There are various training methods used in training the members of staff in the training department. One of the training methods is the use of lectures which is commonly used when the number of trainees or participants is within the range of 30 to 40 or more.
It is used when the knowledge of the trainee is to be passed to the trainee by an expert hence cannot be used by inexperienced trainers. It can only be done by senior trainers.
Again, it is a training method that is required when training short courses are being trained, and that information to be given on a certain course is only available with the trainers. For the trainer to be able to give the right information, the language used should be very clear.
The information should also be delivered to ensure that the trainees get everything that is involved in the training. The clarity and effectiveness of the information delivered given depends on whether the trainer pauses when required.
It is also determined by whether the training emphasizes on important points as well as use of illustrations where necessary (Beardwell & Claydon, 2007).
Another training method is the use of discussions, which is commonly used for a few numbers of about 20. It is a training method applied where trainees are familiar with each other such that they can detect in case of any error.
It is majorly used where the course that is being handled can be understood easily and that the trainees have some of its knowledge. In a discussion method of training, the trainers make use of some questions at the beginning to enhance the learning.
The questions are meant to test or assess what the trainees already have in order to initiate the discussion. The trainee can also make use of questions to check whether trainees are getting what is being trained after setting the pace for discussion.
At the end of the discussion, the trainer poses some questions to the trainees to test whether they have understood what has been trained. This helps the trainer to know the level of understanding of the trainees (Wilson, 2005).
The questions used through out the discussion should be clear, brief, and they should entice the trainee to think rather than just delivering answers. The third training method is the use of skill lesson.
This entails use of lesson planning skills to enhance learning to the trainees. Its aim is to ensure that there is a lot of confidence during performance of jobs. Again, it aims at achieving accuracy and the right speed for work performance amongst the trainees.
In using skill lesson, the trainer makes an introduction of the skill lesson body and demonstrates on the completely what is supposed to be trained.
After the trainer demonstrates, the trainee also demonstrates in a certain order in all stages of the learning process (Stewart & Financial Times Management, 1999).
The fourth method of training is the on the job training which entails training the trainees as they perform the job. It is referred to as a four step instruction which involves the use of four stages in order to facilitate the learning process.
The first step involves preparation of the trainee and keeping the trainee at ease in order to begin the job. The other thing done in this stage is to assign the trainee to the work that he or she is supposed to perform.
This stage also involves testing whether the trainee has some information about the job that he is about to perform. The trainer should then accelerate the interest of the trainee.
This is in respect to understanding and learning on the job. After this, the trainer should then place the trainee in a position that he or she can perform the job. The second step involves presenting the job operations that are supposed to be done.
Then, the trainer should analyse, discuss and emphasize important points one at a time. Finally, the trainer should give instructions clearly and completely taking note to avoid teaching more than the trainee’s mastering ability.
The third step is where the trainer allows the trainee to perform the job as instructed and correcting any error in the work done. As he or she does the work, the trainee explains to the trainer stepwise what he or she is doing.
The trainer should ensure that the trainee has understood everything concerning the job to be done (Grugulis, 2007). The last step of this training method entails following up where the trainees are left to do a certain job.
The trainer assigns a helper whom the trainee should consult. Finally, the trainer should check frequently the progress of the work as well as encouraging some questions.
After the work seems to be through, the trainer should reduce supervising the trainee to encourage him/her to master everything about the job (Grugulis, 2007).
The different learning styles are initiated through the four step learning cycle. For one to be able to accommodate and make use of gathered information, there are several models used. This depends on the learning mode the trainee would wish to use in order to get information.
Again, for the learning styles to betaken in to account, the location where the courses are to be trained should be identified. The location usually depends on the length of the course to be taken at a certain time and the number of trainees.
For the short courses, the trainees can take them from the local areas or offices while longer courses can take place in training departments or regional areas. The courses that are found to take a short period can be handled by only one trainer; but for the courses taking too much time or longer courses, either 2 or 3 trainers can handle.
These facilitate easy learning process and assists in accommodation of all learning styles. The learning cycle is used in order to take into account the learning styles that involve possessing. This is prior knowledge on a given course in order to know the learning style to be used.
The trainee or the participant should take time to go through the experience or the knowledge he or she possesses. This is meant to confirm that the trainee will assist in the overall course that is to be undertaken.
A conclusion is then drawn from experience that one has at a given time after confirming the experience. Finally, if the conclusion is made a decision to plan for the next steps can be made.
Again, to enhance the learning styles trainers make use of learner questionnaire. All this ensures that the different learning styles are catered for different types of courses (Harrison, 2009).
There are different possible problems that are associated with this approach in training. Some of these problems either arise from the trainers or can be caused by the trainees.
One of the problems is the failure to identify the needs of trainees in the department. The training needs should be identified and met to enhance learning within the organization. Secondly, the trainers setting goals for the trainees can be a serious problem in the training department.
The objectives of should be set by the trainees themselves in order to provide effectiveness within the training period. Thirdly, the lack of enough time for preparation and participation in the training events can be a major problem. This affects both the trainees and the trainers.
Another problem may be a failure of the training department to prepare a job environment for transferring the skills and knowledge gained from training to the job. This may cause the failing of the training program hence no observed change in the performance.
In order to solve the problems identified with the training approach for trainees, alternative training techniques are used. First, job shadowing is majorly used for new trainees.
This involves using one of the staffs in a certain course to help the new trainees or the slow learning trainees get what is supposed to be done on the job. This is whereby a period is spent with an expert in the course that a certain trainee is undertaking.
In this training technique, the trainee takes note of everything done by the expert that associates with the duties expected to be done in the day to day activities. This technique helps answer some of the questions that trainees have with their different courses.
It also increases knowledge, skills and understanding of a certain job role through first hand observation. Secondly, job swapping is another possible solution which involves trainees exchanging jobs for a period during training to help the trainees learn from different areas of their profession.
This helps the trainees to increase their competence in different areas. The trainees have similar knowledge and skills that help them to perform the work as expected and eventually go back to their original positions.
The trainers should have criteria that should be followed during job swapping programs, and the eligibility of such should also be assessed. Thirdly, use of a training course that is externally operated and which involves the courses that are taken outside the training department can help solve the problems with the training function.
Externally run training courses are usually longer than the internally run training courses. Such courses normally boost the trainees’ knowledge in certain fields of work. They assist in building up of both quality and quantity of the work done by the trainees.
Fourth, the internally operated training course is a training technique that helps solve problems of training within the training department. It is used in case the skills that the trainee has to acquire from certain courses seem to be complicated.
In this mode of training, the trainee is usually trained in the usual training place. Also, the trainee makes use of the same equipment that he or she is supposed to use even after the training has been accomplished.
Another possible solution is coaching. This is where either a manager or a colleague in the training department takes note of the actions and work done by the trainee and commenting where necessary. This helps the trainees grow in their knowledge and skills.
Lastly, mentoring is another technique that solves problems within the organisation. This is whereby a person of high rank in the organization, such as a senior manager, gets involved in training by providing counselling and advice to the trainees.
The person who carries out the mentoring technique should be highly experienced and should be able to give assignments that will assist develop the careers of the trainees in certain courses within the organization (Sadler-Smith, 2006).
It is always important that after any training is carried out in an organization the results of the training programme are assessed. In this stage, the trainees who participated in the training programme should be questioned on the usefulness of the training programme.
Again, evaluation stage is important in that it helps to identify the effect of training to the organization. This is done after all the training has been accomplished. Any evaluation method applied gives the trainee and the trainer the confidence to apply the acquired knowledge in their actual jobs.
The choice of any evaluation method depends on the objectives of training and should meet then needs of the parties involved in the training (Walton, 1999).
There are several methods that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the training programme. One of the methods used in evaluation is the individual assessment of the trainee’s competence.
This is done at the individual level, where the various trainees are assessed in order to know their reaction and understanding from the training. These trainees’ reactions are very significant in evaluation.
This is because they assist the organization to know the trainees’ ability to apply the acquired knowledge to their actual jobs in the organization.
The understanding of the trainees is best judged by the new or any improvement in knowledge and skills as well as abilities.
The training department needs this information of the trainees’ competence in order to establish the efficiency and effectiveness of the training delivery and approach.
Such information can be obtained through a variety of methods which can easily assist the needs of other trainees who may be involved in the same at a later date in the organization (Swart, 2005). The techniques used for data collection include questionnaires.
This provides quality information on the reaction of the trainees towards the training programme. Questionnaires should always be designed to give the exact variable according to the way they have been designed.
The pre-test is always required to find out whether the content has the same meaning both to the trainee and the trainer after designing the questionnaire.
The training content section should be designed to target the usefulness of information acquired from training in performance of tasks and whether the trainee has improved the knowledge.
The training delivery section should be designed to target on the order and the detail level in which the information was presented to the trainees. This assists the training department to know how to revise the material that was used for training or replaced with another.
It also assists the training department to know whether the training medium was suitable to the content that was used in training. Again, this allows the training department to keeping a record of the content and materials that were rated to be the best for use in a similar training g session.
Another technique applied in this evaluation method is knowledge review. This helps the training department to know whether the trainees were able to capture the training content.
The training department achieves this by use of assessment tools whereby the trainees read questions before providing a response to the same in written form.
The questions used herein should touch on the objectives of the training. The results are then used to assess the transfer of knowledge during the training session that improves the course content of training department (Reid, Barrington, Brown & Reid, 2004).
Another technique used under assessment of trainees’ competence is direct observation. This technique targets on trainees’ reactions to the training session. The trainers should also make observations on how the trainees engage in the learning process as the instructor or the trainer is undertaking the training.
This assists the training department to monitor the response of the trainees to the course content. The observation can be carried out in an informal way or can be structured depending on the details the trainer wants to achieve from the trainee.
The informal observation is done on the basis the structure where its results are used to provide information on the overall training structure.
The structured observation is used to give information on certain points in the training content. The trainer makes use of a list that contains the points to be observed during the training (Gilley, Eggland & Gilley, 2002).
Conducting an assessment of trainees’ skills, knowledge, and abilities in relation to the level of performing successfully in the organization is an aspect of assessment of trainees’ competence.
This is the use of skill gap analysis. When there is a gap in the trainee’s skills, then the trainee can be said to have been rated with a low level of knowledge and skills than the position requires.
The assessment should only be used for information based tasks but should never be coupled together with the evaluation of the trainees (Gibb, 2008).
Reference List
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