Exploring the influence of training and development on work engagement in a tertiary educational institution in South Africa

Abstract

The tertiary education sector recently received much media coverage concerning protests and violent strikes. Moreover, academic staff members already have to cope with increased job demands such as academic transformation, change management, a lack of financial resources (Archibong, Bassey & Effiom, 2010), high strain and work stress (Barkhuizen, Root & Schutte, 2014). Literature shows that one possible way of supporting academic staff members in managing work engagement is by providing efficient training and development opportunities. Hence this study aimed at exploring the relationship between training and development and work engagement for academic staff members in a qualitative manner. This research entails two research articles, the second study builds on the findings of the first study. The first article explores training and development for academic staff members following a qualitative research approach. A case study was used as a research strategy. This study used convenience sampling to select 20 participants. Semi-structured interviews were used as data gathering method. The data were analysed by means of Creswell’s six steps. The criteria credibility, consistency, transferability and truth value were used to ensure the validity of the study. The results of article one indicated that although the tertiary education institutions mostly have policies and procedures in place to guide the training and development, they were not applied consistently or effectively. The participants indicated that performance appraisals were used to determine their training needs, and they further indicated that they themselves where responsible for requesting training. In the cases where the training was monitored, the managers or trainers took responsibility for monitoring progress. The type of training mostly received by the academics related to academic, research, management, professional and life skills. From the study it is recommended that the tertiary education institution align the training and development management process with the policies that guide this process. It is recommended that managers be trained as people developers in order to manage talent effectively. The second research article explored the relationship between training and development and work engagement in a tertiary education institution using a qualitative approach and a case study as research strategy. 20 participants were selected by means of a convenience sampling method and the researcher gathered data using paper and pencil interview questionnaires. The data were analysed by using thematic analysis. The results showed that participants viewed work engagement as having a love for one’s work, enjoying one’s work and showing a passion for the work one does. The participants indicated that after having received training and development, they gained new skills, which contributed to increased performance. Concerning the dimensions of work engagement (vigour, dedication and absorption), the participants felt more motivated, showed increased competence, more energy, increased commitment and job satisfaction after having received training and development. However, the results showed that some training and development opportunities added to their work load, lacked challenge and was experienced as time consuming and were not sufficient in addressing their specific needs. From the study it is recommended that the tertiary education sector provide timeous specialised training and development to academic staff members. Furthermore, accurately identifying training needs ultimately leads to effective training and as a result influences the work-related wellbeing of academic staff members. From this research, recommendations for future research were made and the limitations for this research were provided