Assessing the impact of training and development on employee performance in the tertiary education sector of Ghana. (A case study of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani)

Abstract

Tertiary institutions in Ghana have been established to play specific roles in the socio- economic development of the country. There are various opinions as to whether these institutions have lived up to the expectation of a developing country like Ghana. In order to improve on the performance of these tertiary institutions, various training and capacity building programs are organized for the employees concerned. The studies revealed that, majority of the employees were not aware of the training policy of the institution. This was confirmed by the fact that 60% of respondents affirmed that they were not aware of the training policy of the university. Again, the study gathered that majority of the respondents (47.5%) did not have any schedule upon which training programs could be organized. The findings reported in this study suggest that training and development have an impact on the performance of employees with regard to their jobs. This result is broadly consistent with prior management literature on training and development. The results from the questions on employee participation in training indicate that university has good and perhaps clear policies regarding training and development as most of the respondents indicated that they have participated in training and that most of them were provided with opportunities to train under the compulsory practice of the university for all employees and/or on joining the institution Employees who were sampled believed that training programs have had a positive impact on employee performance and job skills. In examining the question relating to the training on organizational goals, the researcher gathered the training modules and skills were very relevant to achieve the goals and vision of the University. However, some respondents complained of the inadequate staff/personnel which burdened the work load of employees. Respondents recommended more hands to assist them to deliver their job effectively.