Introduction
Training and development is a crucial undertaking in the growth of an economy. Unless professionals in various fields are moulded and additional developed through capacity building, an economy can hardly boast of growth. As a matter of fact, human resource development is the epitome of impressive economic performance in the contemporary economies (Erasmus, Loedolff & Hammann 2010, p. 114).
It is prudent to underscore the fact that governments should take the initiative ahead of the private sector to train and develop professionals. Such a sensitive role cannot be blindly left in the hands of private players. The latter are often profit-driven and can hardly put the interests of a nation first.
Role of Government in Training and Development
The modern economies require governments across the globe to emphasize the relevance of training and development in their growth agenda. The main reason behind government involvement in training and development is to lower the rate of unemployment index occasioned by lack of requisite skills.
Even after basic training in various fields, it is the sole responsibility of a government to foster further training through capacity building of staff members who are already employed. The latter may also take the form of on-the-job training. While this is a noble role of the government, the initiative can hardly be achieved in the absence of necessary infrastructure.
Therefore, vocational training colleges and tertiary institutions should be set up and well equipped by the government in order to facilitate both basic and advanced training of the workforce. In any case, lifelong learning should be a priority in the list of primary projects adopted by the government in any financial year. Such institutions should be accredited by the standards and teaching agencies.
It is also the responsibility of the government to combat social exclusions through the life-long learning programs. Once the latter has been eliminated, the government can be in a position to promote active citizenship and employability across the nation.
After sensitizing the population, the government should work out ways and means increasing learning demand. In addition, it should ensure that a world-class training is developed and sustained among the institutions that have been set up.
This should go along with stimulation of the learning process. Government professionals should develop requisite training modules which teaching agencies can use. The Skills Funding Agency and the Sector Skills Council should be allowed to work harmoniously by the government in promoting vocational training.
Both the UK and European labour market should be supplied with highly qualified professionals. It is only the government that can meet the economic needs of this region. Moreover, the government should create open-ended chances for interested individuals to re-develop their knowledge, skills and competences through the process of lifelong learning.
Development of the competency movement
Competency movement has been pragmatic in the rapid and unprecedented growth of the human resource sector. This form of human resource development seeks to inject excellence in the management of workforce and human resource. The approach also explores the human resource needs of organisations.
There is no single organisation that can make positive progress if the human resource pool lacks competent personnel. Both the United Kingdom and United States have experienced and practiced competency movement for a long time. Hence, it is a practice that is firmly rooted in the capacity building and appraisal of employees. Needless to say, it is perhaps necessary to consider how the private and public sectors have been positively impacted by the competency movement in the management of human resource.
To begin with, the impressive growth observed both in the private and public sectors in Europe is a vivid indication of the impacts of competency movement. Empirical studies indicate that countries such as Netherlands, Belgium and Finland have transformed their economies significantly owing to the competency movement (Tomé, 2011). The labour market is trained in order to gain from the economy.
In other words, the perspective of ‘train to gain’ has been employed for several decades with enormous success. The conceptual meaning and implications of competency are usually the focus of the competency movement. Since the 1980s, the movement began with earnest with the aim of redefining the input of employees in organisations.
Through the movement, it has been possible to undertake performance appraisals of employees in a more professional and effective manner. When employees are evaluated on a regular basis, it makes it possible for the top management to retain, retrain and eventually maintain productive workers only.
A case in point is the Skill-seekers program in Wales that aims to train young employees while working. Work-based training programs that have been adopted across the globe indeed originated from the competency movement. Two major and notable benefits of work-based training can be noted here. First, capacity building of an employee takes place while working and training at the same time. Better still, new concepts learned during the training period can be directly and immediately applied at workplace.
Second, minimal time and financial resources are utilised when work-based training is embraced by an organization. Novices who enrol in the work-based training programs eventually perform even better that static professionals who fail to embrace lifelong learning. The National Skills Academies has also employed the ideals of competency movement when recruiting and training raw talent.
Moreover, it is pertinent to recall that a high level of competency among workers in an organisation results into a low turnover rate. In other words, employees who fall into this category are highly likely to be rewarded fairly by their employers. Consequently, most of them feel satisfied at workplace and stick with a one employer for a considerably long time.
Juvenile citizens can also be recognised only if the competency program is allowed on board. Once they are trained at a tender age, it fuels a lot of inspiration to pursue specific goals in life while giving back to society simultaneously. The Emirates Group embraces both short and long-term employment opportunities. Besides, the Group encourages lifelong learning from the entry to senior-most levels (Anne, 2004).
Contemporary training initiatives by the UK government and Rolls Royce
About 50% of all the employees at Rolls Royce work in the UK. This has been made possible by training and development initiatives adopted by the UK government. The UK’s government policy on education and vocational training have indeed changed. For example, students are encouraged to have a positive outlook on science and technical-based subjects.
The girl child is also being encouraged to take and pursue science-based subjects and courses. Innovative solutions and programs are also developed by Semta and Sector Skills Council. These are government agencies that have a close working relationship with Rolls Royce. Semta awards to employees at Rolls Royce have boosted the moral and inspiration of employees in the organisation.
Conclusion
In recap, training and development of the workforce are vital parameters that should not be ignored by both the public and private sectors. The UK government has indeed influenced and facilitated robust training and development of the labour market to satisfactory levels. Besides, competency movement in the management of human resource has led to impressive performance of organisations such as the Emirates group and Rolls Royce.
References
Anne, M 2004, Human Resource Development: Beyond training interventions, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London.
Erasmus, B., Loedolff, V.P. & Hammann, F. 2010, “Competencies For Human Resource Development Practitioners”, The International Business & Economics Research Journal, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 113-126.
Tomé, E 2011, “Human resource development in the knowledge based and services driven economy”, Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 524-539.