The problems with classroom training

The issues surrounding training revolve around the rigidness of classroom training delivery and the passive dissemination of information from lecturer to student. As such, student reactions against poorly planned and misguided training programs undermines training effectiveness and return on investment.  

The issue is not training, indeed training should be increased to achieve sustainable productivity transformation. The issue is the quality of training and how learning is embedded in the workplace as training and development are primarily targeted towards workplace outcomes. 

When training is the focus and not learning, the return on investment will not be aligned to strategic goals with the negative connotations of training reinforced. Classroom training tends to fall into the one size fits all the difficulty with classroom training is the ability to apply newly learned knowledge and skills in the workplace. 

To embed training, the skills need to be immediately utilised in the workplace before they are forgotten, learning objectives are not met, managers who are not convinced of the merits of training then have a reason to sabotage its implementation with the resulting resistance to training embedded in the organisation. The follow-up skills practice in the workplace is missed and personal mastery is not achieved.

This isn't to say training is bad, what is required is targeted development that reinforces the learning event that is immediately implemented in the workplace. As such, on-the-job training is the preferred delivery method for majority of the skills after the initial learning event.