National Training Awards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

National Training Awards - Essay Example Managers across the world are investing heavily on employee training so that they can help them pursue their roles more efficiently. For maximum productivity, employees need to be trained to become self aware and on how they can work as a team. They need to be trained on how they can contribute to the overall growth of the company and on problem solving (National Training Awards 2008). It is on this premise that the National training Awards (NTAs) was established. The Department for education and Science formed the NTAs in 1987. It was given the function of rewarding organisations, businesses, and individuals who have achieved a lasting success through learning and training. The British government was very keen on encouraging employers to provide decent and effective training for their employees. The National Awards merged with investors in People Training Awards to develop a strong platform for training excellence. Currently, the awards are managed by UK skills, a totally independent body. Their concept remains the same - to reward organizational successes that have been achieved through employee development. According to National Training Awards (2008), they have short listed 223 finalists in 25 industry sectors this year alone. The winners are expected to be known by November and will be awarded some national or local training awards, depending on their outstan ding achievements, either locally or nationally. Roles of NTAs in improving employee development The NTAs has continued to play some major functions in ensuring that the country's political, social, economic, and technical environment improves through employee development. As already mentioned elsewhere, it seeks to reward businesses which have achieved admirable lasting success through offering their employees an extensive training programme. First, the NTAs chief role is to provide a methodical process by which all the training practices are reviewed and their effectiveness reviewed (What are the benefits 2008). Companies should not conduct training programmes on employees for the sake of training them. There should be set targets that training programmes must achieve for them to be seen as effective. The NTAs provide companies with objective systematic processes by which such successes can be measured and rewarded. According to Ford et al. (1997), there are basic indicators that could prove if any training programme has been effective or not. These indicators include skills assessment, trainee amplitudes, and training instructional design. Such indicators can be best reviewed by the NTAs because of its professional expertise and its objectivity. Upon reviewal, companies will always be advised on the strengths and weaknesses of their training programmes, thus giving them room for improvement. Peter Cresswell, a judge at the national panel of the NTAs and an employee of Siemens Inc. has Infact blamed improper training practices on the lack of innovation that has characterized the competition for the past few years. Organizations should always strive to know what they want to gain or achieve out of undertaking a training programm