Training and Development

The training and development of employees is a critical function of the Human Resources job. It is important to structure the process ahead of time so that the goals for training are clearly delineated, and the long term results of development of a company culture, work ethic, or way of doing business can be cultivated effetively. Because workforce training and development is so essential for managing an organization, it is not surprising to note that there are many trainging and development consultants.

One of the hottest areas of training and development is web based training, although currently cd-rom based employee training and development is the most popular form of training the new employee or cultivating new skillsets or modes of thinking to the existing employee, primarily because cd-rom based training is the least expensive and easiest training solution to implement.

Indeed, interactive media is the fastest growing segment of training and development, but there is still a great need for consultants. Many consultants have many years experience developing solutions or implementing solutions. The benefit of hiring a training and development consultant is that you can avoid common pitfalls in the planning phase as well as in the rollout of a training and development system. A training and development specialist is conversant with many if not all of the web based applications as well as hr software solutions. That is not to knock the abilities of an HR Specialist working in-house, but it's good to recognize the value of outsourcing certain human resources jobs and delegate the work. After all, it's impractical to expect all things from one person, no matter how talented they may be.

Below are some recommended reading for managers interested in purchasing books related to training and development: