Importance of Training and Development for Omani Employees and Sultan Qaboos University - Case Study Example

The paper "Importance of Training and Development for Omani Employees and Sultan Qaboos University " is a great example of a management case study. Sultan Qaboos University was realized after a promise made by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said. This promise was made in 1980 when Omani’s National Day was celebrated. The construction of the institution began in 1982, and it became of service in 1986 when the first students enrolled. The University is made up of colleges namely: nursing, science, law, education, engineering, commerce and economics, arts and social sciences, medicine and health sciences and agricultural and marine sciences. The colleges were established within a period of twenty-one years from the time it commenced. The organisation has gotten more 3500 employees in the technical, academic, medical and administrative positions.

The aim of this report is to analyze the importance of training and development for Omani employees and the University. Certain problems emanated from the fact that the University employed untrained employees. The Omani employees were not familiar with the English language, time management, computer skills, interpersonal skills and administrative skills. The data collection methods used include online interviews, surveys and questionnaires. The recommendations made will enable the school administration to obtain highly skilled employees, increase productivity and improve work performance. The employees will gain confidence in themselves.

The type of training provided for Omani employees is skill training. Skill training is training that is designed to improve the basic knowledge and skills necessary for the achievement of targets and goals. The aim is to increase the abilities that enhance the efficiency of a job.

The data collection process was performed through the use of online interviews, surveys and observation. As for online interviews, the questions were posted online to a selected group of managers and staff through Skype. Skype is the most appropriate network because most individuals use the social network in their daily lives. The total numbers of interviews were fifty where twenty managers and thirty employees were involved in the process. The process was carried out for a period of four months from January 2011 to April 2011 during which the institution is open. For the survey, a total number of sixty managers and employees were put up for a survey where their behavior, attitudes and opinions were obtained for analysis. The process was carried out for a period of four months from January 2011 to April 2011.

Problem statement:

Sultan Qaboos University training and development process has become a controversial issue that requires attention. The Omani staff performance is low there is high-staff turnover and the costs incurred in conducting training and development programs are outstanding. This has become a thorn in the flesh for the human resources department and according to Mr. Saif Bin ObaidAlkaabi, the director of Human resources at Sultan Qaboos University, the issue is extremely serious. The need for more experienced and qualified expatriates is becoming unnecessarily higher. The performance of the Omani employees is subject to complain by the line managers.

The number of expatriates is increasing even with the administrative and technical positions. The Omani employees are not able to compete with the experienced and skilled expatriates. The organisation is considered to be overstaffed by full-time Omani employees who in turn create an issue for the University in the long run. Replacing expatriates with the competent and well-educated Omani employees will enable the University to take advantage of all Omani employees who are currently available. For the University, this has become difficult when competing in the changing labor market.