Effective Training and Development as a Strategic Tool for Competitiveness: A Ghanaian Private University Experience

Abstract

Over the years, researchers in the area of human resource management have focused on more readily evident organizational problems like recruitment, selection, compensation and motivation without much attention on how to nurture the human resource base for competitiveness. The study examined the staff training and development practices of a private tertiary institution in Ghana. Data were collected using questionnaires administered to all respondents, and semi-structured interviews with some key management respondents. Both stratified and purposive sampling techniques were adopted in selecting the respondents. The results of the study reveal that there were challenges with the planning, implementation and evaluation of training and development practices of the institution. Again, planning and content of training programs were not hinged on the core values and strategic needs of the institution and therefore no unique strategies were adopted to ensure that the institution had a competitive advantage.  Despite these challenges, most of the participants who benefitted from training programs organized by the university college acknowledged the positive effect on their performance. Recommendations are made on how training and development programs could be planned and organized to ensure that the institution’s unique strategies enable it to have a competitive edge.

Keywords: Training, Development, Core Values, Competitive advantage, Private University College