ABSTRACT

This research examined the impact of staff training programme on employyees’ performance with special reference to Longman Nigeria Ltd. The research adopted survey research design. Data were gathered through primary source with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. Simple random sampling technique was adopted in the selection of sample, this was used to eliminate biasness in the selection process of the respondents.

Data garnered were presented on table using percentage and the formulated hypotheses were analysed with the used of Chi-square statistical method. The result of the analysis shows that workers’ productivity after training is improved depending on the appropriate content of training administered. The analysis also proof that huge sum of money invested in the training and development of manpower justifies the training

Based on the conclusion of the analysis recommendations were proffered to the staff and management of Longman Nigeria Ltd.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0INTRODUCTION

Every organization whether private or public exists with the aims and objectives of ensuring a survival.  In order for an organization to achieve their set of goals and objectives, there is need for trained employees to carry out the activities that should   be done in achieving the desired goals and objectives over changing business environment; organizations find it necessary to change with time or adapting order to survive.    It becomes therefore necessary as Nwokoye (1984) puts it that workers have to be fully equipped to meet the demand of the period.  The process of training and development is a continuous one.  Money spent on training and development of employees is money well invested.  It is an investment in human development.  Employees who have not received adequate training before being assigned to responsibilities lacks.  The necessary confidence and kill with which to carry out the joy.  An employee should be helped to grow into more responsibility systematic training and development. It is only then that he will feel confident to carry out the responsibility of his job.  If employee knows what is expected of him on the job and believes he can do it, his enthusiasm on the job will increase.

The relevance of employee training and development cannot be regarded as a recent innovation. In the early traditional setting, children and wards of the ensuring status quo in Europe and America were sent out to learn one form of trade or the other in order to better the lots of their parents and guardians. It is pertinent to note that during that period many of these young children spent an average of five to ten years acquiring new skills. The most popular trade then was painting and sculpturing.

As the rolled by, painting gave to agrarian technology. People start to learn the trade of designing and constructing, farming and hunting implementing.

This process continued for many until it crepitated industrial revolution in Europe.

It is important to highlight that training and development is needed by every organization as a continuous process.

Training in organization can be used for one or more of the following purpose:

(a)         Improvement of performance –one reason why an employee may have low performance on the may be lack of necessary skill or knowledge. It such a case, training will enable the employee to acquire the necessary skill and this will enable him to improve on his performance.

(b)        Motivation-when an employee is trained he has greater motivation to display the knowledge and skill he had acquire during training.

(c)         Management succession-a well planned and administered training policy and programmed for all sections of an organization has well trained staff to take over from senior staff. The taking over is  because some members of the senior staff do retire, resign, old/or even die during their courses of active services.

(d)        Organization Development-as the activities of an establishment expands it becomes necessary that the organization grows in order to cover the expanding range of activities as an organization grows, need arises for certain specific skills and expertise.

An organization that always embarked on training programme for employees will be able to gradually cope with the future needs of its establishment.

1.1BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY OF LONGMAN NIGERIA PLC

The company Longman Nigeria Plc. The gbipokl,m –t79iykh.    pioneer and largest publishing company in Nigeria. The company started as a private limited liability in London in 1894 and was incorporated as a private limited liability company in Nigeria in 1961 and commenced business in the same year. It become a public company on 28th may 1991. Longman is a publishing company with its head office at Ikeja Lagos. It corporate office at Abuja and has various branches in Ibadan, Akure, Agbor,  Jos, Ilorin, Enugu and Zaria.at the initial stage the company started with about a hundred staffs (100) and now it could boast of about three hundred and fifty staffs strength (350) Longman Nigeria plc had  its share listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange on 23rd july 1996; its main business is the publication of books, especially textbooks for the entire range of the educational system in Nigeria, as well as general reference and leisure reading materials.

The production of consumable educational materials, essentially for use in education institution, is an area of growing interest and endeavour for the company.

1.2STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Longman Nigeria plc like any other company encounters series of problems and its can be reflected in the study as follows:-

(a)      Lack of finance for manpower training and development.

(b)      Lack of adequate training materials for workers during training.

(c)       Time constraint on the part of the employees to release staff for intensive training.

1.3OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

This study is aimed at analyzing the impact of staff training programme on employee’s performance, making Nigeria Limited as our reference, certain efforts that are also made by the publishing house, via introduction, training, workshop, seminar e.t.c to ensure that employees are properly develop and trained towards their field of specialization and the effects of these programmes on the job performance will be critically analyzed.

Also employees will be able to realize that to build an efficient labour force share should be proper selection, recruitment and effective training of employees and if there is any trace of law/non-performance or incompetence of such kind. Other objectives of this research work are:

·        To examine the impact of staff training development on organizations performance.

·        To identify the problem of staff development

·        To provide necessary solution to all problem identified.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To be able to clearly evaluate effects of training and development in Longman Nigeria Plc, following questions are imperative.

(1.)          To what extent do workers really need to be trained to increase their performance and productivity

(2.)          To what extent have workers been promoted and motivated?

(3.)          Do facilities provided through the training help the workers acquire more knowledge, skills and attitude formation to be able to handle higher responsibilities?

(4.)          Do inadequate provision of equipment, incentives and lack of clear objectives contribute to workers turn over?

(5.)          To what extent has training increased speed in attending of customers waiting time?

1.5RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

During the course of the study many divergent views were raised investigated though the use of hypothesis’s formulations which are listed as below:

HYPOTHESIS ONE

Ho:  workers performance after training does not necessarily improve during on the appropriate contents of training administered.

H1:   workers productivity after training is improved depending on the appropriate content of training administered.

HYPOTHESIS TWO

Ho:  Huge sum of money invested in the training and development of manpower does not justify the training

H1:   Huge sum of money invested in the training and development of manpower justifies the training

1.6METHODOLOGY

The term methodology describes the specification of procedure for collecting and analysis data necessary to help solve the problem at hand.

Such that the difference between the costs of obtaining various levels of accuracy is minimized. The methods employed in carrying out the study, population, it includes location of the study, population size, sample and procedure method data collection and problems encountered during the conduct of the study.

1.7   SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The staff development program by nature has a wide scope but the research is basically to study. Longman Nigeria Lagos on the influence of staff development on the performance of employees in an organization.  The study is limited to Longman Nigeria Plc. Lagos with particular reference to the company’s staff training centres, Ring Road Ibadan Oyo State.  A branch manager’s office and personnel department Lagos State.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The limitation faced by the research includes insufficient time and fund to carry out an executive research work, level of understanding of respondent and the in co-operative attitude of employee contacted.

1.8SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study is to see training and development as a tool for enhancing employee performance with a particular reference to Longman Nigeria plc.

The case study will also enable us to identify the possible ways for improving workers performance through training and development the significance of training is to increase the capacity of the workers, prepared him for promotion, increase his morale, skill, and knowledge and reduce waiting time of customers, inefficiency and negligence of duty.

1.9DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS

1.          Training: can be defined as the process of developing knowledge skill and attitude through instruction, demonstration, practice and planned experiences to meet the present and future needs of all businesses.

2.          Development: this is a systematic process of education, training and growth by which a person acquires and applies information, knowledge, sills, attitudes and perceptions.

3.          Job rotation: the purpose of this is to broaden the knowledge of managers and potential managers.

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