According to experts, capacity building and development is one of the major ways an organisation invests in the workforce for greater return today and even in the foreseeable future.
Organisational effectiveness, experts said, rests on the efficient and effective performance of workforce that makeup the organisation, while the efficient and effective performance of the workforce in turn, rest on the richness of the knowledge, skills and abilities possessed by the workforce.
The continuous glamour for social change to make adaptability and continuing preparation of the workforce as inevitable as the initial acquisition of knowledge and skills, experts stressed, is germane.
While experts believe training presents a prime opportunity to expand the knowledge base of all employees, however, many employers in the current climate find development opportunities expensive. Employees attending training sessions also miss out on work time which may delay the completion of projects.
However, despite these potential drawbacks, training and development provides both the individual and organisations with benefits that make the cost and time a worthwhile investment. The return on investment from training and development of employees is really a no brainer.
The CEO of Spencer Ogden, Mr. David Spencer-Percival, said the fact is that while you may only have a handful of staff to begin with, every entrepreneur is looking at the longer term – growing the business and all that comes with it.
Training, he said, is one of the best ways of ensuring that your brand retains its values as you grow.
“Whether it is carefully selected external training courses or more strategically developed internal training programmes, all of them can help your business reap the rewards. Your staff are your brand ambassadors, so it is essential that they deliver your ethos and company values. Ensure your employees have had the right training and guidance to represent you in the right way,” he pointed out.
Whichever method of training you choose, he noted that, illustrating a genuine interest in the future and development of employees not only fosters a positive company ethos, but makes the team more productive and efficient while also building loyalty.
Professor of Political Economics, Pat Utomi said, building a merit-driven team is to build high performance and to achieve such performance, there is a need for continuous training of Staff.
According to him, “Late Peter Drocker painted a very important point that at the beginning of the last century, quality of life of average person in Africa and Europe was more or less the same, just marginal difference, but by the close of the 20th century, the difference was like night and day.”
He said what was responsible for this was the dramatic rise in productivity in Europe and failure of Africa to have productivity increased.
Critical to that track is the technological know-how and how people work well together, he stressed.
Former president, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria(CIBN), Dr Uche Olowu, said currently there is a great deal of pressure at work, especially in the banking and finance industry, some of which challenge the very core of banking business.
The emergence of digital technology, according to him, had been the major disruptor that defied business as usual and long-term strategic planning, adding that, this digital revolution had brought about a new set of challenges and opportunities.
While these technologies are taking away jobs, he said, they are creating new ones, calling for capacity building of bankers to leverage on the opportunities provided by this development.
The registrar, National Institute of Credit Administration(NICA), Professor Chris Onalo, said that although there are many categories of training, such as management training or sales training, employees with Project Management skills are an important asset to any organisation.
Stating that training improves employees’ performance, he added that, the investment in training that a company makes shows employees that they are valued.
A robust training and development programme, he said, ensures that employees have a consistent experience and background knowledge, addresses their weaknesses, increases productivity and adherence to quality standards, increases innovation in new strategies and products, reduces employee turnover and enhances company reputation and profile.
