Can Training be used as a Recruitment Tool?

Can Training be used as a Recruitment Tool?

The title of this article/post is a question “Can Training be used as a Recruitment Tool”. We will start by addressing the problem which is that although we are living in a time of good conditions like low unemployment rate, many employers fell so bad. In the last decade employers had a deep and wide pool of new college graduates and recently laid-off, trained workers from which to choose. The workforce was also faithful and had no interest in leaving the security of a paid job to join the unemployed. This article suggests that the cause of this frustration is recruitment and retention problems. 

In an attempt to solve this problem, organizations should start offering nontraditional benefits, which include training and development opportunities. Training is considered the number 1 attraction and retention tool followed by flexible work schedules and competitive salaries. We shouldn’t just believe that more training will improve conditions. The bases of this argument on a study that found that high performing organizations provided each employee with an average of only 30 hours of training, compared to the average of 45 hours of training for each employee in other organizations. So as a conclusion, if more training hours do not guarantee improved performance, then there must be other factors that needs fixing. 

The difference between high performing companies and all other organizations is the degree to which training is integrated into company culture and strategy. Despite less time was given for formal training, the employees were benefiting more. This is due to the environment of continuous learning in which nontraditional training opportunities were offered and encouraged. Another important factor is linking strategy and training. Training is considered an investment for the organization because it is potentially a company’s most critical asset. 

There are more than a tool to help managers and employees think about contribution and development in a new way. The first tool is the human capital value chain. This model consists of the opportunities offered to employees in the work environment enabling them to engage in the overall business strategy. The second tool is the value creation continuum. This model helps employers define employee contribution to the organization, independent of job title or position, and define growth through the development of competencies. As employees progress, they begin to contribute more by growing intellectual capacity and leveraging their work and the work of others. As one moves along the continuum, training and development needs change. In the early stages, the focus is on technical skills and career development; then later the focus would be on leadership and management skills for example. 

Basically it all comes down to the environment for learning opportunities. The challenge is not only how to harvest new information, but how to manage and grow information already resident in the organization.

Last but not least in our competitive work environment only through investment in human capital, clarity of purpose and alignment of activities, and competencies to strategy, will an organization rise to the challenge and succeed.