MAXIMIZING TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS WITH PUBLIC EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ADULT LEARNERS [Special emphasis on public sector training

in Sri Lanka] Introduction

Adults are self motivated to learn and are capable of lifelong learning. Globalization and the rapid change in technology require human beings to learn throughout their lives for survival. Therefore, lifelong learning is inevitable for all and can be considered as a basic human activity in the complex knowledge society. The adult population has now increased in proportion of the total population due to increased longevity and declining birthrates. Adults play many roles in the society such as spouse, parent, and employee in addition to that of learner. Adults should engage in jobs to fulfill their needs. Although adults have certain knowledge, skills and experiences to carry out their jobs, they should be given training after assessing their training needs from time to time or whenever necessary to improve their competencies. A large number of public sector training organizations provide different kinds of training for public employees who are adult learners. Training provided by these organizations may be either short term or long term and sometimes, may be either workshops or seminars arranged for one or more than one day. In most occasions, employees are selected for training to be obtained from the local as well as foreign training organizations without carrying out proper training need analysis. Therefore, the final results may be zero and no benefits to the organization except wasting public fund. Public employees are adult learners who need learning to be relevant to their lives and relate learning of the topic to their life experiences. They also need to be actively involved in the learning throughout their lives for survival. Therefore, strategies and techniques have to be developed to work with the public employees who are adult learners, to achieve the desired objectives.

Objectives
The objective of this paper is to formulate strategies and techniques to maximize public sector training effectiveness with public employees who are adult learners.

Theme
The theme of this paper focuses on maximizing public sector training effectiveness by formulating strategies and techniques. Public employees are adults with certain level of knowledge, skills and attitudes to perform their tasks. They need further training to improve their competency in their work place environment. They are self motivated to learn continuously because of fulfillment of their different kinds of needs. Therefore, lifelong learning is inevitable and should be induced further by providing training. Basically, all training programmes should be designed for them to induce continuous and lifelong learning for individual and organizational development.

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In Sri Lanka, there is large number of employees working in the public sector. Most of them are attached to the national / provincial ministries and departments. Nowadays, public sector training institutes have been established in the provincial as well as national levels to train those public employees. Several training programmes are organized for new recruits as well as current employees to enhance their competencies every year. Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) is the premier public sector training organization for the development of knowledge and improvement of managerial skills in public administration. A colossal sum of public fund is allocated by the Government for training and development every year. As the line ministries and departments have not followed rational criteria to select employees for training, it would be impossible to reap the benefits from the training programmes. Therefore, it is necessary for the public sector organizations to set strategies and techniques to maximize training effectiveness. Some major strategies and techniques have been identified to manage the training effectiveness with public employees who are adult learners. These strategies and techniques have been set out based on the facts / data obtained from the senior administrators in the public service by accepting the basic principles of adult learning.

Literature Survey
Training is a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge, skill or behavior through learning experience to achieve effective performance in an activity or range of activities. Its purpose, in the work situation, is to develop the abilities of the individual and to satisfy the current and future manpower needs of the organization. British Manpower Services Commission: 1981. Training comprises the following three major components: 1. Planning 2. Designing and 3. Evaluation 1. Planning Planning is the first and foremost function of establishing the sequence and relationships of a series of operations prior to commencing work. This includes the following activities: Setting strategic directions Assessing training needs Developing training strategies Preparing training policies and procedures Identifying resources Preparing budget Preparing training calendar Page 2

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2. Designing Designing is the second major component of training which includes the following activities: Identifying training opportunities for active participant learning Setting training priorities Preparing objectives for each programme Preparing checklists Pretesting and review Implementing the training programme Communicating training information to all employees

3. Evaluation Hamblin (1994) defines Evaluation as any attempt to obtain information (feedback) on the effects of a training programme, and to assess the value of the training in the light of that information. Evaluation of training answers the following three questions; 1. Did the conducted training programme yield results? 2. Can the investment on training be justified in terms of the outcome of the training? 3. How can the future program be improved? Public employees are adult learners. They learn best when they are in a supportive environment. In order to maximize training effectiveness, training SWOT analysis should be carried out to set the strategic direction of a training programme. Setting strategic direction means the assessment of current competency of human resources and comparing it with the desired competency levels based on the strategic business plan of the organization to identify gaps in competency. A training SWOT analysis will show what specific skills and competencies needs to be developed for employees in line with the business strategy of the organization. This will facilitate in efficient and effective goal attainment of the organization and yield higher return on training investment for the organization.

Issues identified
In the public service, all Heads of Departments and trainers are expected to be able to carry out training SWOT analysis and training need assessment to prepare strategies and techniques for maximizing training effectiveness with public employees. But, in reality they fail to do so. Therefore, there are no remarkable improvements in most of the trained public employees knowledge, skills and attitudes. This would result in wasting time and public fund allocated for employees training and development.

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Some of the important strategies and techniques are recommended to maximize the public sector training effectiveness.

Recommended Strategies and Techniques

In order to address the issue identified, the following strategies and techniques can be used by the public sector trainers to maximize training effectiveness with public employees who are the adult learners. Strategy1. Emphasize personal benefits of training Public employees are adult learners who need learning to be relevant to their lives and relate learning of the topic to their life experiences. They need to be actively involved in the learning throughout their lives for survival and are ready to learn when they assume new role. Techniques: Ask the participants to identify personal benefits derived from training Ask them to develop their own personal goals for the training Encourage them to write down specific actions they will carry out after training Strategy2. Create a supportive environment Adults are willing to move from dependency to self directedness. Democratic environment should be created for adult learners to develop their competencies in the training / learning processes. Techniques: Always be courteous and patient Free the learners from bonds Encourage co-operative activities among learners Encourage them to support each other in learning activities Develop team sprit among them Listen to each persons questions and answer them clearly Ensure that the physical space is as comfortable as possible.

Strategy3. Use participatory training approaches Participatory training approaches are far ahead of formal training approaches in making behavioural changes in adults. Participatory training is not only trainee-friendly but also flexible, result oriented and include trainee perspectives. It includes needs based approach, trainee oriented approach, problem oriented approach and job oriented approach.
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Techniques: Design student-centered training curriculum Limit formal lecture method Encourage participation of learners to solve problems Allow them to share experiences Focus on their skills, capacities, talents, and abilities. Use question techniques

Strategy4. Use a variety of teaching methods By nature, and from the standpoint of adult learners, lecture is a boring teaching method. To engage all learners, it is best to vary the methods in which information is communicated. Techniques: Group discussion Role- play Case study Debate Stage Performance Method Symposium Field trip Multi-Media Package Movie Brainstorming

Strategy5. Set the mindset of the trainees Setting the mindset of trainees for the session is more important than setting the physical environment for the session (Agochiya, 2002). Techniques: Realize the attitude and behavior of learners Not to disturb their line of thinking and attitude Let them realize what they know and what they dont know Provide necessary facilities for learning

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Strategy6. Meet trainees individual learning needs Effective trainers never forget they have a group of individual learners with varying abilities, experiences, and motivation. Techniques: Understand the complexity of the adults life Not to make the training programme an additional burden to adult trainees Consider each trainee's capabilities and interests Encourage individual creativity and initiative Pay attention to individual communication

Strategy7. Provide structured learning opportunities Since the adult learners are having numerous problems (personal, family and official), it is very difficult to change their behavior by training in their work environment. Therefore, structured learning opportunities should be ensured by getting them away from their usual setting. Techniques: Off the job training Residential workshops Practical sessions in different workplaces Field trips

Strategy8. Provide immediate feedback on practice Training is a two way communication process. Providing timely corrective feedback leads to successful learning and mastery of content and skills Techniques: Self feedback Peer feedback Trainer feedback

Strategy9. Encourage, Appreciate and commend learners Encouragements, appreciations and commendations are the low-cost training tactics that yield best results.
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Techniques: Use enthusiastic words among learners in training sessions Abstain from expressing meaningless words in training sessions Appreciate their positive activities Encourage participatory learning Commend their achievements / results

Conclusion
Most of the public employees are adults. They have special characteristics in nature. They are self motivated to learn for their survival and have different objectives. They have to be given training to improve their knowledge, skills and attitudes towards the achievement of personal as well as organizational goals. In the context of public service, performance of the public employees should be developed by training. Planning, designing and evaluation are the three major components of training. Each component includes many important activities which are listed in the literature survey clearly. Public sector training programmes would be successful if those activities must be carried out tactfully with a scheduled time frame. The strategies and techniques set out here should be followed by the public sector training institutes while on training activities to maximize training effectiveness with public employees who are the adult learners. References: 1. Human Resources Development (Theory & Practice) Tapomoy Deb. 2. Participatory Training for Development I.Ranasinghe Perera.

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