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PUBLIC SECTOR CAPACITY BUILDING AND PRODUCTIVITY AND THE EFFECT OF DELAYED STAFF TRAINING

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Increasing capacity for staffs at the third tier of governance, known as the local government in Nigeria, is quite fundamental to its growth and stability. Every effort made in this regard brings about a multiplier effectiveness and productivity outcome not only to the employees but also to the administration of the local government and indeed, the entire nation (Dibie, 2014). The Nigerian local government structure in recognition of this provides in its instrument of operation, the need for training and retraining of its personnel. In spite of the various reforms since independence, training of personnel at the local government level is fraught with problems.

In recent times, the Nigerian public service, including local governments has begun to lay emphasis on capacity development. This is with a view to bringing about an improved and efficient workforce. Adebayo (2004:114) summarizes the situation by saying that some ‘progress has been made in the various public services of Nigeria towards training and staff development during the past decade’ But the tempo and scale of training still falls far short of normal requirement for an efficient public service. It is not unlikely that such trainings had focused too often on senior management training to the relative neglect of the numerous other cadres in the public service. Among the lower cadres in the public service there is still too much working by routine, apathy, and a general lethargy to government work. There is often even barely concealed hostility or downright coldness or rudeness to members of the public who approach public officers in the lower cadres for information or service.

Derek and Hall (2000:55) examined the training environment and the structure of organizations, emphasized on the effects of internal political and cultural factors on training and development. Sherman et al (1996:16) argues that many new employees can be equipped with most of the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to start work, but others may require extensive training to ensure their effective contribution to the organization. A majority however, will require some type of training at one time or another to maintain an effective level of job performance.

According to Krietner (1995:8), ‘no matter how carefully job applicants are screened, typically a gap remains between what the employee does know and what they should know. An organization which desires to gain the competitive edge in its respective industry, needs among other things, extensive and effective training of its human resources’. This underscores the point that training is a very fundamental element for improved organizational performance. It brings about an increase in competence of not just the individual personnel of an organization but the overall competence of the organization itself. It helps to reconcile the gap between what should happen and what is happening – between desired targets or standards and actual levels of work performance.

Although many employers continue to have reservations about the cost and extent of tangible business returns from training, the development of skills has been identified as a key factor in sharpening competitiveness.

The purpose of training is mainly to improve knowledge and skills, and to change attitudes or behavior. It is one of the most important potential motivators which can lead to many possible benefits for both individuals and the organization. Changing technology requires that employees possess the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to cope with new processes and production techniques (Sam-Okere and Adeniga, 2014).

1.2            STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Between the many features counting against the actualization of training for the personnel of the Nigerian local government is the haphazard manner with which such trainings are planned and executed. Poor funding is another militating factor. Although local governments quite often make budgetary allocations for personnel training, the release and utilization of such funds do not correspond with the way it is orchestrated. Even when funds are made available, the content and form of such training sessions indicate that felt needs were not determined before embarking on the training sessions. The relevance of the particular training content seems not to have been considered before nominating the personnel for such training sessions. The quality of facilitators who are appointed on consultancy basis is also another militating factor. Some of these consultants do not have the requisite know-how for their tasks. The training programmes are either contracted to party loyalists or such persons as have some form of attachment to the chief executives of the local governments who see such opportunities as avenue for sharing in the national cake. This raises a very serious accountability question which no doubt is a fundamental issue in the administration of the public service (Olusegun, 2009).

In spite of the weaknesses of the management of training, it remains no doubt an essential element for the development of the capacity of all categories of staff in any organization. It is still a major instrument of increasing human efficiency through which people are offered the opportunity to acquire new skills and current knowledge required, in carrying out various specialized tasks in their place of work (Nwachukwu, 2007).

Delayed staff training on public sector capacity building and productivity as mentioned earlier has a great effect both on the employee and the organization at large due to its inefficient productivity.

1.3     RESEARCH QUESTION

1.     Is there any significant effect of delayed staff training on capacity building and productivity in the Nigeria public sector

2.     What are the causes of delay in staff training on public sector capacity building and productivity?

3.     Are there possible preventions and solutions to delay in staff training on public sector capacity building and productivity?

1.4       AIMS AND OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

The aim of this studies is to critically study the effect of delayed staff training on public sector capacity building and productivity. The objectives are:

1.     To give reasons why there is delay in staff training on public sector capacity building and productivity.

2.     To analyze the causes of delay in staff training on public sector capacity building and productivity.

3.     To proffer possible preventions and solutions to delay in staff training on public sector capacity building and productivity.

1.5     RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

Ho:  there is no significant effect of delayed training on the productivity of staff in public sector

H1:  there is no significant effect of delayed training on the productivity of staff in public sector

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