TRAINING AND MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR SMES ( II)

GENERALLY, before a training programme is embarked on, SME owners/ managers need to ask themselves these three questions: ( 1) Where does the organisation stand now? ( 2) Why do we require this training? And ( 3) What future do we envision? These questions are further related to the vision of the organisation and to such important questions as: ( a) Where does the organisation want to be? ( b) What would success look like? ( c) What does the organisation have to do to get there? After answering these questions, the SME concerned can then gather information, sort the information, share the results with management and development an action plan whether to hold the training in- house, engage the services of consultants or to send some staff members on local or international courses.

The Importance of Training and Development

Organisations that have invested in training report the following benefits:

1. Improved recruiting and retention. Today’s job applicant is looking for an environment that fosters personal growth and development and is likely to stay longer with a firm he/ she thinks believes in his/ her personal growth.

2. Better output. Employees will bring their new knowledge and skills to bear on everything they design, produce and/ or service.

3. Saving time and money. When employees are well trained, this helps them avoid accidents on the job, waste of resources, effective management of work tools and equipment and meeting of deadlines to satisfy customers.

4. Training boosts morale. Employees feel better and more motivated about working when the organisation lets them know they can improve and actually invests in their training and development.

5. Training emphasises priorities. In a cash- strapped organisation, the needs of the current staff can be directed towards specific training.

6. Training is cheap. Training is certainly cheaper than recruiting and hiring. Whatever the challenges an organisation is facing, eliminating the training budget is not going to solve them.

7. Training helps keep pace with a changing business. An organisation needs to stay on top of new developments in order to stay competitive, too.

8. Training develops teamwork and Reduces Work Conflicts.

9. Training transmits the organisational culture throughout the establishment and reinforces a culture of excellence which workers can imbibe and demonstrate in their day- to- day operations. Also, a worker who has been sent on a workshop can come back to lead a session in the workplace transmitting what he/ she has learnt to the others.

10. Training brings in money. Focused training can pay for itself many times over by raising morale, boosting efficiency and maintaining high standards.

11. Training makes employees feel like professionals.

Forms of Training Programmes Available to SMEs in Nigeria

The various forms of training programmes SMEs in the country can engage in include the following among others:

- This method involves the transfer of specific skill( s) to the employee/ individual while he/ she is on the job. On- the- job training is required to improve the staff who has performance gaps for the role he/ she is supposed to play in the organisation. It imparts only those skill needed by the worker to perform a particular job competently. This is why it is mostly done in- plant. However, it can be done outside the plant too. This specific form of training can be both formal and informal. Formal in the sense that, what

On- the- Job Training

is to be instructed is organised, manned or structured sequentially. These forms of training could be Induction Training and In- service Training.

Off- the- Job Training

- This is the type of professional training given to individuals before they are employed. It is usually carried out on full- time or part- time basis, in schools, vocational centres, colleges and even universities and lasting a specific period. Three forms of off- the- job training include:

• The Non- Degree Training undertaken in two ( 2) stages. Firstly, the two ( 2) years certificate course leading to ordinary diploma and then followed by another two ( 2) years Diploma course leading to National Diploma. In most cases a specific period of one or two or more years’ practical field experience is required between the OND and HND.

• First- Degree courses involve taking basic courses in social and management sciences, natural, physical and medical sciences, law, engineering, education and so on. Specialisation increases speedily in a specific area until graduation in the last year.

• The postgraduate training that is undertaken at the postgraduate levels leads to higher degrees such as Masters of Science or Doctor of Philosophy ( Ph. D.). This involves more intensive training and research in special problem areas.

Generally, the distinction between on- the- job training and off- the- job training is that on- the- job training takes place in a normal working situation, using the actual tools, equipment, documents or materials that trainees will use when fully trained, involves personalised instruction from a supervisor/ consultant to a single or small number of employees and the type of training given depends on material to be learned, the length of time learners have, and the financial resources available. On the other hand, off- the- job training takes place away from normal work situations — implying that the employee does not count as a directly productive worker while such training takes place. Training available to Nigerian SMEs within the workplace include:

1. On the job training/ coaching.

This relates to formal training on the job. A worker becomes experienced on the job over time due to modification of job behaviours at the point of training or acquisition of skills.

This is carried out for new entrants on the job to make them familiar with the total corporate requirements like norms, ethics, values, rules and regulations.

2.

Induction/ orientation.

3. Apprenticeship.

A method of training