Assessing the Employees Training and Development Practices and Challenges: The Case of the Ethiopian Investment Commission ()
1. Introduction
Training is frequently considered as a coordinated action for improving the expertise and abilities of persons for a certain objective. It concerns systematic techniques for transferring practical know-how to the workers to increase their knowledge and skills for doing specific jobs with proficiency. In other words, the trainees acquire technical knowledge, skills, and problem-solving ability by undergoing the training program (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). Training has been found to be linked to improving job satisfaction and employee intention to stay (Chiang et al., 2005).
According to Zhao & Du (2012), “Education and training are the most fundamental ways of improving the qualities of employees.” Development, whether intentional or unconsciously learned, is the expansion or realization of a person’s potential. However, Liu & Wall (2005: p. 691) stated that “lack of human resource development strategy is a common deficiency in many policies and plans” globally.
According to Ivancevich and Stewart (1989), training is a tool to fill the gap, and the firms should use it wisely to improve employee productivity. Successful training has an advantage in the human resources in the institution, with both instant and future benefits. Training is a main element for enhanced performance; it can raise the level of individual and organizational competency. Training and development will be used as a crucial role in providing the workers with the required abilities, skill, and mental attitude or approach. Training and development are best viewed as a form of motivation that can improve corporate dedication, teamwork, customer interactions, etc. Training not only increases the skills of the employee but also sharpens their reasoning skill and invention to take better decisions in time and in a more productive way (Kirwan & Birchall, 2006). Also according to Becker & Huselid (2006), as stated in Subramony et al. (2008), it is commonly believed that investing in employees can yield positive performance-related outcomes for organizations.
However, according to Lai et al. (2020), cited in Al Ali, (2022), works, it is evident that most public organizations were not successful in applying effective training programs to develop the productivity and performance of workers because of poor training methods and lack of expertise in training. Therefore, effective training and development programs are crucial to the institutions for short-term and long-term planning to accomplish its objectives in time and enhance the expertise, abilities, and experiences of its employees. In connection to this, the researcher has observed that there are practical problems related to providing an effective training and development program to the employees in the Ethiopian Investment Commission, which negatively affected the performance and the motivation of employees.
Despite the civil service reform in Ethiopia, many employees of the Ethiopian investment commission complain about the practice of training and development in the institution. This problem negatively leads to ineffective investment administration and has a negative impact on the country’s ability to achieve its development plan. In addition, Zeleke (2014) revealed in his study that there is no uniform and less practiced human resources training and development in Ethiopia. Although various empirical studies have been conducted by academic and practical researchers to assess the overall human resource development in Ethiopia, to the knowledge of the researcher, there is no study conducted that examines the training and development practices and challenges at the Ethiopian Investment Commission using the same model as this paper. Therefore, this study is conducted to fill the existing gap for both theory and practice.
Research Questions
Research Question 1: How effective is the Ethiopian Investment Commission in implementing the training need assessments?
Research Question 2: How effective is the Ethiopian Investment Commission in implementing the training plan?
Research Question 3: How effective is the Ethiopian Investment Commission in implementing the training evaluation methods?
Research Question 4: What are the challenges of training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission?
2. Literature Review
Training is one of the anchor elements of the human resource function, which focuses on the skill and knowledge of the employees. According to Ongori & Nzonzo (2011), training and development of employees is critical in organizations in this era of competition due to the fact that organizations need to survive, grow, and develop, and it has become an issue of strategic importance. According to Delery et al. (1998), stated in Sitzmann and Weinhardt (2018), the system for human resources must be in line with the business strategy in order for firms to use training to get a competitive advantage. Therefore, companies must be aware of worker satisfaction with their work and retention to maintain this important human resource (Jehanzeb & Bashir, 2013). In addition to this, Rana (2015) stated that human resources of an organization need to develop skills, knowledge, attitudes, and proficiency to adapt to the new processes, procedures, technologies, and systems. The fundamental aim of training and development is to increase resource capability in accordance with the belief that the human capital of an organization is a main source of competitive advantage (Wright & Geroy, 2001). In this regard, training for staff organizations is defined as the attainment and claim of knowledge, skills, values, principles, and beliefs to improve the maintenance and growth of an organization (Miri et al., 2014).
According to Borges-Andrade (2002), cited in Goulart et al. (2022), training is defined as an organization’s systematically planned action intended to assist students acquire a variety of skills and cognitive techniques in order to increase their efficiency now and in the future. According to Salas et al. (2012), effective management of the acquisition and training of human capital is thus an important key to organizational success. On the other hand, Greenberg (2003), as cited in Kembu (2014), defines training as the process through which people systematically acquire and improve skills and knowledge needed to better their job performance. As the students study key learning skills in the schoolroom, workers should learn work skills.
Training improves, changes, and molds the employee’s knowledge, skills, behavior, and attitude towards the requirement of the job and the organization. It is the achievement of improving the knowledge and skills of an employee to achieve a specific job. For whatever reason, effective employee development and performance management are very important because they have an impact on an institution’s most valuable human resource. For a company to gain a competitive advantage, its training must involve more than just basic skill development (Noe, 2020, 8th edition). However, training constitutes a series of planned learning activities. It emphasizes information development that will aid people in adjusting to their work surroundings and help the organization reach its efficiency goals. The training effectiveness can be affected by the lack of any clear compensatory effects of the antecedents on training satisfaction (Zhao et al., 2004).
Training takes the form of learning activities that prepare people to exercise wider or increased responsibilities (Tarique et al., 2015). However, Firms that operate in the global arena confront several special problems related to the training and development of their global work forces and managers. Therefore, training and development are important to obtain both employer and employee benefits by reducing the current and future challenges of a business and to improve the business horizon and customer service by expanding individual, group, and organizational effectiveness. According to Jevana (2017), training and development are vital for improving employee performance in every firm, and highly skilled human capital can significantly impact organizational success. Training should be designed and implemented to meet the needs of all employees, and employees should be conscious that they are being treated without impartiality and equitably (Schmidt, 2009).
According to Hutchings et al. (2009), training and development is most effective in motivating and retaining high-quality human resources within organizations. The effectiveness of training and development plays a vital role in the effectiveness of the organization (Ganesh & Indradevi, 2015). Therefore, only an effective training process that starts with the training need assessment and ends with training evaluation can be successfully meet the organizational goal.
Model
There are various models to evaluate the training program (Topno, 2012). However, several scholars have certain shared opinions concerning the systematic model of an effective training process. These common elements of systematic training models are training need assessment, training plan, training implementation, and evaluation of training programs. For instance, according to Dessler (1994), effective training programs consist of five steps. The training need Analysis is the initial stage which takes into account the specific job-related performance requirements, assesses the abilities and learning requirements of potential learners, and establishes specific, measurable performance and skill goals. The second stage is an instructional process, where you choose to compile and develop the training program’s material, including workbooks’ exercises and activities; in this case, you’ll likely use methods like on-the-job training and computer-based learning assessments. The third stage is known as validating, which involves showing the training software to a limited representative group in order to vigorous out its flaw. The fourth stage is to be put into action by instructing the targeted staff group. The fifth step is training evaluation and post follow-up in which the management should have to assess the performance and success of the training program’s.
According to Huang et al. (2017), cited in Goulart et al. (2022), to ensure that training is effective, long-term post-training evaluations are required to assess the improvement in employee performance and productivity at work. Also Topno (2012) stated that an evaluation of a training program could help an organization in achieving various objectives during the lifetime of the program. And assessing the training program’s effectiveness helps with the main objectives of finding systematic training procedures that are effective in reaching their stated goals, which aims for improvement of the future training programs. The effectiveness of the training and development can be measured by the average time taken to determine a problem, the success rate of customer satisfaction, the overall productivity of employees, and the return on investment (Rama & Shaik, 2012). According to Anwar & Surarchith (2015), cited in Ismael et al. (2021), without effective training, employees cannot manage their business in a proper and standard way. Effective organizations should pass through the process of planned training to empower the employees and to develop a productive workforce. According to Khan (2011), who cited Abdalla and Homoud (1995), a successful training process consists of four primary components: assessing training needs, selecting participants and programs, evaluating training programs, and identifying future trends. Also, Alhalboosi (2018) developed four steps of a training program: identifying training needs, designing, implementation, and evaluation of a training program to improve the performance of employees.
In addition to this, Armstrong (2006) developed four processes of systematic training models in his Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th edition, that the effective training program should follow. To validate this study, this paper utilized the Armstrong (2006) model of systematic effective training process due to its comprehensiveness and conciseness, which is mentioned in the following Figure 1. So the following model shows the process of effective training programs that successful organizations should have to implement to achieve the organizational goals.
Figure 1. The systematic model of effective training program. Source: Armstrong (2006). Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (10th ed.).
According to this model in Figure 1, the process of an effective training program should follow four steps as follows: 1) Identifying training needs, 2) Planning training program, 3) Implementing training program, and 4) Evaluating training outcomes. Effective training should use the above-described systematic process with a focus on skills analysis. The training’s goal should be made clear in terms of the “terminal behavior” that is anticipated and the “criterion behavior” that is necessary as a result of the training evaluation. In general, effective training program should pass through the systematic procedure to derive expected outcomes and positive impact on the organizational goal. Therefore, the Ethiopian Investment Commission is supposed to implement the systematic model of an effective training program for the employees to successfully promote the foreign direct investment.
3. Method
The main objective of this study is to assess training and development practice and challenges in the Ethiopian Investment Commission. Therefore, since this study is about to assess the training practices, this research applied a descriptive type of research to get more descriptions and knowledge about the existence of the problem. Also, to get more knowledge about the problem, the researcher used mixed research approaches, both close-ended and open-ended questionnaires. The basic reason why the researcher utilized mixed research approaches is to attain greater knowledge and understanding about the training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
3.1. Source of Data
According to Ajayi (2017), to conduct a more accurate and reliable study, it is recommended to deploy the primary data, which is the firsthand data gathered by the researcher himself and which is the real-time data. In line with this, the researcher mainly used the solid primary data because of its accuracy and reliability. In this paper, the primary data was collected by deploying the self-administered questionnaires to get reliable data from the employees of the Ethiopian Investment Commission. This data collection technique allowed the researcher to gather quantitative and qualitative data through both open-ended and closed-ended questionnaires, which were used to increase the response rate to get the detailed information about the phenomenon.
3.2. Sampling Technique
This paper utilized a sample size of 80 employees of the Ethiopian Investment Commission as a source of data by using a probable sampling technique. Because of the probability sampling, it is the best option when our population is large. From the probable sampling technique, the systematic random sampling method was used. To determine the required sample for this study, the researcher used the formula developed by Carvalho (1984). According to Carvalho’s Sample Size Determination formula, if the total number of the population is assumed to be 281 - 500, the researcher can use a low size of sampling of 20, a medium of 50, and a high of 80 respondents. After the sample size was determined, respondents were selected by systematic random sampling from the list of Ethiopian Investment Commission employees.
Accordingly, the data-collection activities were conducted by systematic random sampling by determining the ‘N’ respondent using the following formula.
means N = every Nth of the employee
A = total sample frame
B = sample size
Therefore N = 300/80 = 4 means every 4th of the employee will be selected by systematic random sampling (Table 1).
Table 1. Sample size.
Research technique |
Population |
Sample size |
Method |
Questionnaire |
300 |
80 |
By using systematic random sampling methods |
Total |
300 |
80 |
|
Source: Self survey.
Consequently, this research was deployed on 80 employees of the Ethiopian Investment Commission as a sample size, and the result is presented in the next part of this paper.
4. Data Analysis and Discussion
This chapter of this paper explicates the data analysis, presentation, and discussion of the results, including the demographic distribution of the respondents of the Ethiopian Investment Commission. Therefore, all the parts of the questionnaires were analyzed and discussed as follows.
Table 2. Gender demography of respondents.
Gender |
Frequency |
Percent |
Valid Percent |
Cumulative Percent |
Valid |
Male |
42 |
52.5 |
52.5 |
52.5 |
Female |
38 |
47.5 |
47.5 |
47.5 |
Total |
80 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Source: Self survey.
According to Table 2 above, 42 (52.5%) of the respondents were male employees, whereas 38 (47.5%) of the respondents were female employees, respectively. This indicates that the gap between professional male and female employees in the Ethiopian Investment Commission is not significant.
Figure 2. Age range demography of respondents. Source: Self survey.
Figure 2 above denotes the distribution of the age range of the respondents. According to the survey, 20% of the respondents were in the range of 20 - 30 years old, 50% were in the range of 31 - 40 years old, 18.75% were in the range of 41 - 50 years old, and 11.25% were above 50 years old. This analysis indicates that the majority of respondents were between 31 and 40 (50%) in middle age, which shows that the maturity of the respondents enabled them to give the accurate data and enabled them to have a better understanding on the area of the survey of the training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
Table 3 below denotes the educational background of respondents, which is about 44 (55%) of respondents were first-degree holders, 33 (41.25%) of respondents were master’s degree holders, and 3 (3.75%) of the respondents were diploma holders. This indicates that the majority of respondents were bachelor’s degree holders and master’s degree holders, which helps them to have a more profound understanding of the area of the survey of the training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
Table 3. Educational background demography of respondents.
Educational level |
Frequency |
Percent |
Valid Percent |
Cumulative Percent |
Valid |
Diploma |
3 |
3.75 |
3.8 |
3.8 |
Bachelor’s degree |
44 |
55.0 |
55.0 |
58.8 |
Master’s degree |
33 |
41.25 |
41.3 |
100.0 |
Total |
80 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Source: Self survey.
Figure 3. The year of work experience demography of respondents. Source: Self survey.
According to the above Figure 3, from all the respondents of the sample size, about 8.75% of respondents have less than 1 year of work experience, 7.50% have between 2 and 5 years of work experience, and 45% of respondents have between 5 and 10 years of work experience. Whereas 17.50% of respondents have between 10 and 15 years of work experience, and 21.25% have more than 15 years of the work experience. This indicates that the majority of the respondents have between 5 and 10 years of required professional work experiences, which helps them to understand the real situation of the training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
According to Table 4 below, the respondents were asked whether the organization conducts the training need assessment or not. Accordingly, 54 (67.50%) of the respondents replied that the commission conducts the training need assessment. Whereas 26 (32.5%) of the respondents were replied that the commission does not conduct the training need assessment. This indicates that the institution does not wholly undertake a training needs assessment program before commencing actual training, and the process of training needs assessment in the Ethiopian Investment Commission is not full-fledged and it is not effective as required.
Table 4. Employees Perception on the existence of Training Need Assessment: Does the Ethiopian Investment Commission conduct the training needs assessments?
Perception |
Frequency |
Percent |
Valid Percent |
Cumulative Percent |
Valid |
Yes |
54 |
67.5 |
67.5 |
67.5 |
No |
26 |
32.5 |
32.5 |
100.0 |
Total |
80 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Source: Self Survey.
Consequently, the respondents were requested to give detailed information on the training need assessment of the commission, which is presented in the following Table 5.
Note: In this study, the researcher used Likert scale questionnaires, and 1 stands for strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree. As well as in the data analysis, F stands for the frequency of the population, whereas P stands for the percentage of the respondents.
Table 5. Employees perception on the effectiveness of training need assessment.
Statements |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
The office conducts formal training need assessment properly. |
18 |
22.5 |
11 |
13.5 |
22 |
27.5 |
21 |
26.3 |
8 |
10.0 |
Training programs are designed and developed based on the assessment of employee’s skill, knowledge, and attitude gaps. |
17 |
21.3 |
15 |
18.8 |
21 |
26.3 |
20 |
25.0 |
7 |
8.8 |
The training needs assessment methods of the office enable to clearly identify the required training that enables the employees to perform their job effectively. |
15 |
18.8 |
17 |
21.3 |
15 |
18.8 |
21 |
26.3 |
12 |
15.0 |
Source: Self survey.
According to Table 5, 21 (26.3%) respondents were agreed and 8 (10%) were strongly agreed with the statement that says, “The office conducts formal training need assessment properly,” and 18 (22.5%) were strongly disagreed with the statement, whereas 11 (13.5%) respondents were disagreed with the statement. In addition, 22 (27.5%) respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This indicates that the office conducts the training need assessment to some extent. Concerning the statement that says, “The training programs are designed and developed based on the assessment of employees’ skill, knowledge, and attitude gaps,” 20 (25%) of respondents were agreed, 7 (8.8%) were strongly agreed, 17 (21.3%) were strongly disagreed, 15 (18.8%) were disagreed, and 21 (26.3%) respondents replied as neither agree nor disagree with the statement, which means the commission doesn’t conduct training need assessments based on employees’ skills, knowledge, and attitude gaps.
Concerning the statement that says, “The training needs assessment methods of the office enable us to clearly identify the required training that employees’ need to perform their jobs,” 21 (26.3%) of respondents agreed and 12 (15%) employees strongly agreed, whereas 15 (18.8%) respondents strongly disagreed and 17 (21.3%) employees disagreed, and 15 (18.8%) respondents replied as neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement, which indicates the existence of the gap in the training need assessment practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
Table 6. Perception of the employees on the effectiveness of training plan.
Statements |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
The training contents are clear, simple, and understandable. |
4 |
5.0 |
6 |
7.5 |
28 |
35.0 |
32 |
40 |
10 |
12.5 |
The training programs include practical exercises of the job. |
7 |
8.8 |
17 |
21.3 |
24 |
30.0 |
24 |
30.0 |
8 |
10.0 |
The training programs include different ways of learning. |
6 |
7.5 |
12 |
15.0 |
25 |
31.3 |
25 |
31.3 |
12 |
15.0 |
The training contents take the ability and interest of the trainees into account. |
8 |
10.0 |
16 |
20.0 |
27 |
33.8 |
21 |
26.3 |
8 |
10.0 |
Source: Self survey.
In Table 6 above, 32 (40%) of respondents replied that they agreed with the statement, and 10 (12.5%) respondents replied that they strongly agreed with the statement that says, “The training contents are clear, simple, and understandable.” As well as 4 (5%) respondents strongly disagreed, and 6 (7.5%) respondents disagreed with the statement. Whereas 28 (35%) respondents replied that they neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement.
Concerning the statement that says, “The training programs include practical exercises for the job,” 24 (30%) of respondents agreed, and 8 (10%) respondents replied as strongly agreeing with the statement. To the reverse, 7 (8.8%) respondents replied as strongly disagreeing, and 17 (21.3%) respondents replied as disagreeing with the statement. Whereas 24 (30%) respondents replied as neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement. This indicates that to some extent the training programs that have been conducted in the institution include practical exercises of jobs.
Concerning the statement that says, “The training contents take the ability and interest of the trainees into account,” 25 (31.3%) of respondents replied as agreed, and 12 (15%) respondents replied as strongly agreed with the statement. To the reverse, 6 (7.5%) respondents replied as strongly disagree, and 12 (15%) respondents disagreed with the statement. Whereas, 25 (31.3%) respondents replied neither agree nor disagree with the statement. This implies the training contents given in the Ethiopian Investment Commission take the ability and interest of the trainees into account to some extent. Concerning the statement that says, “I have gotten additional skills from the training programs,” 21 (26.3%) of respondents replied as agreeing with the statement, and 8 (10%) employees replied as strongly agreeing. To the reverse, 8 (10%) of respondents replied as strongly disagreeing and 16 (20%) of respondents replied as disagreeing, whereas 27 (33.8%) of respondents replied as neutral, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement, which indicates the ineffectiveness of the training programs in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
Table 7. Perception of employees on the effectiveness of training implementation programs.
Statements |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
I am satisfied with the training programs of the office |
10 |
12.5 |
23 |
28.5 |
28 |
35.0 |
14 |
17.5 |
5 |
6.3 |
The training programs are related to my job |
8 |
10.0 |
15 |
18.8 |
27 |
33.8 |
23 |
28.8 |
7 |
8.8 |
I am committed to my work and to the office because of the good training practice of the office. |
6 |
7.5 |
19 |
23.8 |
26 |
32.5 |
22 |
27.5 |
7 |
8.8 |
I get additional skills from the training programs. |
6 |
7.5 |
8 |
10.0 |
19 |
23.8 |
38 |
47.5 |
9 |
11.3 |
Source: Self survey.
In Table 7 above, 14 (17.5%) of respondents replied agree, and 5 (6.3%) replied strongly agree with the statement that says, I am satisfied with the training programs of the office. In addition, 10 (12.5%) of respondents indicated strong disagreement with the statement, and 23 (28.5%) respondents replied with disagreement. As well as 28 (35%) respondents replied neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement. This implies that the majority of employees are not satisfied with the training programs of the commission.
Concerning the statement that says, “The training programs are related to my job,” 23 (28.8%) of respondents agreed with the statement. And also 7 (8.8%) replied strongly agree, 8 (10%) replied strongly disagree, 15 (18.8%) replied disagree, and 27 (33.8%) of respondents are neutral about the idea. This implies that the commission training programs relate to employees’ actual jobs to some extent.
Concerning the statement that says, “I am committed to my work and to the office because of the good training practice of the office,” 22 (27.5%) of respondents replied agree, 7 (8.8%) replied strongly agree, 6 (7.5%) replied strongly disagree, 19 (23.8%) replied disagree, and 26 (32.5%) respondents replied neither agree nor disagree with the statement. This indicates that the training practice of the office to some extent contributed to making employees committed to their work.
Concerning the statement that says, “I get additional skills from the training programs,” 38 (47.5%) of respondents agreed with the statement. Additionally, 9 (11.3%) employees replied strongly agree. On the other hand, 6 (7.5%) respondents replied as strongly disagree, 8 (10%) of respondents replied disagree, and 19 (23.8%) respondents replied neither agree nor disagree with the statement which indicates the ineffectiveness of the training programs in the Ethiopian investment commission.
Table 8. Perception of the employees on the effectiveness of training evaluation.
Statements |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
The office evaluates the training programs decently. |
16 |
20.0 |
23 |
28.8 |
23 |
28.8 |
12 |
15.0 |
6 |
7.5 |
The office tests the trainees before and after the programs |
22 |
27.5 |
25 |
31.3 |
18 |
22.5 |
9 |
11.3 |
6 |
7.5 |
The office asks the trainees through questionnaire and interviews at the end of the training programs. |
20 |
25.0 |
26 |
32.5 |
16 |
20.0 |
14 |
17.5 |
4 |
5.0 |
The outcome of the training evaluated each time. |
19 |
23.8 |
30 |
37.5 |
21 |
26.3 |
5 |
6.3 |
5 |
6.3 |
The office resorts the performance appraisal report to evaluate the outcome of the training programs. |
20 |
25.0 |
21 |
26.3 |
20 |
25.0 |
16 |
20.0 |
3 |
3.8 |
Source: Self survey.
In the above Table 8, 12 (15%) of respondents replied as agreed, and 6 (7.5%) respondents replied as strongly agreed with the statement that says, “The office evaluates the training programs properly.” To the reverse, 16 (20%) respondents replied that they strongly disagreed, and 23 (28.8%) respondents replied that they disagreed with the statement. Whereas 23 (28.8%) respondents replied that they neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This indicates that there are no effective training evaluation programs in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
Concerning the statement that says “the office tests the trainees before and after the programs”, 11.3 (6%) of respondents agreed, and 6 (7.5%) respondents replied that they strongly agreed with the statement. To the reverse, 22 (27.5%) respondents replied that they strongly disagreed, and 25 (31.3%) respondents disagreed with the statement. Whereas 18 (22.5%) respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This indicates that the Ethiopian Investment Commission does not test the trainees before and after the programs effectively.
Concerning the statement that says, “The office asks the trainees through questionnaires and interviews at the end of the training programs,” 14 (17.5%) of respondents agreed and 4 (5%) respondents strongly agreed with the statement. To the reverse, 20 (25%) respondents replied as strongly disagreeing, and 26 (32.5%) respondents replied as disagreeing with the statement. Whereas 16 (20%) respondents replied neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement. This indicates the ineffectiveness of the training evaluation method in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
Concerning the statement that says, “The outcome of the training is evaluated each time,” 5 (6.3%) respondents replied as agreed, and 5 (6.3%) respondents replied as strongly agreed with the statement. To the reverse, 19 (23.8%) respondents replied as strongly disagreeing, and 30 (37.5%) respondents replied as disagreeing with the statement. Whereas 21 (26.3%) respondents replied neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This indicates that the office does not evaluate the outcome of the training programs each time effectively.
Concerning the statement that says, “The office resorts to the performance appraisal report to evaluate the training programs,” 16 (20%) of respondents replied as agreed, and 3 (3.8%) respondents replied as strongly agreed with the statement. On the other hand, 20 (25%) respondents strongly disagreed, and 21 (26.3%) respondents replied that they disagreed with the statement. Whereas 20 (25%) respondents replied neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. This indicates that the office does not resort to the employee’s performance appraisal report to evaluate the effectiveness of the training.
Table 9. The perception of the employees on the overall effectiveness of the training and development practices in the ethiopian investment commission.
Statements |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
F |
P |
The training provided by the office helped me to perform my work effectively and efficiently. |
7 |
8.8 |
11 |
13.8 |
27 |
33.8 |
25 |
31.3 |
10 |
12.5 |
The training programs conducted by my office improved my skills, knowledge and attitude which increases my performance on the job. |
7 |
8.8 |
12 |
15.0 |
23 |
28.8 |
26 |
32.5 |
12 |
15.0 |
The training programs conducted by my office increased my confidence on performing work related task after training. |
8 |
10.0 |
12 |
15.0 |
23 |
28.8 |
30 |
37.5 |
7 |
8.8 |
The training and development practice conducted by my office reduces the stress on my job. |
9 |
11.3 |
14 |
17.5 |
24 |
30.0 |
25 |
31.3 |
8 |
10.0 |
I realized the change on my performance after taking any form of training in my office. |
7 |
8.8 |
11 |
13.8 |
26 |
32.5 |
29 |
36.3 |
7 |
8.8 |
I got enough training that enables me to do my job as required in my office. |
17 |
21.3 |
18 |
22.5 |
21 |
26.3 |
18 |
22.5 |
6 |
7.5 |
Source: Self survey.
In Table 9 above, 25 (31.5%) of respondents agreed, and 10 (12.5%) respondents replied as strongly agreeing with the statement that says, “the training provided by the office helped me to perform my work effectively and efficiently”. To the reverse, 7 (8.8%) respondents strongly disagreed, and 11 (13.8%) respondents replied that they disagreed with the statement. Whereas 27 (33.8%) of respondents replied neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement.
Concerning the statement that says “the training programs conducted by my office improved my skills, knowledge, and attitude, which increases my performance on the job”, 26 (32.5%) of respondents agreed, and 12 (15%) respondents replied that they strongly agreed with the statement. To the reverse, 7 (8.8%) respondents replied that they strongly disagreed, and 12 (15%) respondents replied that they disagreed with the statement. In contrast, 23 (28.8%) of respondents replied neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement.
Concerning the statement that says “the training programs conducted by my office increased my confidence in performing work-related tasks after training”, 30 (37.5%) respondents replied that they agreed, and 7 (8.8%) respondents replied that they strongly agreed with the statement. To the reverse, 8 (10%) respondents replied they strongly disagreed, and 12 (15%) respondents replied they disagreed with the statement. In contrast, 23 (28.8%) respondents replied neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement. Concerning the statement that says “the training and development practice conducted by my office reduces the stress on my job”, 25 (31.3%) of respondents replied that they agreed, and 8 (10%) respondents replied they strongly agreed with the statement. To the reverse, 9 (11.3%) respondents strongly disagreed, and 14 (17.5%) respondents replied that they disagreed with the statement. In contrast, 24 (30%) respondents replied neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement.
Concerning the statement that says “I realized the change in my performance after taking any form of training in my office”, 29 (36.3%) of respondents replied they agreed, and 7 (8.8%) respondents replied they strongly agreed with the statement. To the reverse, 7 (8.8%) respondents replied they strongly disagreed, and 11 (13.8%) respondents replied they disagreed with the statement. In contrast, 26 (32.5%) respondents rest neutral, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement.
Concerning the statement that says, “I have enough training that enables me to do my job as required in my office,” 18 (22.5%) of respondents replied that they agreed, and 6 (7.5%) respondents replied they strongly agreed with the statement. To the reverse, 17 (21.3%) respondents replied that they strongly disagreed, and 18 (22.5%) respondents replied they disagreed with the statement. In contrast, 21 (26.3%) respondents rest neutral, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement. This indicates that the employees of the Ethiopian Investment Commission have not acquired enough training that enables them to perform their job as required, which indicates the ineffectiveness of the training programs in the commission.
Figure 4. The perception of employees on the existence of the challenges in Training and Development practices in Ethiopian Investment Commission. Source: Self survey.
According to the above Figure 4, the researcher asked the respondents about the existence of the challenges in the training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission. Accordingly, 54 (67.5%) respondents agreed on the existence of the challenges in training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission, whereas 26 (32.5%) of respondents disagreed. This indicates that there are several challenges in training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission, which needs further improvements.
Furthermore, the researcher used an open-ended questionnaire to get deep knowledge about the existence of the challenges in the training and development program of the Ethiopian Investment Commission by inviting the respondents who replied “Yes” to list out those challenges freely on the blank paper of the questionnaire. Accordingly, the respondents have stated the main challenges of the training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission as follows:
1st. Several training programs are not designed based on the employee’s skill, knowledge, and attitude gap analysis, which indicates the lack of effective training needs assessment in the commission, which is problematic to give the right training for the right employees.
2nd. Several training programs are conducted mainly in the management area, and the same type of training has been given each year, and the employees are not acquiring additional skills in their professional technical jobs, which indicates a lack of a plan to give enough training related to their daily work in the commission.
3rd. Several training programs are given after the mid-term annual budget year to meet the reporting requirements rather than to fill the employee’s skill gap, which indicates a lack of an effective training implementation plan and evaluation method in the commission.
5. Major Findings and Conclusion
The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the training and development practices and challenges in the Ethiopian Investment Commission. Training and development are the only techniques in which the employees can improve their capacity to achieve the organizational goal. Training is the way of acquiring the new skill, knowledge, and invention in which the employees develop their capacity to increase productivity. Therefore, the Ethiopian Investment Commission needs to create well-skilled and motivated employees to effectively attract foreign direct investment in Ethiopia. However, this study revealed several challenges in the training and development programs of the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
According to the study, concerning the employees’ perception on the training needs assessment, 54 (67.50 %) of them replied that the commission conducts the training needs assessment, whereas 26 (32.5%) of the respondents disagreed with the statement. Concerning the perception of employees in the training effectiveness of the Ethiopian Investment Commission, 10 (12.5%) replied strongly disagreed, and 23 (28.5%) respondents disagreed, and overall 33 (41%) employees are not satisfied with the training programs of the commission. Likewise, 28 (35%) respondents were left neutral and neither agreed nor disagreed with the effectiveness of the training programs of the Ethiopian Investment Commission. This indicates the ineffectiveness of the training and development programs in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
Concerning the perception of employees on the training evaluation program, 39 (48.8%) respondents replied that there is no effective training evaluation program in the Ethiopian Investment Commission. Furthermore, 47 (58.8%) respondents confirmed that the office does not test the trainees before and after the programs. Also, 49 (61.3%) respondents replied that the commission does not evaluate the outcome of the training at the end of the day, and 41 (51.3%) of respondents replied that the commission does not resort to the performance appraisal report to evaluate the training effectiveness on their job. Likewise, 35 (43.8%) respondents revealed that there is no enough technical training in the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
In conclusion, the employees of the commission revealed that the existence of various challenges in Ethiopian investment commission which is 54 (67.5%) of employees agreed on the existence of Challenges in the training and development practices. These challenges are lack of effective training needs assessment, lack of effective training planning, lack of the effective and implementation of enough technical trainings, and lack of effective training evaluation methods, which need further improvement.
6. Recommendation
Successful organizations should have well-skilled and motivated human resources to meet organizational goals. To create productive human resources, it is significant to give effective training programs to the right person at the right time to achieve organizational goals. However, this study investigated the existence of several challenges in the training and development practices in the Ethiopian Investment Commission, which needs further strategic and policy improvements. Therefore, the Ethiopian Investment Commission should have to follow the systematic model of the effective training program, which was developed by Armstrong (2006), to achieve the organizational goal and to successfully attract the foreign direct investment as follows:
1) Implementing an effective training needs assessment: According to this study, there is no effective training needs assessment in the Ethiopian Investment Commission. A training needs assessment helps to identify the skill gap of the employees before implementing actual training. Moreover, the Ethiopian Investment Commission should identify the training needs of the employees depending on their job requirements to implement the effective training program and to produce well-skilled human resources.
2) Implementing an effective training plan: According to the study, there is a gap in the implementation of the effective training plan. The training plan identifies the training techniques, facilities, locations, and trainers to validate the actual training. However, this paper indicates that the training conducted in the Ethiopian Investment Commission lacks an effective plan due to delivering the same type of training for all employees that is not related to their technical work. To avoid these constraints, the Ethiopian Investment Commission should conduct a skill gap-based training plan to give the right training to the right employee to achieve the organizational goal.
3) Implementing an effective training evaluation method: According to the study, there is no effective training evaluation and post-follow-up method in the Ethiopian Investment Commission. The evaluation method helps to identify whether the training program meets the goal or not and helps the organization to monitor the effectiveness of the training program. In order to implement an effective training program, the Ethiopian Investment Commission should implement an effective training evaluation method by distributing the questionnaire paper after the training programs and by resorting to the employees performance appraisal reports of the skills they acquired to identify whether the training outcome works effectively or not.
NOTES
*Former unit: Public Administration, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.