Employee perceptions of training and development practices in the information and technology sector, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Abstract

Employee training and development is imperative for every organisation. With effective training and development in place, organisations stand a chance of earning competitive edge in the business environment, as training and development activities have proven to enhance employee skills, knowledge and expertise, competencies, as well as their performance in the organisation. In that view, this study sought to establish employee perceptions of training and development practices in their organisations. The key objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the training and development practices on employee performance. The quantitative research method was employed in the study. Participants for the study were employees from different sector organisations in KwaZulu-Natal at the time of study, these employees were undertaking some training courses at a training company in Durban. Access to the participants was gained through the use of the database of the training company. The census approach was therefore in the study. This means that all the employees from their different organisations, who attended training from March to April, 2016, formed part of the participants. Data were collected using the questionnaire. The results of the study indicatedthat the organisations surveyed did not have well defined training and development plans, which affected the performance of their employees. Participants indicated lack of knowledge about the existence of a well-defined training plan, in as much as they did not undergo regular training, even upon their own request. They also showed that the organisations do not consult them with regards to their training needs, which in turn has minimum effect on them when they are chosen for training. The argument was that the employees sometimes get training that is not relevant to their particular job descriptions hence, any training efforts become fruitless as they do not achieve their objectives. The study also showed that ineffective training and development systems reduce the performance of the employees. As part of the recommendations based on the study, it has been suggested that organisations should consider needs assessment prior to training employees. It has also been noted that training and development plans, procedures and policies should be communicated to the employees for them to effectively contribute to the success of the organisations through striving towards achieving the objectives of their respective organisations.