The Importance of Training (Edexcel IGCSE Business)

Revision Note

Lisa Eades

Written by: Lisa Eades

Reviewed by: Steve Vorster

Why Training is Important

  • Both new and existing staff need to be trained and developed appropriately

    • Training is the teaching of new skills

    • Development is the improvement of existing skills

  • A well-trained workforce is beneficial to a business for several reasons

The Importance of Well-trained Employees 

Productive Staff

Valued Staff

Loyal & Flexible Staff

  • Employees work enthusiastically at the things they’re good at 

  • E.g. employees trained in managing quality are more likely to think about how to improve product standards

  • Well-trained employees are likely to be satisfied

  • They recognise that their employer is spending money and investing time in their development

  • This is attractive to job applicants

 

  • Labour retention should increase as employees feel they are becoming better at their job and want to keep developing

  • Skilled and confident staff are likely to be capable of taking on new workplace challenges

  • Some training is required to meet legal requirements

    • Food safety regulations require workers to be trained in the safe handling of ingredients

    • Businesses must ensure that some workers have first-aid training

    • Employees working with hazardous chemicals must receive appropriate training

Examiner Tips and Tricks

You may be asked to explain a benefit of training to a business. Remember to make a clear point and develop it thoroughly using the X → Y  → Z structure: X leads to Y and the outcome is Z.

Induction Training

  • Induction training is usually delivered as soon as possible after new workers join a business

  • It introduces employees to the organisation, its culture, policies, procedures and their job roles and responsibilities

    • E.g. Induction training for new employee at Marks & Spencer covers customer service procedures, product knowledge, store policies and safety procedures

 Diagram: Common Elements of Induction Training  

2-5-3-how-businesses-train-and-develop-employees

Induction training usually includes a tour of the premises, meeting key colleagues and instruction on key business policies
  

  • Some aspects of induction training need to be revisited by employees regularly

    • Health and safety training needs to be carried our regularly, especially when new regulations come into effect

    • When business policies change employees need to understand the implications for them in their job role

The Advantages & Disadvantages of Induction Training

Advantages

Disadvantages

  • Helps new employees to understand their job roles and responsibilities

  • Improves employee confidence and motivation

  • Reduces time for new employees to become productive

  • Can be time-consuming and expensive to organise

  • May not cover all aspects of the job role

  • May not be effective in all cases, leading to employee dissatisfaction and higher turnover rates

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Lisa Eades

Author: Lisa Eades

Expertise: Business Content Creator

Lisa has taught A Level, GCSE, BTEC and IBDP Business for over 20 years and is a senior Examiner for Edexcel. Lisa has been a successful Head of Department in Kent and has offered private Business tuition to students across the UK. Lisa loves to create imaginative and accessible resources which engage learners and build their passion for the subject.

Steve Vorster

Author: Steve Vorster

Expertise: Economics & Business Subject Lead

Steve has taught A Level, GCSE, IGCSE Business and Economics - as well as IBDP Economics and Business Management. He is an IBDP Examiner and IGCSE textbook author. His students regularly achieve 90-100% in their final exams. Steve has been the Assistant Head of Sixth Form for a school in Devon, and Head of Economics at the world's largest International school in Singapore. He loves to create resources which speed up student learning and are easily accessible by all.