This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade. It gives you an opportunity to apply concepts and
theories from the textbook to your real-life experience in training programs. You must complete this
assignment individually, without contacting other students. The assignment addresses Course Objectives
1, 4, and 5.
Most of us have had to participate in some type of training on our jobs, such as new employee
orientation, lunch-and-learn workshops, Employee Assistance Program training, technical skill training,
employee benefits update meetings, or management development workshops. Some of us have
experienced on-the-job training. Others have participated in professional development workshops or
skills-based continuing education classes. Think about the best and worst training experiences you have
had.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Write an 8-10 page essay (not including cover and reference pages) analyzing both your best and worst
BEST AND WORST TRAINING EXPERIENCES 2
training experiences as an employee. Be specific in discussing what made the experiences good or bad.
Chapters 4-8 in the textbook cover the design of training, transfer of training, evaluation of training, and
training methods; you might want to review the chapter summaries in the Course Content area of our
classroom to refresh your understanding of important theories and concepts that might apply to your
training experiences. There is also a list of key terms at the end of each chapter in the textbook and a
glossary on pp. 485-496.
Best and Worst Training Experiences
Introduction
Organizations often train their employees with the aim of equipping them with skills in
new areas or areas in which they are not properly conversant. As such, the training experience
can either be effective or ineffective based on several factors that can be caused by the trainer or
the training environment (Ameeq-ul-Amee, 2013). As an employee, I happened to have attended
two trainings that made me realize that not all trainings can be effective to employees. In my first
training, we were to be oriented on the methods of interacting with the local community member
to whom we were to distribute sanitary pads and sleeping nets. My second training was focused
on the development of knowledge on ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
practices, which were to apply in our daily activities in a dairy company where I was employed
as a part-time worker. In relation to this, the training on the ISO practices happened to be my
BEST AND WORST TRAINING EXPERIENCES 3
best training, while those on how to interact with the local community members was my worst.
These outcomes were attributed to several factors that are analyzed below.
Description of the Two Trainings
The principle objective of the first training was to equip employees with adequate
knowledge on how to interact with the local community members during the distribution of
sleeping nets and sanitary pads. This training was funded by a local NGO that dealt with the
welfare of the local communities. The training was conducted at a park next to a busy highway
as this place was considered convenient to all the trainees in terms of accessibility. Its target
audience was the local community members. However, this training did not involve an
evaluation to ascertain whether the employees had benefited from it or not. On the other side,
the training on ISO practices was targeted at equipping workers with adequate skills and
knowledge on the best manufacturing practices so that they could apply this knowledge in
enhancing productivity in the dairy company. This training was carried out in one of the
company’s conference rooms and its target audience was the employees. Besides, this training
also involved an evaluation to ascertain whether the workers had gained knowledge from it or
not.
Analysis of Factors that Led to the Success and Failure of the Two Trainings
Factors that Contributed to the Success of the Training on ISO Practices
This training was conducted to nine workers from the company’s production department
and six employees from the quality assurance department. At the end of the training, all these
workers were noted to have sufficient skills in the areas on which they were trained. As such,
this training managed to accomplish its core objective. Several factors led to the success of this
training program.
BEST AND WORST TRAINING EXPERIENCES 4
One of the principle factors that contributed significantly to the effectiveness of this
training was proper selection and preparation of the training site by the company’s management.
The firm’s management chose one of its best conference rooms as the training site. Selection of a
suitable training site is vital in ensuring that trainees are not distracted during the process of
training. This site had the necessary requirements for a suitable training site. It was accessible
and comfortable, private, quite, free from interruptions and spacious (Noe, 2013). In relation to
comfort and accessibility, the conference room was well lit, ventilated, and furnished with
comfortable seats. On the other side, the aspects of quietness and privacy ensured that trainees
were not disrupted during the training process. Consequently, the adequate space offered by the
training site ensured that trainees had good visibility for each other. Besides, this aspect ensured
that visual displays such as charts and video were used in delivering knowledge in an efficient
manner (Jayakumar, 2014). In addition, the traditional classroom seating arrangement that the
management selected for trainees facilitated the process of knowledge delivery. A good
comprehension of the appropriate form of trainee-trainer and trainer interaction is vital in the
selection of a suitable seating arrangement. Traditional classroom seating arrangement is often
suitable in situations in which the process of training involves the acquisition of knowledge
(Noe, 2013). As such, this form of seating arrangement was relevant to the training as the
training was based on delivering the knowledge on ISO practices to trainees. In addition, the
conventional classroom arrangement is usually relevant to trainings that involve lecturing and
audio-visual presentation as was in the case of this training.
Training methods that trainers employ during the training process play a significant role
in the determination of the effectiveness of the knowledge delivery process. Some of the factors
that should be taken into consideration during the selection of training methods are the intended
BEST AND WORST TRAINING EXPERIENCES 5
learning results, the needed learning environment, aspect of transferring learning, effectiveness
and cost (Noe, 2013). In relation to this, lecturing, audio-visual, case studies and self-directed
learning were selected for this training as they were efficient in the attainment of the core
objective of the training. Trainees were required to seat and take notes on the issues that were
lectured on by the trainer. To complement the learning process, trainees were allowed to ask
questions on areas that were not clear. The use of the audio-visual technique was significant in
the provision of visual examples to trainees. This undertaking ensured that all employees in the
training comprehended what was being taught. Moreover, the training involved practical
application or demonstration of the knowledge gained from the workshop. Trainees were
required to demonstrate their actions in relation to various situations of production that required
the application of ISO practices. Furthermore, written tests and assignments were given at the
end of every training session to help in the identification of the trainees’ understanding of the
topic that was under study. The trainer also employed several case studies in the teaching process
so that trainees could manage to contextualize the theoretical knowledge in the real world
scenario. Consequently, the trainers also used self-directed learning in the training process. Self-
directed learning refers to the approach that is based on the placement total responsibility for the
learning process on employees or trainers (Noe, 2013). This undertaking also involves placing
responsibility on employees in terms of when the process of learning will be conducted and with
whom. In this training method, the content of training is often predetermined. However, learners
are always allowed to study the contents of training in their pace and way. Besides, it is
recommended that when trainers use this method, they should be available to respond to
questions asked by trainees and facilitate the process of learning. In relation to this, employees in
the training were provided with the topics that the training was to cover and were required to
BEST AND WORST TRAINING EXPERIENCES 6
conduct a prior study on them before they could be taught in class. The incorporation of these
four techniques ensured that the trainer delivered knowledge to us in an efficient manner.
I was impressed by the approach that the trainer employed at the end of every training
session. The trainer ensured that evaluations were conducted at the end of each training session
to help in determining whether employees comprehended what they were taught. Monitoring and
evaluation is a vital concept in the assessment of the learners’ or trainees’ knowledge and skills
after undergoing training on a given area. Some of the methods that were used to assess the
knowledge of trainees were brainstorming and experimentations (Latif, 2013). Trainees were
taken to a secluded room and asked questions on various areas of training. Moreover, learners
were required to display a practical demonstration of the knowledge that they gained from the
training. This step was embraced to help in the assessment of cognitive outcomes. Cognitive
outcomes are used in determining the level at which learners are familiar with the techniques,
procedures, principles and information they have been taught (Noe, 2013). Besides, it was used
in the assessment of the skill and behavior-based outcomes. Skill-based outcomes help in
assessing the behaviors that learners have acquired from the training as it takes into consideration
learner’s application of the knowledge gained from training (Noe, 2013). These stages were
followed by assessment of learners’ skills and knowledge on the interviewed area and provision
of feedbacks. The process of feedback delivery was conducted in a friendly manner that created a
relaxed atmosphere between the trainers and trainees. As such, each one of us managed to
strengthen areas of weaknesses on the trained topic.
Factors that Led to the Ineffectiveness of the Training on Distribution of Nets and Sanitary
Pads
BEST AND WORST TRAINING EXPERIENCES 7
The training on how to interact with local community members during the distribution of
sleeping nets and sanitary pads was ineffective in relation to achieving its goal. The principle
objective of this training was to equipping learners with adequate interaction skills, which could
help them in the process of distributing sleeping nets and sanitary pads to local community
members. Accomplishment of the training objectives is vital way of determining the
effectiveness of a training program (Latif, 2013). As such, this training was ineffective since
many learners could not demonstrate the skills that they were taught in classroom in the field.
This training ended up being ineffective due to two factors.
First, the selection of the training site was not done in a proper manner. The training was
conducted inside a tent in park that was located next to a busy highway. As such, this training
site was uncomfortable and did not provide for quietness and privacy, which are essential for a
suitable training site. The location of the training site next to the highway exposed learners to
interruptions from the honking or sounds of the passing vehicles. I remember several instances
when learners were being interrupted by hooting of the vehicles during the learning process.
Besides, the training room was not well ventilated and learners could complain of excessive heat
in some occasions. Second, the training methods that were used in the teaching process were not
effective in equipping learners with the desired skills and knowledge. In this training, the trainer
focused mostly on the presentation methods such as lectures and audio-visual. This approach was
not effective as these methods did not focus on the practical aspect of learning (Latif, 2013). The
interaction process required training that was based on hands-on-methods such as on-the-job
training. Using presentation methods led to a situation in which learners could not apply the
knowledge gained from the classroom in the field. This inefficiency was evident in the fieldwork
in that many employees experienced problems relating to members of the local community. In
BEST AND WORST TRAINING EXPERIENCES 8
some instances, some of the workers received harsh treatment from local community members
who perceived our mission as an insult. This issue was caused by the learners’ inability to
express themselves and the mission of our program correctly. Lastly, there was not evaluation
conducted to ascertain the learners’ understanding of what was taught in the training. Therefore,
the trainer could not manage to identify whether learners had comprehended what they were
taught.
Learning Theory that Guided the Training
Learning happens to be among the significant activities in which people often engage as
it exists at the core of the educational process. Effective training requires that trainers
comprehend the various theories that help in guiding the learning process (Noe, 2013). In the two
trainings, behavioral theories such as operant conditioning and classical conditioning played vital
role in guiding the process of learning. Operant conditioning aids in the illustration of the
information acquisition rate and establishment of behaviors or actions that are conducive for a
classroom environment. On the other side, classical conditioning played a significant role in
explaining why learners react emotionally to various stimuli (Noe, 2013). For instance, in the
training that focused on how to interact with local community members, learners were seen to
react angrily to the condition of the classroom that was hot.
Assessment of the Knowledge, Skills and Competencies of both Trainers
In the two trainings, trainers had different levels of skills, knowledge and competencies.
The trainer that focused on ISO practices had more skills and knowledge than the one that taught
on interaction methods. This trainer selected the training methods were relevant in the delivery
of knowledge on ISO practices to students. Moreover, this trainer accompanied the training
process with evaluations, which help in the revelation of areas in which learners lacked
BEST AND WORST TRAINING EXPERIENCES 9
experience. The trainer had adequate knowledge on the area of study and this helped in the
selection of appropriate training methods. As such, this trainer can be considered competent. On
the contrary, the second trainer did not select the appropriate training methods that could help in
delivering the desired knowledge to employees. In addition, this trainer lacked as system of
monitoring the performance and understanding levels of learners. I, therefore, consider this
trainer incompetent.
The Transfer of the Knowledge Gained from Both Trainings
Application of the knowledge gained from training can be categorized into near or far.
Near transfer refers to the application of the knowledge gained from training in the real work set-
up. Thus, the training on ISO practices involved near transfer of knowledge (Noe, 2013).
Moreover, trainings that focus on near transfer can involve the following of standardized
processes and procedures as was in the case of ISO practices’ training. On the contrary, far
transfer involves the teaching of broad principle and key behaviors as in the case of the training
on interaction methods, which focused on teaching learners how to behave as they interacted
with local community members. My transfer of the knowledge gained from the training on ISO
practices was successful. This success was attributed to the effective methods of training and
evaluations that the trainer employed in the training process. Furthermore, the proper selection of
the training site also facilitated my understanding of the topic under study. In contrast, I did not
manage to transfer the knowledge that I gained from the training on interaction methods in the
field effectively. This failure was lined to poor selection of training site and training methods.
Besides, the ineffectiveness of this training resulted from the lack of assessment.
Recommendations
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Trainers should ensure that they have adequate skills and knowledge on the topic they
want to teach as this can help select appropriate training methods (Noe, 2013). Besides, they
should ensure that the training sites selected offer comfort, privacy, and quietness as this helps in
ensuring that learners are not interrupted during training.
References
Ameeq-ul-Amee, H. (2013). Impact of Training on Employee’s Development and Performance
in Hotel Industry of Lahore, Pakistan. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 4(4), 68-82.
Jayakumar, S; Sam, D; Sulthan, A. (2014). Modelling: Employee Perception on Training and
Development. SCMS Journal of Indian Management, 11(2), 57-70.
Latif, K. (2013). Association of Training Satisfaction with Employee Development Aspect of job
Satisfaction. Journal of Managerial Sciences, 7(1), 59-178.
Noe, R. (2013). Employee Training and Development. New York: McGraw-Hill Education
