Understanding Employee Training vs. Development: Can You Help Clarify the Differences?

Hi Friends,

Could someone please explain to me the difference between the training and development of employees? I would also like to know what is covered in training and what is covered in development. Additionally, if anyone can help me with the differences between Employee Benefits and Employee Welfare, I would appreciate it.

Thanks and Regards,
Sameer
sameer3971@yahoo.com

Hi,

In my opinion, training refers to imparting skills to an employee. This translates into better performance. Various trainings given to employees result in their development.

Regards,
Arun

Training can result in development or can be initiated from the need for development.

Training is a means to achieve development. Training is a process, and development is the start/end point. Training is a verb (ongoing activity), while development is the target.

Training is mainly for the executive level, and development is for higher grades or senior levels.

Development includes training. An example might help.

Development of employees for improved customer service skills. Training to facilitate this development could include:
- Phone etiquette
- Email etiquette

Training and development methods could vary such as classroom sessions, on-the-job training, assignments to a senior, reading up on the subject, etc.

Regards,
Kartik

P.S. Hope it helped.

Hi Sameer,

We provide training to help individuals enhance or develop their skills. Training is given to achieve short-term goals, whereas development is aimed at accomplishing long-term future goals.

Regards,
Anita

Hi,

Training is more or less a term used to mention the imparting of specific skills to enhance one's job requirements, e.g., training given to a welder on a new type of welding. Training is skill-specific to an individual person at the lower level of the hierarchy.

However, development is a process concerned with persons who are supposed to take up more responsibility in the management cadre. It takes care of a person's overall progress for the demands of the present position or imparts knowledge on the position he is going to be elevated to so that he can fulfill the requirements of the new role.

Hope this may be acceptable to the participants.

C.D. ANANDAN

Hi,

Training is imparted to all relevant employees in every good organization. Development is a result of training, initiative, motivation, career path, collation of personal and organizational goals.

Regards,

hemesh.shenoy@gmail.com

Dear Sameer,

Training and development are generally considered to be the two continuums of an employee. Here are a few things which differentiate between training and development.

1. Training is imparted to a person where it is needed, whereas development is a continuous process. A person, if helped to learn a particular technology, is undergoing training, whereas if a person is provided with aspects that may not be directly required for their profile but would influence their work, such as managerial skills, it is considered development.

2. Training is generally given to operational-level employees, while development is focused on middle-level and top-level executives.

3. Training needs analysis is conducted to identify the training requirements of a resource, whereas development activities are based on the employee's role.

4. Training focuses on short-term needs, whereas development is highly focused on long-term needs. For example, training is an organized event, while development occurs on a continuous basis (e.g., job rotation).

5. Training specifically aims at making the employee learn about new technologies or advancements in their routine processes, whereas development aims at enhancing the personal qualities of an employee.

I hope this provides you with a better understanding of the differences between training and development. In a nutshell, training is a narrow term, whereas development is a broader term.

Regards,

K. Jayavel

Dear Sameer,

Training is about imparting a particular skill to an employee, whereas development involves imparting knowledge and skills that will broaden their horizon.

Ushma...

Hi,

In simple training, it is mostly given to non-managerial level employees. We can even say that it is target-oriented. On the other hand, development is meant for managers; it is long-term oriented.

Dear Sameer,

Although both words are interrelated and generally used simultaneously by common people, they differ in their meaning and scope to a great extent. Training is a means, whereas development is the end. Training helps in development and is one way to achieve it, among others. Commonly, the term "training" is used for lower-level employees, while "development" is for higher-ups.

Akhilesh Kumar, DVC, DTPS Durgapur.

Understanding Training and Development

Training is a set of activities. Development is the desired outcome of those activities. Training is a systematic process of providing an opportunity to learn KSAs (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities) for current or future jobs. Development refers to the learning of KSAs. Training provides an opportunity for learning. Development is the result of learning.

Regards,

Understanding Training in Employee Development

Training is a pre-activity where the trainer imparts a session to a particular employee by identifying his or her skills and knowledge gap areas. Once the trainee acquires the skill sets, he or she will improve their performance. Better performance leads to the development of their area of skills and knowledge.

Regards,
Manjunath Birajdar

Understanding Development and Training

Development entails overall improvement in an individual, whereas training focuses on grooming or building specific skills for a particular job.

Regards,
Rahul