Strategic Planning Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Where Does Training and Staff Development Fit With Human Resources Planning?

When companies have well thought out and useful human resource plans, it allows them to move training and staff development from a hit or miss process to one that is also strategic, organized, and designed to contribute to the company's bottom line.

Much that passes for training in corporations yields no value at all to the company because training and staff development dangle unconnected to business needs, present and future. Employees go to training because the seminar "sounds good", or "might be useful", and while it's sound to develop and train employees as an ends in itself, it also makes sense to choose the kinds of training that will result in employees being better contributors now, and also better contributors in the future.

A sound human resources plan will anticipate the skills that will be needed in the future, identify gaps in skills that are present, and will be needed, and then plan for the development of staff in advance, so that the skills will be available when required.

When training and staff development are linked to identified present and future needs via HR planning, it also allows for the use of multiple kinds of developmental activities, and not just reliance on training for skill development. This is because when skill needs are anticipated earlier enough, longer term learning and development activities can be used. For example, job sharing and rotation will fit when there is enough time.