TRANSFER OF TRAINING : IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYEE TRAINING IN NEPAL

Most organizations in Nepal invest in training. Eff ectiveness of training was found constrained due to limited transfer of learning from the training environment to the workplace environment. Training stakeholders such as managers, supervisors, employees, training designers and providers were found working in isolation instead of working together for a common purpose. In most cases, not enough attention was given to what happened before, during, and after completion of training. Follow-up and tracer studies were generally not done or the recommendations not used. Consequently, trainingjob relevance and the extent of transfer were found limited by factors related to the trainees, training design and the workplace environment. Findings could be useful for the review of human resource development policies and practices leading to an increased extent of transfer of training in the future.

Most organizations in Nepal invest in training.Eff ectiveness of training was found constrained due to limited transfer of learning from the training environment to the workplace environment.Training stakeholders such as managers, supervisors, employees, training designers and providers were found working in isolation instead of working together for a common purpose.In most cases, not enough attention was given to what happened before, during, and after completion of training.Follow-up and tracer studies were generally not done or the recommendations not used.Consequently, training-job relevance and the extent of transfer were found limited by factors related to the trainees, training design and the workplace environment.Findings could be useful for the review of human resource development policies and practices leading to an increased extent of transfer of training in the future.
Overview is paper presents a summary of the study on transfer of training, summary of its major fi ndings, conclusions and recommendations.Based on the results and discussions, summary of major fi ndings are presented in sequence according to the themes of the research questions addressed in this study.Conclusions drawn from the fi ndings also correspond to the research questions.Recommendations off ered to the training stakeholders and for further research are based on hypothesized and non-hypothesized fi ndings of the study.Suggestions for improving the eff ectiveness of employee training are off ered.
e article concludes with recommendations for future research.

e Research Problem
Employee training eff ectiveness remained often questioned.However, the extent of transfer and factors infl uencing the process and outcome of transfer of training were not studied in the past in Nepal.An interest and the need to fi ll up that gap prompted this study.
Previous studies that contributed to our knowledge and insight in the area of training and development, often researched eff ects of factors in isolation, and in fact, in the contexts other than those that typically prevail in the organizations of Nepal.
Transfer of training, though it is often the only valid measure of training eff ectiveness (Holton and Bates, 1998), did not receive adequate attention in the context of Nepal (Subedi, 2002).
Transfer of training (or lack of it) was identifi ed as a complex process and dependent upon the intent or motivation of the learner (trainee related factors), the organizational environment and culture including supervisory support is study also sought to contribute to the expansion of the current body of knowledge about transfer of training, especially in contexts other than those that prevail in the modern workplaces of the western culture.

Research Questions
To meet the purpose of the study, the following research questions were addressed:  4. e 21.76 percent higher rate of transfer of training in the case of corporate sector indicated that employee training eff ectiveness is higher in the corporate sector organizations than in the civil sector.

Summary of Major Findings
e following factors were found operating more positively in the corporate than in the civil sector that possibly led to the higher extent of transfer of training: 11.Training courses with relatively higher pretraining knowledge/skill rates were only partially challenging for the participants.
12. Observations for the workplace evidences of transfer indicated an agreement between the employees and their supervisors about the objective(s) that transferred to the workplace.

Research Question 2: Factors Infl uencing Transfer of Training
1. Results indicated that employees were expected to use new skills and knowledge after training but they were not rewarded or promoted for using the learning from the training.
2. Supervisors supported the use of new knowledge and skills after the training but the organizational and management support to apply new skills was reported inadequate.
3. Supervisors and employees of both the civil and corporate sector believed that their 'organizations distinguish between good and bad performance' whereas more than average civil sector managers do not 'assess performance based on the use of new knowledge and skills'.
4. Supervisors as well as employees of both the sectors believed that their 'organizations select the right people for the training' however, there is a tendency of not 'involving supervisors and employees in planning their own training', more so in the case of civil sector organizations.
(organizational or workplace related factors), and the instructional design, delivery features as well as job relevance of the training program (training related factors).Training eff ectiveness in Nepal was found arguably constrained due to inadequate transfer of learning from the training environment to the workplace environment.Training stakeholders such as managers, supervisors, employees, training providers and designers continued working in isolation instead of working together for a common purpose.Purpose of the Study e purpose of this study was to examine the extent of transfer of training and to identify factors infl uencing it.ispurpose originated from the need to improve the eff ectiveness of employee training in the context of civil and corporate sector organizations of Nepal.In congruence with the purpose this research examined the extent of transfer of training, identifi ed and ranked factors that infl uenced the eff ectiveness of employee training in Nepal.Additionally, this study explored how managers, supervisors and employees perceived transfer of training in their own organizations and how their actions infl uenced employee training eff ectiveness.
is study was designed to examine the extent of transfer of training, and to identify factors infl uencing the process and outcome of employee training eff ectiveness in the context of civil and corporate sector organizations of Nepal.Using a conceptual framework of 'organizational or workplace related factors', 'training design and delivery related factors' and 'trainee related factors', transfer of training was examined and factors infl uencing it were identifi ed and ranked.Extent of transfer of training was assessed.Estimated ranges and calculated rates of transfer were compared.Some of the frequently used western models and instruments on transfer of training were reviewed and their appropriateness in the context of Nepal was assessed.Likewise, cultural factors or beliefs about transfer of training in the organizational culture were identifi ed and assessed.Data collected for this study were classifi ed according to the research questions.Findings and discussion of the data sought to answer those research questions.Chapters four through eight presented fi ndings and discussion of the data and results corresponding to the following themes of the research questions: Research Question 1: e Extent of Transfer of Training 1. e overall rate of the extent of transfer of training in the organizations was found 56.89 percent on the average.2. Results of this study found that corporate (non-government) sector organizations in Nepal have 69.33 percent transfer of training on the average.3. Average rate of the extent of transfer of training in the civil (government) sector organizations was found 47.57 percent.
and incomprehension or inadequate learning of the objectives and tasks included in the training courses were factors contributing to non-transfer.10.Number of objectives contained in the course and the number of participants in the training did not seem to have an impact on the extent of transfer of training.
Summary of the Study is study belonged to the area of training and development with focus on the issue of transfer of training.Transfer of Training was defi ned as the extent to which the knowledge, skills and attitudes gained from the training environment are retained and used in the workplace environment.
Lack of resources and opportunity to perform skills from the training back at the workplaces was found a signifi cant barrier to eff ective transfer of training.Action planning for the application of the knowledge and skills from the training to the job, also considering the participants' organizational constraints and opportunities, could help increase the rates of transfer of training.Such action plans should include what alternatives are available and how cognition works at diff erent situations for the use of the knowledge and skills on the job.ed and ranked factors and conditions that infl uence the extent of transfer of training.Transfer of training is apparently infl uenced by trainee related factors, workplace related factors and training related factors.Further research is recommended to explore which of the factors aff ecting transfer of training can be manipulated or changed, and how positive transfer can be increased.2. Normative standard for the acceptable extent of transfer of training was nonexistent for reference.Although literature on training and development suggests 40% as the minimum acceptable rate of transfer, this standard could be diff erent for diff erent types of coursers-technical or softskills.Further research is recommended to determine 'normative standards' to compare and evaluate eff ectiveness of any training in terms of the extent of transfer.3. Further research is recommended to include larger sample data to verify the result of this study that the corporate sector has a higher extent of transfer of training than the civil sector organizations in Nepal.4. When this research is replicated-use a larger sample data including military, police, diplomatic missions and multiple national companies, reduce the number of research instruments from six to two and focus on verifi cation to consolidate the results, 5. collect longitudinal data from the same organizations covering a period of two to three years instead of making it a crosssectional, and focus on the eff ect of particular training courses provided to diff erent types of participants (such as male-female, civilcorporate, newly appointed and experienced participants).