Introduction
Essentially, career development is a progressive process that continues even after employment. According to Noe (2010), it all starts from school work where employability happens to be the most primary goal in career development. Upon employment, career development continues through organizational as well as personal efforts. This can involve training in the case of an organization or furthering education in a personal context. Employee training could aim at organizational goals but impacts significantly on an individual’s career development.
The Role of Training in Organizational Development
Employee training refers to the enhancing of employee’s capabilities and knowledge in performing different tasks at the workplace. It has shown numerous benefits for every company that has used it effectively (Albrech, 2011). First, it increases the productivity by the employees of the organization who are well trained thereby providing quality results in a timely manner and with less supervision. Also, employees get motivated as they feel that their position is secure with the increased expertise and competencies. In this respect, the turnover rate goes down and thus ability to retain talent and attract external competencies. As a result, the employees are happy feeling knowing that they stand a chance of promotion due to the skills that they have acquired. This eligibility for promotion makes them a vital asset to the company. Further, the expertise reduces the chances of accidents occurring due to poor skills or inexperienced employees. The training reduces the chances of errors thus saving the company from remuneration expenses due to injuries or accounting errors.
Methods of Employee Development
Noe (2010) describes two methods of employee training that include the on the job training that is performed with a hands-on approach where the employee performs the actual task that he/she is being trained on. It is the most effective as the results are visible to the trainer providing the ability to rate the success of the training for application without monitoring. It is the simplest method and saves on cost. It is quite essential in motivating the employees as they learn by doing. Such methods examples are coaching, temporary promotions and job-rotation.The other method is the off the job training that describes training practices performed away from the workplace or working environments. It is mostly used on a large number of new employees and when the training deliverables are expected in a short span of time (Albrech, 2011). Essentially, it is fast and expensive but provides prompt results as many employees can gain a competence in a week’s time span. Such methods include seminars and conferences.
Employee Development and Organizational Development
Employee development is an employer’s strategy that aims at improving the capabilities, development of new skills as well as accreditations in the organization’s employees. On the other hand, organizational development is a long-term strategy aiming at improving the effectiveness and gross margins of the organization and could include employee development. For example, employee training is an employee development strategy that also implicates on the organizational development. The relationship between the two happens to be both negative and positive (Noe, 2010). First, the training process will improve the competencies in the organization thus quality assurance is guaranteed. On the contrary, the process is expensive and leads to low productivity in the short term but higher productivity in the long term. Organizational and employee development could involve education support. Employee development offers a freedom of choice for employees who wish to pursue further education with organizational development being specific on the fields that the organization wants to improve its competencies.
Career Development
Essentially, the Human Resource Department has a major role in the guidance of the career managements of its employees. Long gone are the times when advising employees was seen as an old school practice owing to the benefits recovered by the employees when the department provides information and advice that enhances the employees’ engagement (Al Ariss, 2010). At times, some organizations have some in-house counselors who foresee the career development process of its employees. The best placement of such a counselor is in the HR department. The organizations can devise several ways such as compulsory career discussion forums that can be performed on an annual basis (Blustein, 2013).
Essentially, there has been much of career development that I have had ever since I joined the university program that is not just about attending the training courses or classes but also going into how, that is, how I should perform various functions that I have acquired. The skills that I have acquired over time show a significant reflection of my capabilities and competencies. Also, the school has offered several career development programs and a supportive career guidance team that have offered significant clarification on the career path I should follow. Indeed, I can confirm that to have earned incredible career development skills and proper guidance that will be essential, even in my future career plans.
Having the determination to secure a post in an established company and in my line of study, I believe that the expertise that I have earned over time will provide the best opportunity for promotions that could get me to a managerial position over a span of five years. However, if in any case, I happen to land in a field that does not relate to my education, I will take up the job as an opportunity to offer me diversity and experience. Essentially, not a single organization lacks an HR department, in which case I will assume my misplacement is short-lived and I will finally secure the right post in the organization.
My Future Company’s Role in Career Development
There are various basic practices that most companies adopt to enhance the employees’ career development ambitions. I hope that my company will adopt interminable training programs that will ensure that my expertise is improved significantly. This can include job-rotation and temporary promotions that will ensure that my experience and ability to cope with different forms of pressure is enhanced. Also, the company can offer opportunities for upward mobility or successions within the company or more particularly the department. Such opportunities are motivating factors that help any employee have an upward career development. As per my dream career dreams, I will be most glad to have my dream company offer an employee benefits loan or appreciation to further my education to the post-graduate level. In this respect, I will have achieved the significant objectives in my career development plans.
With proper human resource management practices, the company for which I will be a staff in will have just enough of the opportunities I need to realize my career development plans. This way, I will have a role to play other than waiting for the department to help me achieve my career objectives. This includes my personal relationship with the management of the company and having a guiding partner who will help me achieve my ambitions in the given organization (Blustein, 2013).
Conclusion
In summary, career development should be more of an individual effort by taking on every single opportunity that comes along (Al Ariss, 2010). Training should be taken as the opportunity to improve one's skills in any organization. However, training and career development go hand in hand as training is an inevitable path in career development.
References
Al Ariss, A. (2010). Modes of engagement: migration, self-initiated expatriation, and career development. Career Development International, 15(4), 338-358.
Albrech, S. L. (2011). Handbook of employee engagement: Perspectives, issues, research and practice. Human Resource Management International Digest, 19(7).
Blustein, D. (2013). The psychology of working: A new perspective for career development, counseling, and public policy. Routledge.
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
