1.0 Introduction
In Nigeria like most countries of the world, training and development of man-power resources is very crucial for organisation effectiveness. Manpower is the main stay hence indispensable tool for any public organisation.
For public servants to perform their functions effectively there must be a well designed training and development programmes to enable them enhance their productivity. This training programme may range from on-the-job training scheme aimed at exposing the employees to the new techniques adopted in the offices.
Ohakwe (2007) pointed out that training is a continuous assistance or coaching given to an employee in order to make him have to have the current knowledge of the job contents, scope and the relationship within the organisation. Development involves preparing employees for higher responsibilities in future.
To develop staff, simply means to make them grow with the company so that they can be fitted for available higher positions within their capacity, Akanwa and Ohiri (2003). Development deals with improving human relations and inter-personal skills. It is believed that before one becomes a manager, one must have undergone a period of the job related training and obtained a good certificate as well having a cognate work experience.
Training is a critical area of human management; it is the fastest rowing segment of personnel. The main objective of training and development programmes in public organisation is to enable staff increase their productivity. Productivity is a measure of the output resulting from a given input.
It is the end result of training and development. Finally, it was concluded that retraining is a veritable tool in the enhancement of workers in public organizations.
1.1 Background of the Study
Personnel have been described as the life wire of any organisation. As such, any administrative organization, large or small, public competent personnel are required for the actualization of the organization's goal and objectives.
This accounts for the reason why Henry Ford assets in Ayekemo (2003) that “take away many machines, many labour for me, I will still remain Henry Ford”.
When workers are hired to fill vacant positions in an organization, even though they have similar qualifications, one striking thing about is that they have different background, since they came from different places in search or opportunities in their new organisation. Also by not having worked for the organization in the past, they may not have indebt knowledge of the norms and values of the organisation, Obikezi, Obi and Abonyi (2005). The world has become a global village and as such, life in the village has become dynamic and new inventions and ways of doing thins are continually evolving.
Change is now being recognized as the only thing permanent in life. in the work place, the workers need to be aware of these changes and also conduct and comport themselves accordingly.
Generally, our education system is not designed to teach the specific skills for positions in particular companies and organizations such as Federal Polytechnic Nekede to cope successfully with their environment, support themselves and also help improve the society at large, Ohadiria and Uwaoma (2003).
Hence, there is a strong need for training and retraining of employees by employers of labour in an organisation especially in the public services e.g local government staff, they are being trained and retrained through workshops, conferences, seminar and in-service trainings and programmes, etc. this is because most of the people employed have not been previously trained to jobs to acquaint themselves with public service such as Federal Polytechnic Nekede. Workshop here means a problem-solving oriented discussion meeting. It handles very technical issues and strives to find solutions or general information and ideas about them.
Seminar — this is actually a group of advance students studying under a professor with each doing original research and all exchanging results. But the seminar has been usurped and appropriated by non-academic organizations and used to refer to their own conference activities. Thus, sometimes people organize what would actually be a conference and describe such as seminar.
Conference is a public meeting in which people come together to discuss matters of common interest. It is a common interchange of ideas. A conference may be conveyed to serve some public purpose or it may be concerned with academics. Such a conference may last for several days this conference is of great importance in the operational procedure in Federal Polytechnic Nekede.
In a developing nation like nation like Nigeria, the responsibilities of government are enormous and increasing on daily basis. As such, the operation of government is also faced with new and increasingly challenges, complexities and difficulties. In some public service such as Federal Polytechnic Nekede, there is need for continuous training and retraining of its staff in order to make up with the requirements of these challenges, since they are at the forefront of executing and implementing the policies and programmes of the council.
Training and staff development can solve a wide variety of man-power problems, which militates against optimum productivity and organisational efficiency in Federal Polytechnic Nekede.
Brief History of Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri
The federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri was established by Edict No 16 of 1978, it opened for classes on 13th December, 1978 at a temporary site in the premises of the government trade centre along Egbu road, Owerri with initial of 275 students.
In 1980, the college of education as it was named then moved to its permanent site in Nekede Owerri. The college was later changed to Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.
In 1987 by the Edict No. 6 of 1987, it was further renamed Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri by the Federal Amendment of Decree 1993 of 1st January 1993. Its motto, knowledge and skill for service which has been demonstrated by the quality of graduates and professional that the school has produced over the years.
The polytechnic offers full and part-time National Diploma (ND), Higher National Diploma (HND) and certificate programmes. Their website is www.nekedepolyportal.com.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The quality of manpower in an organisation to a greater extent, determines the quality and quantity of outputs it gets in return. Manpower and developing is an indispensable tool in achieving optimum personnel performance and increasing employees' performance.
In Nigeria, various scholars and government have affirmed on several occasions that adequate training of personnel is a key to national development. But yet in practice, the governments have not made adequate provisions for proper training of personnel or public servants. Even when training of personnel are organized, they tend to grossly inadequately produce ineffective results.
Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri has no systematic and highly qualitative development programme that is capable of producing functional results. In many cases, these development and training is haphazardly done, ill planned and uncoordinated. In addition, there are in adequate training facilities and specialized training centers for public servants in Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri.
Hence, as assessment of impact of manpower training and development effort in Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The Objectives of this study are:
- To ascertain if manpower training and development in federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.
- To ascertain whether manpower training and development enhances productivity and efficiency in Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.
- To examine if workers need additional skills and abilities to perform their task effectively for productive execution of functions in Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri.
- To determine the positive gains of manpower training and development on the personnel in the government organisation such as Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri.
- To determine the relations between manpower training and development of public servants and achievement in Owerri.
- To ascertain whether man power training and development motivate personnel of federal polytechnic Nekede Owerri towards high performance.
- To assess the reason for low productivity and inefficiency in Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri despite the numerous manpower training and development put in place.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions were raised in the process of carrying out this research work.
- Is manpower training and development necessary for effective performance of works in Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri?
- Do workers really need manpower training and development in Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri?
- Does manpower training and development enhance productivity and efficiency of workers in Federal Polytechnic Nekede?
- What are the gains in manpower training and development to the personnel of Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri?
- Do workers in Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri need additional skills and ability to perform their task effectively in government organisation?
- Are there any relationship between manpower training and development of workers in Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri?
- Does manpower training and development motivate personnel in Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri towards high performance?
- What are the problems associated with employees' development in Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri?
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study will be of immense benefit to administrative organizations, government and its agencies, researchers and academics.
This research work will further educated and enlighten government and its agencies on the importance of development and its adverse relationship to employees performance.
Researchers and academics will also benefit from the study, as it will provide them with additional research materials for lectures, presentations, seminars, conferences and workshops.
Federal polytechnic Nekede Owerri, which stands as the case study will also find this piece of library work useful as its findings and recommendations on manpower training and development and its consequent effect on organisation efficiency and productivity which is needed to achieve the objective for the council.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The scope of this research work will cover all areas of manpower training and development in the Nigeria public service, with the view assessing past effort made in manpower training and development in public services, success and failure of many power training and development programmes in public service and all aspect of manpower training and development local government in Nigeria with special emphasis on Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
Certain constraints militated against the successful accomplishment of this research work. These factors stood as impediment to this research work. They include: lack of finance/shortage of fund, security of information by staff of Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri, inadequate time frame, dearth of statistical information, lack of research facilities and academic work load.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Administration:
The process of harmonizing and conducting the activities of two or more people to accomplish certain ends. The effective and efficient utilization of available resources (man and material) for the achievement of organisation goals and objectives.
Productivity:
According to Ogunna (1997), it is the capacity or a situation where an individual or organisation produces maximum results with available human financial and material resources to achieve set goals or objectives.
Local Government:
According to Nworji (2005), she defined local government as government set up to peddle development as government set up to peddle development activities ion the local area, with the aims of making the impact of government felt at the grass root level.
Federal Account:
Pool account in which all the revenue collected by the government of the federation is paid into and then distributed and shared among the different levels of government.
Effectiveness:
Katz and Kalu in Ogunna (1999) see the concept of effectiveness as a sum total of organisational goodness which connote such elements as efficiency, profitability, and productivity.
Junior Staff Management Committee:
A committee in government establishment that carry out some personnel functions in the organisation.
Personnel:
Human element in an organisation.
