Managing staff training and development

Staff training and development, when well managed, can be a worthwhile investment, which will pay for itself in terms of improved staff skills and effectiveness leading to increased revenues. The purpose of this article is to draw a clear distinction between the two concepts of ‘training’ and ‘development’ in order to show how training forms a part of development and how it can fit into the practice’s overall development policy. The key components of a staff development policy will then be outlined along with ways in which a practice can build a ‘development culture’. Finally, the identification and prioritizing of training needs, meeting training needs and evaluating the results will be addressed.

At a fundamental level, the provision of staff training and development has two objectives: staff need to be able to deliver the results managers want; and they must be willing to do so. Appropriate training and development ensure that the skills are there to achieve the first objective, while staff motivation contributes to the achievement of the second (Forsyth, 2001).