Training and Development Techniques and Employee Performance in the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Employees are major assets of any organization. The active role they play towards a company’s success cannot be underestimated. As a result, equipping these unique assets through effective training becomes imperative in order to maximize the job performance. Despite the fact that training and development is well planned and systematic in the ministry of labour and social protection it still have issues of employees still not performing up to standard operating procedure in the work environment and labour turn over. Therefore, this study sought to determine the influence of training and development techniques on the performance of employees in the Ministry of labour and social protection. This study was guided by the following specific research objectives; to examine the influence of coaching, job rotation, role playing and apprenticeship on employee performance in the ministry of labour and social protection. This study was guided by goal setting theory and social exchange theory. The study used a descriptive design. The target population was 60 respondents comprising of 5 HRM managers and 10 supervisors and 45 Support staff. A census of 60 respondents was carried out. The study used questionnaires for the support staff and interviews for the HRM managers and supervisors. The qualitative data collected from the interviews was analysed using content analysis. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation and presented using charts, figures, table and graphs. The study conducted a multiple regression analysis to test the relationship between independent variables and dependent variable. The study examined that coaching, job rotation, role playing and apprenticeship had a positive significant influence on employee performance. The study concludes that Coaching positively impacted employees careers as well as their lives by helping them to establish and take action towards achieving goals, Job rotation increased job satisfaction because employees were exposed to various work tasks that reduced constant physical or mental stress, which could create more motivation to continue in the position and reduce turnover, role playing brought together employees and or created a positive relationship among the employees in the work environment and apprenticeships are structured training programmes offered by the Ministry which gives their trainees a chance to work towards a qualification and offers them a vast experience that enable them to work elsewhere. The study recommends that The Ministry should devise clear goals that include benchmarks and deadlines, be prepared to help with time management, frame feedback in a forthright and positive manner, follow up on feedback, emphasize effort over ability and celebrate accomplishments. The Ministry should determine the critical positions or functions to include in the program, conduct a job analysis to determine the components of the job that are most important to learn during the job rotation, determine the ideal bench strength for each role, create job readiness assessments and an evaluation process, orient the employees, measure and reward success. The Ministry should identify the objective, need, experience of trainee, the issue or task for which role play method is selected. The focus should be on maximum involvement of individuals as participants so that an overall exposure and that The Ministry should have apprenticeship programs in every section which is in line the current needs of the organization and which comply with the ever changing organizational environment.
 This is an open-access article published and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License of United States unless otherwise stated. Access, citation and distribution of this article is allowed with full recognition of the authors and the source.