Investigating the Effect of Training Reform on Employee Competencies in the Nigerian Public Sector

Abstract

Several reforms were carried out in Nigeria over the period 2004 and 2006. One such reform focused on the reorganization of the training structure of civil service. However, whether such reforms would impart the competency level of employees in the Nigerian public sector. This study examined government reform policy and how it affects the competencies of the employees. Primary data were collected for the study, using a structured questionnaire. The study employed a multi-stage sampling technique to select a total of 672 respondents. The data was analysed using correlation analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Chi-square statistics. The correlation results showed a positive, strong, and significant relationship between training and employees’ skill acquisition (rho = 0.59, p < 0.05). Similarly, the correlation between training and development of employees and knowledge acquisition was positive, strong, and significant (rho = 0.61, p < 0.05). The result from ANOVA confirmed that training and development significantly enhance the skill (F = 13.947, p < 0.05) and knowledge (F = 9.996, p < 0.05) of Government employees. The results lead to the conclusion that civil service reform has the potential to improve the competency level of employees thereby improving the performance of civil service.