Of learning and training matters
ALTHOUGH Year Six and Form Three students had to sit for national examinations, automatic promotions allow most of them to remain in school until Form Five when they sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
School-leavers who don’t have to work to support themselves or their families, will normally enrol for a course at one of the many public or private tertiary institutions, funded by parents, loans or scholarships.
Good results are essential for admission into public university courses which have limited seats. Tuition fees at private universities are higher and beyond the means of some parents with average incomes.
A bachelor’s degree is needed to work in senior positions in the education field or government agencies. But in the private sector, paper qualifications count little when holders are unable to communicate and interact well with others.
Many Malaysians can speak several languages or dialects but are master of none. They can chat for hours but may not be able to write an intelligent report or describe well on something everyone seems to know.
Few Malaysians can think, speak and write clearly since clarity of thought and expression isn’t given much importance. Many tend to generalise instead of being accurate.
Access to a vast amount of information does not necessarily make one well-informed, as such superficial knowledge has little application and minimal benefit.
On the other hand, mastering a language and mathematics would empower any student to excel in arts or science subjects, or professional programmes such as law or accountancy.
Deeper understanding and fuller use of a language would greatly help in personal development, and not through rote-learning or memorising religious texts.
We have succeeded in “churning out” many who not only lack in confidence but act immaturely during job interviews.
Many of them are unable to describe in their own words what they have studied over the years.
Training is essential for all levels of employees, more so for fresh graduates, as most do not have industry-relevant knowledge and skills, apart from soft skills needed to interact well with colleagues and customers.
But few people, including those in high positions, are clear about training. Many think that it is nothing more than a group of people listening to a speaker, or watching fancy presentations.
Many trainers are keener to impress the participants by disclosing impressisve facts and figures, than equipping the trainees with the much-needed skills and the right mindset.
Key performance indicators of many organisations are measured by the number of people who have attended training and received course certificates.
Most who attend training are usually sent by their employers with the better ones trying to learn something from the course.
Training would be more effective if participants identify their objectives..
They may have many challenges, but these can be overcome. Trainers should guide them to find suitable solutions for themselves. Finding the right answers may be so much more easier.
However, diagnosing problems or interpreting situations can be difficult, and learning them requires mentoring, coaching or training. They must be set against the right context so that participants can apply at work, what they learn in training.
If training is centred on delivering content, it would be a waste of precious time as trainees can easily access them from books or online.
Sadly, many training sessions turn out to be no more than briefing sessions since little is remembered or applied after training.
Training occurs when trainees get to speak or practise in a group of less than 25 participants, and the content learnt is correctly applied in the right context.
YS CHAN Kuala Lumpur