Define Training. Explain in brief the different methods of training.

Answer – Training: meaning, features and benefits

Training systematically increases the knowledge and skills needed for a specific job. It is purposeful, job related, practical, planned, capable of evaluation and continuous as tasks change.

Benefits to the organisation: systematic learning avoids wasteful trial and error; productivity and quality improve; future managers become available; employee morale rises; absenteeism and turnover can decline; better equipment handling reduces accidents and waste; staff become more adaptable to new technology.

Benefits to employees: better skills improve career opportunities; increased performance can improve earnings; safer methods reduce accidents; confidence, satisfaction and morale improve.

Training is an investment when its relevance, delivery and results justify its cost. Merely conducting courses without identifying needs does not ensure a benefit.

On-the-job training

On-the-job training teaches employees while they perform work in the actual workplace: learning by doing.

• Apprenticeship: a trainee works under an experienced expert for a prescribed period to acquire a skilled trade, such as electrical or mechanical work.
• Coaching: a superior personally guides, instructs and reviews a trainee's performance.
• Internship: educational institutions and business organisations combine classroom learning with practical work experience.
• Job rotation: an employee moves through different assignments or departments to gain broader experience and understanding of interdependence.

These methods provide realistic experience and immediate feedback, but require capable trainers and attention to safety and production quality.

Off-the-job training

Off-the-job training takes place away from the immediate work position, allowing concentrated learning without normal production pressure.

• Classroom lectures and conferences: present principles and discuss problems through instruction and interaction.
• Films: demonstrate processes or situations that may be difficult to reproduce repeatedly.
• Case studies: analyse realistic business problems and compare possible decisions.
• Computer modelling: simulate work situations so trainees can practise decisions and observe consequences.
• Vestibule training: use equipment similar to that in the workplace in a separate training area.
• Programmed instruction: present information in logical steps, require responses and provide feedback before progression.

The choice depends on the skill, learner, cost and risk. Practical follow-up is necessary to transfer learning to the job.