Investigating Training and Development Practices at KNUST: A Case Study of Senior Staff

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Date
2011
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Abstract
Destinies of organisations now rest on the capacity of their staff in terms of competencies, skills, knowledge, understanding and insight. Training and development of the human capital has, therefore, become a critical tool for competitive advantage from both personal and corporate perspectives. This study investigated training and development practices at KNUST using senior staff as a case study. It was designed to investigate the availability of STD policy, staffs access to training opportunities, constraints and possible solutions emanating from the training and development culture. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted, using primary data and secondary sources. Two research instruments, structured questionnaires (open and close ended), and an interview guide were adopted. The study showed the existence of STD policy, whose content 64% participants said, was not as widely shared as desired. 40% of respondents confirmed that the employer has no career development plan for staff, a source of great despondency among staff. The study revealed that more than a third (38%) of the sample believed induction training was given adequate importance. 66% of respondents view selection into training as unfair and subjective. 55% said they did not participate in the design of their own training. Again, 54% of the participants could not tell whether there was a performance appraisal in place. 47% of participants strongly agree as 44% agree that training is of high importance to them. Most members of staff were not satisfied with KNUST in terms of staff training and development: 65% were not satisfied with the general STD practice. The study recommends a comprehensive update training and development policies to reflect modern trends, and copies be given to staff; and conditions for effective training and development practice for all staff at all levels should be established.
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A thesis submitted to the Institute of Distance Learning, Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Commonwealth Executive Masters in Business Administration.
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