The Impact of Training and Development on Employee Productivity in the 21st Century

Employees are vital organizational asset that must be proactively or reactively empowered through training and development to bridge the knowledge and skills gap created by the current dynamic working environment. Training and development is a veritable tool used in providing employees with the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively and efficiently undertake job task. This paper aimed at assessing the impact of training and development on employees’ productivity, the identification of the relationship therein and to suggest how business organizations can enhance the productivity of its workforce to meet challenges of the 21^st century. The conceptual literature review approach was adopted in this project which involves critically reviewing articles, periodicals, books published in English language between the years 2000 to 2020 with the view of synthesizing information on ‘training and development on employees’ productivity’ based on the analysis from existing studies. The study reveals that employees who are trained are likely to be more skilful, competent, and more proficient in performing their jobs than the employees’ that are not trained. Training and development programs are aimed at upgrading both employee and organizational productivity. It is a process of continuous learning which provides conducive environment for employees to gain various knowledge, skills (personal, technical and professional) and keeping them on the right track towards the achievement of organizational mission, vision and goal. It was concluded that training and development has a positive impact on employee productivity and organizations should lay emphasis and embark on effective training and development of its employees to increase their productivity and gain competitive edge over competitors. Implication for future research may include moderating variables such as age, team work, life style and level of education.