The Importance of Training (Edexcel IGCSE Business)

• Both new and existing staff need to be trained and developed appropriately
  • Training is the teaching of new skills
  • Development is the improvement of existing skills
    
    
• A well-trained workforce is beneficial to a business for several reasons

The Importance of Well-trained Employees 

Productive Staff	Valued Staff	Loyal & Flexible Staff
Employees work enthusiastically at the things they’re good at  E.g. employees trained in managing quality are more likely to think about how to improve product standards	Well-trained employees are likely to be satisfied They recognise that their employer is spending money and investing time in their development This is attractive to job applicants	Labour retention should increase as employees feel they are becoming better at their job and want to keep developing Skilled and confident staff are likely to be capable of taking on new workplace challenges

• Some training is required to meet legal requirements
  • Food safety regulations require workers to be trained in the safe handling of ingredients
  • Businesses must ensure that some workers have first-aid training
  • Employees working with hazardous chemicals must receive appropriate training

• Induction training is usually delivered as soon as possible after new workers join a business
  
  
• It introduces employees to the organisation, its culture, policies, procedures and their job roles and responsibilities
  • E.g. Induction training for new employee at Marks & Spencer covers customer service procedures, product knowledge, store policies and safety procedures

 Diagram: Common Elements of Induction Training  

Induction training usually includes a tour of the premises, meeting key colleagues and instruction on key business policies
  

• Some aspects of induction training need to be revisited by employees regularly
  • Health and safety training needs to be carried our regularly, especially when new regulations come into effect
  • When business policies change employees need to understand the implications for them in their job role
    
    

The Advantages & Disadvantages of Induction Training

Advantages	Disadvantages
Helps new employees to understand their job roles and responsibilities Improves employee confidence and motivation Reduces time for new employees to become productive	Can be time-consuming and expensive to organise May not cover all aspects of the job role May not be effective in all cases, leading to employee dissatisfaction and higher turnover rates