Abstract:
Training is often delivered before training needs analyses were completed for
affected employees. The overall purpose of the study was to identify gaps in
the perceived training needs between managers and employees. The first
gap found that managers differ in how they perceived employees’ training
needs. The second gap was found amongst employees about their own
training needs. The managers responded through an electronic questionnaire
and a conference, while employees completed their questionnaires at their
business premises. The unique approach to this study lies in the fact that the
employees were involved in the research while it is more common only to
allow managers to complete questionnaires.
Globally there is a shortage of supply chain management skills. Following the
2008 global recession, well-trained staff could allow businesses to recover
economically. However the literature revealed that a lack of existing
qualifications rendered employees vulnerable to lay-offs. For decades,
governments, businesses and tertiary institutions have been mismatched in
meeting their existing/future skills requirements. The research outcomes
could help to prevent wasting resources required to train employees.
The goal was accomplished by testing nine hypotheses against empirical
evidence gathered in supply chain industries. The findings confirmed that
managers and employees do not always share the same perceptions.
Hypotheses testing on the following variables: the types of training, the format
of training, motivating/demotivating variables for attending training, revealed
differences. Other variables include respondents’ existing educational
qualifications, their gender, age and career tenure. The respondents were
questioned about signing contracts before being sent on training programs.
This thesis reported and analysed the findings of three questionnaires. The
study was in-field for four months in 2011. By using supply chain professional
associations to target respondents the study yielded a more credible reflection
of industry phenomena.
The research contribution lies in the fact that it is a multi-disciplinary study
trying to identify whether gaps exist in perceived training needs amongst
respondents and why. It integrates theory from the disciplines of human
resources, training and businesses management in structured supply chain
networks. Future training programs can thus be tailored towards meeting
actual employee training needs to align organisational with personal
objectives. This study can help alleviate the skills shortage by emphasizing
training needs analyses before the commencement of training programs.
