Need and Importance of Training

Training is not a discretionary extra — it directly affects how well an organisation's human resources actually perform. The main reasons training is treated as essential:

• Helps new employees become productive faster. A newly selected employee, however well qualified on paper, still needs to learn the organisation's specific tools, procedures and expectations; structured training shortens this learning curve considerably compared with leaving them to learn purely by trial and error.
• Keeps skills updated with changing technology and methods. Machinery, software, product lines and government regulations keep changing; without periodic training, even experienced employees fall behind and the organisation's competitiveness suffers.
• Reduces errors, wastage and accidents. A properly trained employee makes fewer mistakes, wastes less raw material, and is far less likely to cause (or suffer) an accident from mishandling equipment they were never properly shown how to use.
• Improves employee morale and reduces turnover. Employees who are given the tools and confidence to do their job well tend to feel more secure and satisfied, which lowers absenteeism and the rate at which they leave the organisation.
• Prepares employees for future promotion. Training that goes slightly beyond the bare requirements of the current job builds a pool of employees who are already partly ready to step into higher positions when vacancies arise, supporting smoother internal promotion.
• Improves quality and consistency of output. When every employee performing a given task has been trained to the same standard, the quality of the final product or service is more consistent across the workforce. …