The Importance of Training in Today's Human Resource World

Training “is a learning process that involves that acquisition of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform a job.”(9thHRM) Training has a long history from past, present and future. Training is a very important aspect in today’s human resource world. In my current position I train new hire employees, as well as go through many training courses. I really enjoy training and am excited to explain the concepts of training from the beginning from what it could be in the future.

Training began in early times as simple as adults showing the children how to do things. Learning things such as building a fire, hunting and cooking are just a few of the many things children were trained how to do from the adults. “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”(Aristotle) As far back at 300 BC Socrates “engaged his learners by asking questions”. (GP) Training in 2000 BC came into apprenticeships with scribes in Egypt. An “apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill.” (WK) In the middle age training became more complicated with knowledge and skill becoming more complex. In the complexity of the time children were sent to artisans who taught them a special skill and tool for a certain trade. Scholasticism was began by Pierre Abelard is said to be “one of the forerunners of learner-based instruction in which the learners use different methods to judge and come to a real meaning of the evidence.”(S) Then in the 1800s came vestibule training which in other words in near the job training. Vestibule training is a combination of classroom training and on the job training. Vestibule training I find very fascinating for it is a laid out example of how your job situation will be. Vestibule training then does not interfere with current production at the factory. In 1910 became the start of role playing. In the company I currently work for our training department strongly believes in role playing. Role playing is “a technique used in the learning process to provide participation and involvement in the learning process.”(RP) Role playing is a great way to learn “diagnose interactive skills, to provide models and practice, and to motivate individuals to pay more attention to their interpersonal impact.