Perceived Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Training at the Public Service Commission

Abstract

Training of employees is instrumental in achieving organizational objectives. For training to be effective, it requires to be aligned with the organization’s strategic plan. Training is considered successful when employees are able to transfer acquired skills and knowledge to effectively perform assigned duties and responsibilities. Organizations have an obligation to train their employees continuously to ensure they have the right skills to match their organizational needs. Failure for an organization to invest in training makes it bound to fail; hence, organizations should focus on training effectiveness. The study’s objective aimed at determining perceived factors influencing effectiveness of training at Public Service Commission. Census method was used and therefore all the 220 employees of Public Service Commission were included in the study. Primary and secondary sources were used by the researcher to collect data. The primary data was gathered using questionnaires while the secondary data was obtained from relevant journals, research reports, the internet, published textbooks and government publications. Data was collected using questionnaires, which were distributed to the identified respondents. Data capturing was done in Microsoft Excel. The data was then cleaned, coded, and entered into the computer using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version No.20). To facilitate analysis of interrelationships among variables and explanation of the variables in terms of common underlying dimensions factor analysis was used. The key findings of the study revealed that the Public Service Commission employees are aware of the training policy in the organization and were of the view that upon the completion of their training, they share what they have learned with other employees. The study also revealed that training needs analysis is normally conducted prior to organizing training programmes at the Public Service Commission. It was also established that job rotation, which is a key component of training, is not always practiced in the organization. The study concluded that majority of the staff at the Public Service Commission had benefitted from training opportunities. However, the study recommends that employees in the organization should be included in the planning and organization of training programmes.