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by Dr. N. Yogaratnam

Consultant National Institute of Plantation Management, Sri Lanka

The first step in any Human Resources Development program should be to do a Training Needs Assessment by the organisations which are proposing to provide training to their employees as part of their Human Resources Management Program.

These fall into three categories: individual, organizational and occupational. It is not a difficult task to assess what type of training would help the organisation to take a leap forward.

This helps in the task of preparing programmes to suit the exact identified needs in the organisation. Once the Training Needs Analysis is completed, we must move over to prepare the customerised training programs. This means preparing program to suit the needs.

The program should match the particular organisational need within the sector and also should be structured according to the conceptual needs of a particular topic only.

We should always be conscious of the need to prepare a results-oriented, cost-effective program. Otherwise the employer would not be interested. Thus we should make it a point to keep the costs to a minimum. It should be either break-evern or making a marginal profit.

Implementation with proper monitoring where the employers should also get involved is an important aspect in any training program. They must introduce a system, where the progress of each participant is continuously monitored. Employers should not wait till a programme is over to check whether their employees have benefited.

They should get them to take part in numerous activities pertaining to the program. On-and-off involving them in an activity, can either be an individual or a group exercise. In fact, these help in other ways too. A group activity helps team building. The participants learn how to work as a group or as a team, leadership qualities too blossom out.

So are presentation skills. Participants should prepare an 'Action Plan' to practically put into effect the objectives of the program at their workplace at the end of each training program. The interesting feature of the action plan is that it is prepared by the participants themselves, it is a practical plan which they can carry forward in their day-do-day work.

Evaluation

The next step is evaluating training effectiveness. This is normally done at three different levels. Firstly, the participant evaluates the programme as well as the presenter of the program. The participant will begin by evaluating the content of the program. He will indicate whether it was useful to him or not. Was he satisfied with it or not? How will it help in his day-to-day activity?

The evaluation by the participant helps to see whether we were successful in achieving our objective in developing the individual as a person. This is an important aspect of training program.

It is not just limited to improving the job at the workplace. Structured in such a way that the participants will find the training useful even at home or in life outside. Aim is to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes. Just as much as knowledge and skills are vital, so are one's attitudes. Once the first two are developed, automatically the attitudes too develop.

These come out of the person and fall in line with the values, which the employer wants to see among his employees.

Judgmental ability is another vital factor. This is something, which has to be developed at all levels. It has been found that there is no point in training the employees and supervisors unless the same input is not given to the hierarchy.

A resource person's ability to present his programme effectively contributes a great deal to the success of a training programme. Thus we should value the participants' assessment of the resource person.

Was his voice clear? Was it loud enough? Was his speed of delivery satisfactory? How was his presentation style? Was it interesting? Was he boring? Was the subject matter useful or was it useless? Was it too advanced? Had he arranged the presentation in a sequential manner? How was his pattern of delivery? How was his attitude towards the participants - friendly or ordering? Was he able to arouse the interest of the participants? Did he use the training aids - the magi board, the flip charts, the overhead projector or the multimedia?

The questions may sound simple but the answers to them help in the formulation of future programs. A critical evaluation should be done and the necessary adjustments made.

Impact assessment

Thirdly, the organisations concerned should evaluate the program three months after the completion of the program. This evaluation will first indicate whether the identified need was correct.

It should also be possible to evaluate and see whether the program covered the identified needs. The adequacy of the program should also be assessed by the organisation.

Most important would be to see whether there is a change among the participants. By this time, the participants would have already carried out their action plan in the workplace.

In making an impact assessment, the organisations concerned should assess whether it had benefited by the program and if so, to what extent. There can be tangible results like an increase in productivity levels. changes in work attitudes may be seen. There can be other contributory factors like teamwork, participation, obedience and innovation, which have developed after the training.

NIPM's role

Ever since the NIPM was established in 1979, training and re-training of plantation employees have centred around it. Throughout this period, this institute has been in the forefront, its training services being available to all sections of producers of plantation crops and providing considerable economic benefits to the plantation industry in the country.

Its multifaceted activities encompass the conferring of national level diplomas and professional memberships and conducting certificate courses and examinations, professional examinations, skill development programs, workshops and seminars besides understanding periodic research and surveys.

NIPM's training services are focused on the effectiveness of the training i.e., the transfer and practical use of technology acquired by the trainee in his organisation/business. NIPM reduces its involvement in public courses particularly that which are of an "appreciation" nature and where little opportunity for application is present even though it recognises that there is a market for these courses.

However, "State-of-the Art" courses in new and expanding management techniques are be continued on a selective basis where there is evidence to suggest that this technology can be absorbed by the participant and used for the benefit of the Plantation Industry.

Each year an inventory of technical and professional skills available in all the areas of the activity are prepared and technical and business development programs are developed to ensure imparting of these skills to the plantation personnel.

The NIPM also actively promotes the use of seminars and workshops to introduce new and improved management practices to a wide range of client organisations and individuals.

A full range of training program is offered but emphasis is given to those techniques or management practices which generate improvement in client performance, productivity and results.

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