EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT – Employee training and development is a subsystem within a company that emphasizes improving individual performance. This subsystem is very important because large and sustainable companies will need employees with extraordinary performance as well. There are many
definitions of employee training and development according to experts. William G. Scott defines training as an activity aimed at developing leaders to achieve greater individual work effectiveness and better interpersonal relationships within the organization, as well as adapting the leader to the context of the entire environment.
Another definition of employee training is quoted from Andrew E. Sikula. According to him, employee training is a short-term educational process, using a systematic and organized procedure, in which non-managerial personnel learn technical skills and knowledge for a specific purpose. Law Number 13 of 2003 concerning Manpower also includes the definition of job training, namely all activities to provide, obtain, improve, and
develop work competencies, productivity, discipline, attitudes, and work ethic at certain skill and expertise levels, according to the level and job or job qualifications. Employee development is defined as the process by which employees, with the support of their superiors, undergo various employee training programs to improve their skills and acquire knowledge, as well as new skills. Its direction is more on preparing employees as
individuals to take on different or greater responsibilities. Employee development is a major factor for employee retention in the workplace, especially today, where the workforce is dominated by the millennial generation. The most popular methods of employee development that companies use include training and leadership development programs. Employee development is an investment for the company. This investment directly impacts employee engagement and productivity, which will ultimately increase the company’s success.
The difference between training and employee development
employee development, both provide practical knowledge to increase employee capabilities, improve employee performance, and help employees reduce errors at work. Both can be applied to employees who are experienced in work, as well as new employees. However, from the previous definitions, there is a clear distinction between training and employee development. Employee training is intended to increase the mastery of the employee’s expertise on a particular job and what he is currently doing. For example
presentation training, communication training, training for trainers, and others. Meanwhile, employee development is more about preparing themselves to master new skills because they will hold different jobs and usually require greater responsibility. As stated by Syafaruddin, the training is more directed at increasing the capabilities and expertise of the company’s human resources (HR), related to the positions or functions that are their current responsibilities. The goal is to achieve an increase in individual performance in the current position or function. Meanwhile, employee development is more formal in nature. This employee development involves anticipating individual abilities and expertise that must be prepared for the benefit of the employee’s position in the future. The goal is broader than training, namely increasing the ability of individuals to anticipate changes that may occur without being planned.