322 Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofi t Organizations
recommends that trainers incorporate the
group members ’ experience into the training.
A useful model to consider is that of Kolb
(1984), which is based on adults learning from
their experience. It is up to the trainers to cre-
ate a climate in which individual learning styles
are recognized and considered in the delivery
of the content. This is especially important for
employees who resist training or perceive it as a punishment rather than
an opportunity.
Research on successful training programs shows that training programs
should be designed to address not only substantive content or material
but also how people learn, and therefore it needs to incorporate different
learning strategies (Agochiya, 2002). Affective learning includes changes
in attitudes (affect deals with feelings or emotions). Skill - based learning is
the development of procedural knowledge (such as knowing how to make a
pizza) that enables effective performance. Cognitive learning refers to the
acquisition of different types of knowledge.
As the workforce becomes more diverse, there will be more variation
in employees ’ ability to learn, their learning styles, their basic literacy skills,
and their functional life skills. It is more important now than in the past
for training to take individual backgrounds and needs into account. Adult
learners see themselves as self - directed and expect to be able to answer
part of their questions on the basis of their own experiences. Instruction
tailored to adult learners allows the trainees the opportunity to participate
in the process. The role of the training instructors is to facilitate learning;
they use questions, guide the trainees, and encourage two - way commu-
nication between the instructor and the class, as well as communication
among the class ’ s participants.Evaluating Training
An evaluation of the training program is necessary to determine whether
the training accomplished its objectives. Unfortunately this is often the most
neglected aspect of training, especially in the public sector (Bramley, 1996;
Sims 1998). Evaluation improves training programs by providing feedback
to the trainers, participants, and managers, and it assesses employee skill
levels. Evaluations can be used to measure changes in knowledge, levels of
skills, attitudes and behavior, and levels of effectiveness at both the individual
and agency levels.One of the most common
training errors is not to
recognize that the participants
are adults with life and work
experiences.