The effect of training and development on performance (a case study of Anglogold Ashanti Company Limited, Obuasi)

Employee training and development play a significant role in achieving high performance and productivity. In a competitive environment, the effort of training and retraining of an organization’s human resource is a vital weapon in order to gain competitive advantage. The main source of this advantage is efficient, well-informed and equipped staff who respond proactively to situations to achieve set goals and one means by which this can be accomplished is staff training and development This study sets out to find answers to some specific questions: What could be the reason behind some employers’ unpreparedness to train their employees? What could be the motivational factor for those employers who organize regular training sessions for their employees? Who bears the cost involved? Using, AngloGold Ashanti Company Limited as a point of reference, this study attempts to find out how workers are selected for training; what method is adapted to measure performance after training and how performance is managed after training. The questionnaires sought to find answers to the questions raised above and even more. Separate questionnaires for both management and staff of the selected company were designed to solicit information from respondents. See Appendix 1, 2. The results of the study revealed that training and development have a considerable impact on staff performance. In the Mining Section of A.A.C.L, in particular, this impact is found to be positive and is therefore embraced by management. It is management’s philosophy to train the workers up to the caliber of staff needed for particular jobs. Management believes that staff training achieves high performance, leading to high productivity. In view of this, many resources were committed to training and development at the mining section. Training was tailored to suit particular needs of the mining section. Training and development have been geared towards improving quality of products, reducing accidents and solving peculiar problems. Subsequently, the knowledge and skills acquired are peculiar to situations at AACL. This system of staff development at AACL achieved its objectives of keeping the labour turnover low. Staff are happy because as they move from one training stage to the other, they earn promotion as well. The Company uses on-the-job training method; thus, it does not lose so much in man hours since workers who undergo training remain at post. Furthermore, the studies show that supervisors monitor staff performance after each training programme (even though the Company is yet to design a standardized way of assessment). Supervisors as well manage performance by discussing performance outcomes with ‘the staff involved. This, the researcher discovered, boosts the workers’ morale to work hard to achieve corporate goals as well as putting themselves on their career path. Employers interested and willing to train and develop their staff may have to adopt the strategies currently being used at AngloGold Ashanti Company Limited, to suit the job needs of their respective organizations. By this way, trained workers may be made to remain with their employers. This will encourage the latter to invest more in training its staff while at the same time workers will be assisted with their career development. Companies and individual workers will eventually benefit from such conscious efforts at training and development.

Source: KNUST