Difference Between Training and Development
Training, in simpler words, is helping employees learn new skills to excel in their current roles. Development, on the other hand, is a complete advancement of an employee to fulfil future needs.
One of the crucial aspects of staffing is providing employees with training and development opportunities.
Even though we often use the terms training and development together, they are entirely two different concepts.
Let’s dive in to get a clear picture of them!
Here, we will discover:
What is Training?
Training in HRM is the process of teaching new skills to employees. It certainly helps them to perform their roles and responsibilities more efficiently.
Needless to say, the whole process of training is normally quick.
While training helps employees hone their skills, it also aids employers and HR managers in building a stronger and more engaged workforce that stays with the company longer.
What is Development?
Development is entirely different from training. It is the process that companies use to empower their employees to become and transform into their best selves. The process includes examining the current skills, abilities and attitudes of the employees and aligning them with their future goals.
Importance of Training and Development
Companies’ most precious asset is their employees, and investing in top talent leads to long-term success.
Businesses spend a lot to hire skilled workers, but not all of them show they actually care. After employees join, both training and development become crucial like never before.
Here are the top reasons why you too should prioritize training and development in your organization:
- They help to bring out the best in employees
- They support an organization’s succession planning as they help people learn how to handle teams and lead them
- They keep employees engaged and driven.
- They make employees feel like they fit at work
- They improve retention rates along the way
Examples of Training
Now, it is time to look more closely at how this process might work:
Company & Product Training:
The sales team must have a clear picture of the product/service your business offers. They should know the product’s benefits, features, price, and how it stacks up against other options on the market.
Some of the most important things that training should cover in sales classes are basic sales methods like prospecting, lead generation, effective communication, handling objections, and closing deals. Now, it is also a good idea to share winning techniques or the best ways to do things with other teammates.
Examples of Development
To help an employee learn new things, s/he can be paired with an experienced person for mentoring. This way, s/he can learn from someone who has done it and receive effective approaches.
When planning a career path, companies should discuss potential future employment prospects with employees. For instance, let them know the development programme will lead them to the position of sales manager, account executive, or team leader positions.
The employee receives regular feedback and performance reviews to identify areas for development and define growth goals.
Encouraging him or her to attend industry events, training, and networking opportunities can help the employee create relationships, stay ahead of the curve, and expand their professional network.
Difference Between Training and Development
Training primarily consists of a short-term employee skill enhancement process focused on achieving specific objectives related to a particular position or job requirement. Development is a long-term process characterized by future objectives.
Training is typically done to help individuals improve their skills in the role they are working in, while development helps in enhancing overall skills.
Companies conduct employee training to address certain urgent needs that come out of the blue. Development, on the contrary, is implemented to build employees for future roles and positions.
Last but not least, training has a collective nature as it lets many people participate in a systematic approach. Some common examples of training are workshops and seminars. Unlike development, training is designed to help a single person to upskill.
FAQs
What is the main difference between training and development?
Training is a smart approach that helps employees to improve their skills and put their best foot forward. On the contrary, development is a complete upskilling of an employee to prepare him or her for the future role.
What is the timeframe distinction between training, which is often short-term, and development, which is more long-term?
Training is a short process that helps employees to develop skills in a bare minimum of time. However, development is a time-consuming process that includes the growth of an employee as a whole. This is certainly because development is not restricted to a specific role or department.