The Impact of In-Service Training on Employee Performance in the Uganda Public Service: A Case of Civil Service College Uganda Alumni

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of in-service training programmes on employee performance in the Uganda Public Service, using Civil Service College Uganda Alumni as a case study. The study employed a cross sectional research design. The instrument was emailed for self-administration to a randomly selected population of 159 respondents, with 91 questionnaires filled and returned making an overall response rate of 57% as this is a COVID-19 period where the country is still under Lockdown. Data generated were analyzed to generate descriptive statistics such as tables and graphs while the hypothesis was tested using a Multiple Regression Analysis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings showed that Civil Service College Uganda’s various in-service training programmes were pertinent to the transformation and development of public servants in Uganda’s Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) and Local Governments (LGs) for improved public service delivery. Findings further revealed that in-service training programmes does have significant affect employee (Alumni) performance (F =32.390; p ˃ 0.05) as the significance value of 0.001 was less than the probability value of 0.05. The independent variable (in-house training programmes measured using induction (IND), Team building (TB), Strategic Leadership (SL), Impact Assessment (IA), Performance Enhancement (PE) and Voluntary Retirement (VR) , statistically significantly predicted the dependent variable (employee performance), F (6, 94) = 32.390, p < .005, R 2 = .577 and all the six variables added, were statistically significantly to the prediction, p < .05. The study therefore recommended that the Uganda government through her Ministry of Public Service-Civil Service College Uganda undertakes training needs assessment for different cadres (public employees) before administering in-service training, that in-service training opportunities lead to individuals’ success and probably to institutional goal achievement and that institutional managements should allow employees some degree of autonomy in the use of their ideas to ensure they contribute positively to organization effectiveness and performance.