Discuss at least three challenges and three opportunities for the implementation and

maintenance of an effective employee-training program.

Employee training is challenging for both the employer and the employees. It is
important to make sure that it is properly executed in order for it to be effective on both
ends. There are several challenges that are faced when it comes to implementing and
managing an effective training program. Training must be an ongoing occurrence and
needs to be throughout the life of someone’s time at the company. It is important to keep
employees engaged and in order to do this training must be a constant in the workplace.
Mentoring is one challenge that has come up time and time again. “When mentors can’t
teach effectively, many of their interactions with a less experienced employee are a waste
of time” [Way16]. When a mentor is not capable of transferring the proper information
to the colleague they are training it becomes useless. It is important that the mentors
have the knowledge of how to teach the other employee on what to do and how to do it
properly. If they are not aware of how to train or “teach”, then it becomes unworkable to
both parties. Another challenge is “breaking the glass ceiling”. “A major training and
development issue facing companies today is how to move woman and minorities into
upper-level management positions-how to break the glass ceiling. The glass ceiling is a
barrier to advancement to the higher levels of the organization” [Noe10]. In order to
implement an effective training program the company must be aware of this glass ceiling.
It is important to have a training program that will help both woman and minorities to
gain the knowledge to succeed in the company and to have the tools to obtain higher-
level positions within the company. Another challenge is increasing product knowledge
amongst employees. “If employees don’t understand how to use training products and
technology, or if they aren’t familiar with them, the learning won’t stick” [Lio15]. When
employees are overwhelmed with the training process, or don’t understand it, then the
learning that is being taught will not stick with them. This will be not only a waste of
time for the employees, but a waste of time and money for the organization. It is
important that each employee understands the technology and the training products that
are being used by the organization.

There are opportunities that training programs have along with the challenges. Most
training falls certain categories. Management development, basic skills, and technical
training are three categories that can fall under a training program. These are three
opportunities that an employee-training program can have. Management development is
very important to an organization. By having a training program on this particular
subject will help the companies managers learn and develop to what the company needs
them to do. It will give them the tools needed to be successful at their jobs and therefore
help the company. Basic skills are also an opportunity that an employee-training program
will help with. Every employee needs basic skills. This skill can be obtained through a
training program. The same goes for technical training. Employees will need the
knowhow to operate the technology that they organization uses. The training program
will help with the teaching of these skills and will better the company while doing. The
company is as strong as its employees.
References
Cascio, W. F. (2016). Managing Human Resources. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill
Education.
Marketing, L. (2015, June 5). Top 5 Training and Development Challenges. Retrieved
June 26, 2016, from Lionbridge : www.content.lionbridge.com
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee Training and Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Irvin.