Training (AQA AS Business): Revision Note

The value of training

• Businesses need to make sure that new and existing staff are trained and developed appropriately

  • Training is the teaching of new skills

  • Development is the improvement of existing skills

The place of training in the human resources planning process

•  A well-trained workforce is important for several reasons:

  • Well-trained staff are likely to be more productive

  • Staff may feel valued if a business invests in training and development

  • Staff are more likely to be flexible and resilient in the face of change

Reasons for training and development

•  Well-trained employees are likely to be motivated because they recognise that their employer is spending money on their development

• Motivation theory suggests that employees work more enthusiastically at the things they are good at 

  • if employees are trained in managing quality, they are more likely to think about how to improve the standard of the goods they produce

• If motivation is improved through better training, labour retention is also likely to increase

  • If an employee feels they are becoming better at their job, they are far more likely to stay with the business, even if another employer is offering higher rates of pay, because they want to keep developing in the job they have

Types of training provided by businesses

• Different types of training have advantages and disadvantages for the business

Types of training

Induction training

• Induction training is a type of training that new employees receive when they start working for a company

Components of induction training

• It introduces them to the company; its culture, policies and procedures; and their job roles and responsibilities

  • E.g. when a new employee joins Marks & Spencer, they receive induction training that covers customer service, product knowledge, store policies and safety procedures

Evaluating induction training

On-the-job training

• A type of training that takes place while employees are working in their job roles

• It allows employees to learn new skills and knowledge from colleagues while performing their job duties

  • E.g. A sous chef at The Ivy Restaurant in York may receive on-the-job training from the chef to learn how to prepare new dishes, use new equipment or improve their cooking techniques

Evaluating on-the-job training

Off-the-job training

• A type of training that takes place outside of the workplace

• It can be in the form of workshops, seminars, conferences or online courses

  • E.g. Teachers can attend exam board training days, at which they learn how to better teach the syllabus and help their students to prepare for their exams

Evaluating off-the-job training