive, but training and development provide benefits to the company and employees alike. According to Noe (2013):
The goal of training is for employees to master the knowledge, skills, and behaviors emphasized in training programs and to apply them to their day-to-day activities. (p. 8)
For a company to gain a competitive advantage, its training has to involve more than just basic skill development. Training and development will help to ensure that employees are able to handle their duties efficiently for the company, and will prepare employees to be able to take over other duties in case of promotions in the future. Small companies may not consider themselves big enough to be able to have their own training or development department, but that may not necessarily be true. A human resources department can help facilitate the training and development at a smaller company utilizing these recommendations. One of the first steps in establishing a training and development department is creating a philosophy that will cover the companies need for the training and development. According to Landale (1999), “The training philosophy is a statement of a company or organization’s attitude towards training. It has to define clearly the importance that is attached to training. It has to be communicated, with conviction, to every employee” (p. 91). Small and large companies alike can gain a more competitive edge by focusing on what training and development can improve within their own company. This philosophy should be one that determines
Cited: Jackson, S. & Schuler, R. (2011). Managing Human Resources (11th ed.). Mason, OH: South Western/Cengage Learning. Landale, A. (1999). Gower Handbook of Training and Development (3rd ed.). Brookfield, VT: Gower. Noe, R. (2013). Employee Training and Development (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Saks, A., Haccoun, R. & Belcourt, M. (2011). Managing Performance through Training and Development (5th ed.). Toronto: Nelson Education.