What Is Training And Development? (With Benefits And Steps)

Updated 17 March 2023

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

An organisation's human resources (HR) department looks after various teams' training and development requirements to promote growth. Training and development in the workplace are essential for helping employees be happy, productive and aware of their job responsibilities. Understanding everything about training and development can help you set training goals and establish a learning environment in the organisation. In this article, we answer the question, ‘What is training and development?', explain its benefits and purposes and review the steps to implement training and development initiatives in an organisation.

What Is Training And Development?

The answer to the question, ‘What is training and development?' is that it is an ongoing educational process in which the HR department helps new and existing employees learn new concepts and improve their skill set. Typically, the training and development of a company improve the overall performance. Training takes place according to the organisation's requirements, such as the introduction of new policies, shortage of skills and implementation of work ethics. Most training and development initiatives are the responsibility of human resources management (HRM).

With advancements in technology, workplace training can help employees stay up-to-date with the latest trends, skills and technologies. Typically, the training aspect focuses on meeting short-term objectives and organisational goals, whereas the development aspect focuses on meeting training goals and growing professionally. The HR department focuses on offline courses, workshops, online courses and in-house training. Companies often use training to develop a specific skill set, while development can help employees become better professionals.

Why Is Training And Development Important In The Workplace?

Training and development is essential in the workplace because it helps employees and team members contribute to the company's overall success. It helps in increasing employee efficiency, confidence and productivity. An organisation providing employees with adequate training and development helps improve their knowledge and skills. This training also encourages them to contribute to new ideas. The benefits of continuous learning and development are:

Identify and strengthen areas of opportunities

Employees have strengths that contribute to the workplace and areas of opportunity upon which they can improve. Identifying and strengthening these areas of opportunities by providing adequate training and development is critical for creating a motivated, confident and performance-driven workforce. With the right training, employees feel more confident in completing their work duties and performing to the best of their capabilities.

Ensure consistency throughout the team

When everyone employee in the organisation receives the same training, they receive the same information and knowledge. This creates an environment of consistency throughout the team. A human resources professional has to ensure that each employee receives the same base knowledge to avoid discrepancies in the future.

Lower employee turnover

Training gives employees a chance to gain knowledge and learn new skills. Often, training and development translate to decrease employee turnover because employees feel more confident and motivated to complete their work. Continuous training can become the key to retaining skilled employees and saving money.

Increase job morale and satisfaction

Besides benefiting an organisation, regular training and development can impact employee career growth. Employees feel motivated to excel in their job when they sense that employers are helping them improve their knowledge and skill. This increases their job satisfaction and morale.

Encourage continuous improvement

Employees who receive the necessary training are likely to perform their job with utmost dedication. Regular training sessions can build employee confidence because they have a stronger understanding of their job responsibility and the industry in which they work. This confidence level can help employees perform to their maximum capacity. These training sessions ensure employees know the company's procedures and expectations.

Create opportunities to learn new skills and technology

With technological advancement, many companies are gradually adapting to new technologies. An HR professional ensures existing employees receive training on using technology to enhance their productivity and efficiency. These professionals require training to learn new skill sets and understand the technology.

Address weakness and skill gaps

Every employee has some areas where they need improvement. A training programme that addresses these improvements gives employees a chance to strengthen those skills. Continuous training and development ensure that all employees are up to par and can perform their job. With proper training and development, weaknesses can turn into strengths and employees can outperform themselves in no time.

Enhance company reputation

A strong training and development programme can help improve a company's reputation and brand. To maintain a company's reputation, HR professionals impart training initiatives based on the employee's requirements. Also, a company that spends time and money on upskilling its employees is better at attracting new and skilled talent.

Prepare employees for higher responsibilities

Training and development initiatives prepare employees to move into higher roles and take on organisational responsibilities. Regular training can help these employees learn and acquire the skill set required to fulfil the new job responsibilities. For example, you might train a mid-level employee in leadership skills or software they might require in their new role.

Make employees feel valued

Training and development initiatives make employees feel that the company values their presence. They become better workers by continuing to learn new skills and abilities. This can enhance morale and confidence and help them excel in their job opportunities. These employees are likely to be more productive.

What Is The Purpose Of Training And Development?

The purpose of training and development are:

Lowers attrition: Training is the leading way to value employees and show them that you are vested in the employee's well-being. Employees who feel valued are less likely to leave the organisation, reducing attrition.
Prepares for upcoming challenges: Training is essential in teaching employees about expected or unexpected changes. Keeping teams prepared for the changes is essential for business growth.
Focuses on the company's growth: As employees are a major part of an organisation, taking care of their needs and requirements can help an organisation prosper and grow.
Fosters leadership: Training and development help a company create future leaders. Continuous and regular training gives a clear path for employees, preventing attrition and dissatisfaction.

How To Implement Employee Training And Development Initiatives

Use these steps to implement employee training and development initiatives in an organisation:

1. Assess the business impact

When implementing a training and development programme, focus on assessing your company's end goals. Addressing this question can help you develop a strategy that focuses on your current organisational goals. You can even create a growth projection for next year, three or five years, because it helps you decide what training programme to implement to make the workforce reach their goals.

2. Identify and determine skill gaps

Next, identify how employee actions are increasing or decreasing the speed at which a company achieves its organisational goals. Identifying skills an employee lacks can help you prepare training and development initiatives to strengthen those skills. You can assess and determine skill gaps by using performance reviews. These reviews present an excellent opportunity to ask employees where they lack and how they can sharpen their skills. Conducting an employee review can help HR managers identify and evaluate the skill gaps and areas of opportunity.

3. Conduct job-related assessments

Using various assessments, you can determine how well your team and employees complete certain tasks or projects. Job-related assessments, such as personality, task, content and performance, can help you implement training and development initiatives. For instance, a personality analysis might help you understand an employee's skill set, learning style and abilities. This information allows you to create training goals to help them reach organisational goals.

4. Create a plan

After understanding the requirement, create a training and development plan by understanding the key business and team objectives. Consider the budget, the size of the team that requires training, the time of training and the actions you are likely to take to train and develop the team. You also decide the training material you are likely use to train the staff members. Ensure you take every step to make the training successful.

5. Deliver the training

The next step is delivering the training using the proper channels. Whether you are delivering the training or hiring a professional trainer, ensure that the training programme's content gets delivered appropriately. Ensure each training is engaging and compelling so that the team members receive information that encourages them to retain the learning from the training programme. It helps the team learn the information they require for developing core competencies.

6. Evaluate the success of training

After delivering the training, evaluating the success of training is essential to understand the team's requirements. Identify whether your team was able to retain the knowledge and whether they applied their learning to their work. Typically, the most successful employee training and development initiatives are the ones that encourage continuous growth and education.