Staff training and development at the Takoradi Polytechnic

Abstract

Training and developing staff are key elements in the achievement of organisational goals, and the performance and quality of an organisation depend on the quality of its human resource. The objective of the study was to assess the staff training and development process at the Takoradi Polytechnic. The data for the study was gathered through two media - questionnaires and interview guide. The study employed the quota and simple random sampling techniques. A total of 222 respondents, out of a sample size of 269, provided valuable responses for the study. The study revealed that several factors such as inadequate opportunities for staff development and lack of funds challenged effective staff training and development at the Takoradi Polytechnic. It emerged that the major benefit of the staff development policy was the provision of study leave with pay and the provision of scholarship and sponsorship to staff. First Degree was, generally, identified as the staff’s most preferred training. It was again evident that the most common training programme offered to staff at the Takoradi Polytechnic was seminars. It was recommended that adequate training opportunities and enough funds be provided for all categories of staff to enable them improve upon their current abilities. Innovative ways such as the provision of periodic publications on the policy should also be introduced to sensitise all staff on the staff development policy.