Unit 3 Human Resources Development Assignment Training and Development

Program	Diploma in Business
Unit Number and Title	Unit 3 Human Resources Development
QFC Level	Level 5

Introduction:

The unit focuses on training and development programs in UK based organisation. The unit starts with the discussion of different learning styles and their effect on the learning events in the organisation. Explanation of learning curve makes the understanding of the topic better. The  human resources  development unit continues with the description of training methods used by the organizations to provide training to their employees and evaluation process of the same has been discussed. Involvement of government in helping the employers to provide training is also focused upon in the later part of the unit.

Task 2:

2.1 Comparing the training needs for staff at different levels in the organisation

There are different levels in the organisation and have different functions and responsibilities accordingly. Staffs need training at every level in order to update themselves with the latest working structure. It is even necessary for the organisation to provide training to the employees at every level so that they can perform their work in efficient and effective way. There are majorly there levels of organisation with different training needs. (McLaughlin, 2006) It has been discussed below:

• Organisational level:  At organizational level, training needs are related to train the employees in such a way that affect the whole organisational working or the effects of the training results in attainment of organisational goals. Training needs at this level are about the way an employee works in the organisation towards completion of the goals. In the given organisation, the training needs of HR department have been identified. At organisational level, HR team should be provided with the training session on recruitment and selection. This is because it affects the whole organisation.
• Occupational level:  At this level, employee needs to provide the training that improve and enhance the skills and knowledge related to their fields. The training needs of the employees at occupational level are restricted to their working structure according to the function they are performing. As far as HR department is considered, it has been identified that the employees need to given training on some of the computer skills that may improve their speed and understanding about the computer tools that they are using while functioning on daily basis. (Nathan, 2006)
• Individual level: At individual level, personal training needs of an employee is identified. Employees who want to improve some of their skills that they feel may help them to enhance their work is the training need at individual level. It has been identified that the employees in HR department of the organisation wants to have training session to improve their communication skills. This improvement is done at an individual level and it is not necessary for every employee of the department to participate in the training. This is an optional training program that is open for all and those who feel to attend this can come for the session. (Paige, 2008)

2.2 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of training methods (at least three) that will be used for the workshop.

Training has been given to the employees with the structured format. Several techniques have been used in order to provide training to the employees. These techniques are known as training methods. Majorly training methods have been divided into on the job and off the job training. Different methods have been used to provide training to the employees according to the training needs. Training course and the trainee’s requirements are also considered before deciding the training method. According to the needs of training in above case, employees need to have trainings related to communication skills, computer skills and training about recruitment and selection. All the three training needs can be fulfilled by using different training methods. Training regarding recruitment and selection can be delivered by seminars. Training regarding computer and communication skills has been delivered by e-learning and action learning respectively. (Piskurich, 2009) There many other methods of delivering training with advantages and disadvantages associated with them:

Training method	Advantage	Disadvantage
Seminars	Seminar is the method that involves many knowledgeable people sitting and discussing about a topic. This provides a sharing of updated knowledge to all the members sitting in the seminar.	It is costly in nature and it may be possible that some of the attendees provide any false knowledge about the topic.
E-learning	E-learning provides training to the employees at their working place only. This saves the cost of arrangements for conducting the training at another place.	As the training is provided at the working place only, it is difficult to monitor whether employees are paying attention to the training or not.
Sessions	It is the best way to provide training to the employees. It involves lecturers who have a great knowledge about the subject and there is direct contact between the trainer and the trainees.	Sessions may be costly in nature. Employees need to manage their work according to the training session timings.
Coaching	It is a method that requires a coach to develop and improve the skills of the employees.	Coach may be bias for some of the employees that may obstruct the actual result of the training.

2.3 Use a systematic approach to plan training and development for a training event.

A systematic approach needs to be adopted in order to plan for a training event in the organisation. Some of the factors need to be considered along with some of the decisions to plan an event. Several steps have been discussed below that needs to be followed to plan for a training event:

• Training needs identification: The first step is to identify the training needs of the employees. In the above case, different training needs has been identified in Hr department at different levels of organisation. First is the training for recruitment and selection. Other needs are related to communication and computer skills. (Robson and Mavin, 2014)
• Set objectives: Objectives of the training should be discussed and specified in this step. According to the case, the objective of recruitment and selection is to upgrade the HR team regarding the practices that other companies are using for successful recruitment in the organisation. Objective behind providing computer skills training is to improve the speed of the HR team to work with the computer tools so that they can provide reports early. Objective behind provision of communication skill training is to satisfy the needs of the employees at individual level.
• Plan and implement training: This is the most crucial step that requires planning and implementation of the event. Many decisions regarding venue, time, duration, number of people etc have to be taken in this step. (Sambrook, 2003)
• Evaluate training: Evaluation of training is the last step that helps in determining the effectiveness of the training event. This requires some tools that help in measuring the performance of the people, as performance evaluation is one of the best methods to evaluate the training effectiveness. It can be evaluated by observing and taking feedbacks from the trainers and trainees as well.

Issues in planning:

• Number of trainees: This determines the number of employee that needs to be trained under the training process.
• Location: Location refers to the place where the training workshop should be conducted.
• Time: it involves the duration of the training.
• Content: It involves the study material that has been used to train the employees.
• Trainer: Trainer would be internal or external.
• Training budget: It is the most important part, as it requires the decision regarding the money spend in training workshop.

Implementation plan of the trainings conducting in the above case have been discussed below:

	Seminar	E-learning	Session and action learning
Number of trainees	HR recruitment department of different organizations	HR generalist team – 5 trainees	HR department – 10 trainees
Location	In a seminar hall of an hotel	At the desk of the trainees on their desktop	At conference hall of the organisation
Time	2 days – 10 a.m. -6 p.m.	5 days 4-6 p.m.	3 days 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Content	Discussion between the members regarding the topic	e-learning modules	Notes and presentation with role plays
Trainer	External as well as internal members	Internal	External

Task 3:

3.1 Prepare an evaluation using suitable techniques.

Evaluation of the training event is the last step that needs to be performed in order to identify the effectiveness of the event. Evaluation let us know about the level of achievement of the objectives that have been identified behind the training needs of the employees at different levels of  business organisation . A systematic approach needs to be used in order to evaluate the training event after its implementation. Various methods are available to evaluate the training event. Four answers needs to be answered before evaluating the training event:

What: Evaluation is the tool of judgement that is used to examine the output of anything.

Why: Evaluation of the training event identifies the effectiveness of the training and determines the level of attainment of the set objectives behind the training event. (Turner, 2007)

When: Evaluation can be done during the conduction of training event as well as after the completion of the event.

Who: The top management people of the relevant department or field can do the evaluation.

• Stages involved in evaluation of training event: Assessment of the need: At this stage, evaluator identifies whether the training was required or not.Accountability and monitoring: This stage involves accountability of the participants and the material delivered.

1. Program clarification: This stage deals with the improvement of the program and clarification of the objectives associated with it.
2. Progress: This stage deals with evaluating the progress of the training event based on learning progress of the trainees.
3. After-effects: It determines the level of the attainment of the objectives and the long-term effectiveness of the training event at different levels of organisation. (Xperthr.co.uk, 2016)

• Methods of evaluation: Questionnaire: Questionnaire can be prepared for the trainees to fill. This helps the evaluator to know about different aspects of training.

1. Observation: Observation is the method of keeping a watch on the trainers as well as the trainees to monitor or observe their interest in the training. In the case above, it has been observed that trainees are taking active participation in the sessions.
2. Training audit: Auditing is monitoring the training process at the time of training conduction. It helps the evaluators to identify the quality of the process that has been used to provide training to the people. It helps in determining the drawbacks of the training methods that can be corrected in future. (Campaign-for-learning.org.uk, 2016)
3. Feedback: Feedback of trainers and trainees is very important. It helps in examining the interest and the learning from both the sides. Feedback of the HR team as well as of trainers in the above case was found to be satisfactory.
4. Performance evaluation: Evaluation and comparison of the performance of the trainees with the control performance or the expected performance determines the effectiveness of the training event.

3.2 Carry out an evaluation of a training event.

Evaluation of the training event can be carried out at four levels. These levels determine the orderly progress of the training event.

• Reaction: This is the first level that helps in identifying the reaction of the trainer as well as the trainees. The reaction of the participant towards the training program determines their interest for the subject.
• Learning: It is the second level that determines the progress of learning of the trainees. If the learning graph of the employees is going up with time that means they are absorbing the things.
• Behaviour: Behaviour of the trainees during the session as well as after the session at the workplace determines the effect of training on them.
• Results: Results can be determined by evaluating the level of improvement in the performance and the level of attainment of the set objectives. (Agarwal and Kapoor(Kohli), 2013)

Evaluation of the training event in the case given:

	Seminar	E-learning	Session and action learning
Subject	Recruitment and selection	Computer skills	Communication skills
Reaction	All the members in the seminar were found to be active during the session	Employees were found to be keenly interested in the learning modules as observed	Interaction between the trainer and the trainees was great.
Learning	Members get to know about many new techniques and process of the subject	Almost all the employees have cleared the examination after the completion of the E-learning modules	Feedback of the trainer provides that trainees were very participative and eager to learn
Behaviour	New approaches of recruitment have been implemented in the organisation	Every employee was trying to use the new tools on computers for report generation	Increased confidence of the employees suggests that they have absorbed much from the session.
Results	Implementation of the new approach suggests that the objective behind the training has been attained	Improvement in report format.	Improvement and enhancement in the confidence of employees at individual level.

3.3 Review the success of the evaluation methods used.

Some of the evaluation methods that have been used in the case to determine the effectiveness of the training event are questionnaires, observation, feedback, training audit and performance evaluation. Questionnaire helps in determining the answers for specific aspects of the training to the evaluators. In the case, it has been found that the questionnaire consists of some of the questions related to the positive and negative aspects of the training process. 90% of the trainees answered that they were happy with the training process, timing, venue and other arrangements during the process. Observation is used to find out the interest of the trainees and the trainers during the training process.  The evaluators have identified that trainers and trainers were looking enthusiastic and participative during the process. All the process was conducted in systematic manner. Training audit determines that the training processes were undergoing with the budget and on time. Feedback of trainer and trainees provides the evaluators with the information regarding the effectiveness of the training on them or their experience during the training. Positive response have been observed from the both the sides in above case. At the last stage of the evaluation, it has been identified that the training events have great and positive impact at every level as the level of achievement of the objectives was almost at the top. (Laird, Naquin and Holton, 2003)

Task 4:

4.1 Explain the role of government in training, development and lifelong learning.

Training and development is most important part of the businesses these days. It is not limited to the organisation but reached at the national and international level employers play a significant role in providing training to the people but government also plays its role at satisfactory level in UK. The main aim of government of UK is to provide the standard training to all the people in the country so that they can have the basic knowledge about the fields they are working in or they can get better opportunities of working. Many initiatives have been introduced by the UK government in concern with provision of training to the employees in order to develop them. UK government has introduced National Apprenticeship Services that helps in funding the employers who wants to opt for the apprenticeship schemes. (Worksmart.org.uk, 2016) This helps the employers as well as the fresher employees to get training under good organisation with this scheme. Sector Skills Council is another initiative by UK government that accumulates employer, professional bodies and trade unions so that they can take steps to develop skills that are required in UK. National Skills Academies have been establishes that aims at providing trainings to the people in different sectors in UK. Investment in people is another initiative that allows the employers and different bodies to invest in training and development of the employees in UK. This facilitates the employees as well as the employer to develop their skills and in turn helps in raising the economy of the country. Lifelong learning is another concept that deals with providing training to everyone and aims at removal of social exclusions. The main aim of Lifelong learning is to develop the demand for learning among the people without any restriction of society and community. It also aims at providing class trainings to the people to satisfy the needs of the UK and European market. (Eurofound.europa.eu, 2016)

4.2 Explain how the development of the competency movement has affected the public and private sectors.

It is very important for the organisation to attain one of the competitive advantages for success. Competency movement argues about attaining the competency by development of the employees, as they are the foundation of the organisation. This movement focuses attaining the competitive advantage by providing training to the employees in order to develop their skills and knowledge. UK with eight other countries has great impact of this movement. This movement affected both the sectors of the organisation this is, private and public. Private sector was observed to be more affected in UK with this movement. It was identified that most of the private companies were focusing on implementation of the measures to provide training to their employees. There was a fierce competition between the organizations. This competition in turn proves to be beneficial for the employees as well. Deloitte has taken the initiatives to make great investment in the training and development programs for its employees so that it can achieve ea competitive advantage over other competitors. It actually provides the company with great results at individual, operational as well as at organisational level. (Worksmart.org.uk, 2016)

Public sector also gets motivated with the initiatives taken by private sector. They started implementing the measures to provide training to the public sector employees. East Coat Trains was one of the organisations that work for the cause in UK. It was proved to be never ending process of learning for the employees and provide benefits to the national economy of the country with organisational success.

4.3 Assess how contemporary training initiatives introduced by the UK government contribute to human resources development for an organisation.

UK government has shown concern towards training and development of the employees in UK. Various initiatives by the government for the cause suggest the same. Some of the programs and contemporary initiatives that have been introduced are discussed below:

• National Apprenticeship Service: This is the government body that provides funds to the employers who want to introduce apprenticeship program in their organisation. This program may help many new employees to get opportunity to learn various subjects as well as they can also get the chance to be employed in the same organisation.
• Sector Skills Council: These bodies work in the collaboration with the many of the employer in UK that focuses on enhancement of profitability and productivity of the organisation and concentrates on increasing the competitiveness in UK and overseas.
• National Skill Academies: These organisation works as the mediator between the employer and the training providers. They provide a platform to the employers to develop the skills that are facing challenges in the market. (Campaign-for-learning.org.uk, 2016)
• Investment in People: It is the initiative by UK government that deals with investment in people for  quality management . It provides the framework or techniques that measure the performance and quality of the people working so that training needs can be identified. It provides the knowledge about the latest trends of skills in the market and set standards for the organisation in different sector. (Xperthr.co.uk, 2016)

Conclusion:

Learning styles depends upon the way an individual wants to absorb the knowledge. There are various types of styles and training methods in the organisations. Training event is systematic process that is conducted in order to provide training to the employees wherever required. The training needs to be evaluated in order to identify the effectiveness of the training event. In UK, government also play its role in providing training to the employees so that they can develop their skills. Competency movement led the foundation for attaining competitive advantage by developing skills of the employees. Various government initiatives like Investment in People, Sector Skills Council etc have been introduced to enhance the training and development sector in UK.