The Practice and Problems of Human Resource Trajning and Development: A Comparative Assessment of Unity University and St. Mary's University College
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Date
2009-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the practices that have been carried out by
Unity University and St. Mary's University College in training and development of their
academic staff during the pas t five years, and also to investigate those factors that had
been constraining such endeavors. To this effect, the comparative survey research
method was employed. Questionnaire, interview and documentary analysis were used
as instruments of data collection. Data were collected from 95 randomly selected
academic staff (50 from UU and 45 from SMUC). In order to get sufficient data, human
resource managers and Academic Vice Presidents of the two institutions were also
interviewed. Gathered data were analyzed employing both descriptive (frequency
counts and percentage) and inferential (Chi-square test) statistics.
The findings of the study revealed that the two institutions did not have a separate
training and development department .Most of the programs in UU were dominated by
formal education programs and there were less emphasis given to short term trainings
and in the case of SMUC, the practice was vice versa. On the other hand, it was
observed that SMUC has a relatively good practice of conducting academic staff needs
assessment although it 'was mostly done by top level managers alone in the two
institutions. The study also revealed that the training and development activities of UU
were guided by training and development policy where as SMUC did not have the
policy. There were no well developed evaluation schemes in both institutions by which
the achievement of program objectives and outcomes can be evaluated. Besides, the
strategic plan of the two institutions were found to be clearly defined but their training
and development plans were not incorporated in to departments' plan as well as to the
strategic plan of the institution. Nevertheless, the available limited practices of
designing and implementing training and development programs had been hindered by
lack of top management. commitment, adequate budget, absence of training and
development department, current government regulation on the post graduate and PhD
programs and low support from the MoE, turnover after completing formal education
programs, and attitude of the academic staff towards short term training.
In light of these findings, the following recommendations are forwarded. Firstly, needs
assessment practice of the two institutions has to involve all stakeholders and should
be done at organizational, individual and job level. Secondly, SMUC should prepare
training and development policy and both institutions should well communicate the
policy to the academic staff Thirdly, both institutions should design a scheme by which
the out come of the program can be evaluated. Fourthly, both institutions should
incorporate their training and development plans in to each department, faculty, and
more comprehensively to the institutions' strategic plan. Lastly, in order to overcome
problems that constrained their efforts, attention should be given to increase
management commitment and organize their training and development activities in to a
separate department, MoE and HERQA should offer different short term and formal
education (post graduate and PhD) programs to academic staff of the institutions, UU
should giving attention to short term trainings in addition to strengthening the formal
education programs offered to the academic staff, and SMUC should evaluate trainees'
reaction for a program before implementation so that corrective actions can be taken.
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