Development Needs and Education - Essay Example

Development Needs Analysis Introduction Education is a relatively significant part of one’s professional life and it is important to ensure the education is able to meet the professional needs which an individual might have. Despite having a focus on getting the best grades, the professional aspect is not affected by the grades that an individual gets. It becomes relatively important to match the skill gained in class with the practical elements that are professionally practices. Needs assessment is critical in ensuring that one is capable of achieving a career development objective on the professional aspect of his/her life. Within the educational part of the career there are discrepancies that exist in the presentation of the theoretical training from what one experiences on the job. This difference can be narrowed through changing the delivery of the educational training which is provided to people in seeking to improve their performance while on the job. Background Within the professional life, I intend to practice the things which I have learnt during my educational training while also enhancing my knowledge in my professional field. Through the practice of the things learnt, I hope to be able to achieve my career objectives and be able to improve my performance through enhancing my skills. While learning enhances the knowledge practice improves the individual skill which one has and be able to perform the allocated functions effectively. Improvement of the skill and knowledge is critical in the development of my employability skills and the improvement of performance. There is need to integrate the materials learnt in theory with the practical career aspects in seeking to ensure the comprehensiveness of the development of the career of an individual. Matching the educational theories with the professional requirements is critical in improvement of the job performance. Strategy The skills utilised in preforming many of the activities assigned on the job require an individual to have educational knowledge before applying the knowledge in a practical situation. The skills can be delivered through different approaches which will be able to enhance the acquisition aspect. This will be able to ensure the individuals gains sufficient knowledge in the various element which are critical (Esteves & Vanclay, 2009). Since the job involves and requires different levels of skills improvement and a continuous learning environment becomes critical in ensure the learner continues to have the best possible information and which matches the required professional skills. Skill enhancement is essential in improvement, not only of the service delivery but also understand the environment within which the work is conducted. While an individual is still undergoing educational training, a certain level of practical skills must be instilled to prepare the person for the professional part of his career. People must be able to assess the environments to ensure it matches with their capabilities. this prepares the students for the future times when they will be doing the actual jobs which they have been trained to undertake during their educational career (Gupta, 2011). Through the educational programme different skills will be gained which can be essential in undertaking future employment and career development. The skills gained become essential in the enhancement of the decision making process through development of cognitive skills of the people, who are actively involved in the process of performing the various identified activities. Skills are the basic requirements that determine the employability of individuals and they must be developed as a measure for improving the performance of employees within organisations. Training Training is one of the fundamental requirements on the job that can improve the skills of an individuals and enhance the service delivery capability. Through training, one can be able to advance the knowledge and skill in order to improve performance. The academic programmes which are undertaken commonly seek to ensure the individual have the necessary knowledge to undertake various activities which they might encounter during their employment years. The levels of training undertaken are currently low and this is one of the aspects which improvement can be undertaken (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). Training can focus on different functions of the improvement of delivery of services. The educational training becomes a simulation of the actual working environment and enables the individuals to be accustomed to some of the common practices which occur within the professional working environment before even beginning the professional career. Various aspects of the program can be improved through training and this would ensure that the participants become familiarised within the working environment, consequently improving their performance within that setting. Different training approaches can be utilised to ensure the people have the essential skills and are capable to utilise the desired technological methods in delivering the outcomes which are expected from their employment. The technological knowledge can be gained from the educational programme and be able to be applied during the practical career period to improve the performance. The skills that an individual has should be able to meet the basic minimum requirements for the job being performed. The individuals will be able to meet the expected performance requirements if they have the essential skills which are gained through training. The forms of training availed to the people can either be focused on the skills or knowledge possessed by the individuals targeted by the training process. The various levels of competences must be defined and achieved through training in order to meet certain minimum basic requirements for operations. These skills which could be learnt through training include the decision making, analytical skills and many others which are critical for the performance of employees within a working environment. Techniques The techniques used in undertaking the job functions require improvement through maximisation of the shortcomings identified when the learners are evaluated on the theoretical parts. The aspect of communication for example is a critical element which enhances an individual’s capability to perform various responsibilities assigned at different times. Within the academic and professional contexts communication channels must be clearly defined and be able to facilitate quick communication process through elimination of barriers to communication (Burke & Hutchins, 2007). This will ensure that the people are aware of the activities which are occurring within the working environment and respond positively to the same. Enhancement of the communication skills can be undertaken through various discussions conducted through focus groups within the organisation. These groups would enable the involved people to share their experiences and knowledge which they have and which can aid in improving the knowledge among peers. Such consultations improve the specific knowledge which people have. This element of sharing improves the knowledge of people while enhancing the development of an organisational culture which people can be able to follow. Following the group discussions, the various observable elements within the society can be addressed since they become understood well through the discussions. These will enhance the skills of the individuals who are involved in the various activities and the discussions conducted within the academic environment. Effective communication skills learnt in academic situations become critical to the improvement of communication during the professional period of one’s career. Tasks The tasks that people undertake must be communicated during the education training programme in order to ensure the persons undertaking the activity are equipped with the necessary skills to enhance the capacity for performing the job requirements. An assessment of the tasks involved is critical to ensuring the people become familiar with these tasks. The evaluation of the activities that are involved ensure people are capable of undertaking their task with a significant level of expertise and improve their performance (Thornton III & Rupp, 2005). This would be undertaken through conducting interviews with the interested persons in order to ensure that their tasks are analysed as well as their skills. These discussions will be able to present the involved individuals with an understanding of the tasks that they conduct. The tasks which I undertake within my professional responsibility require both practical skills and theoretical knowledge. A combination of these elements becomes critical to the development of the individuals skills and enhancement of performance within the working environment (Ford, 2014). Knowledge and skills must be integrated together to ensure the individuals have the capacity to perform the job well. The knowledge enable one to improve the decision making capability and also be able to better understand the activities involved. Conclusion The self-evaluation of an individual is a critical process in the implementation of a career development plan for the professional attributes of individuals. These development needs are undertaken on the various aspects like skills and techniques which are essential in development. The skills of a person must be enhanced at an early stage in seeking to improve performance during the professional career. Various other elements which are involved in measurement of performance also become essential requirements which must be met in seeking to ensure the needs of the individuals are met and development achieved. Many of the elements and activities undertaken have challenges which when overcome, an improvement in performance will be achieved. Focusing the development requirements upon these necessary attributes of performance remains significant to the overall development goals being achieved within an organisation. The development goals, however must be established first before strategies can be developed for enhancing the development within the areas, which target the outcomes stipulated within the goals. References Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 451–474. Burke, L. A., & Hutchins, H. M. (2007). Training transfer: An integrative literature review. Human Resource Development Review, 6 (3), 263–296. Esteves, A. M., & Vanclay, F. (2009). Social Development Needs Analysis as a tool for SIA to guide corporate-community investment: Applications in the minerals industry. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 29(2), 137–145. Ford, J. K. (2014). Improving training effectiveness in work organizations. New York: Psychology Press. Gupta, K. (2011). A practical guide to needs assessment. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Thornton III, G. C., & Rupp, D. E. (2005). Assessment centers in human resource management: Strategies for prediction, diagnosis, and development. Chicago: Psychology Press.  Read More