NEEDED TRAINING FOR EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES IN PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS
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NEEDED TRAINING FOR EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES IN PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria has presented a significant challenge to all aspects of the Nigerian economy. As a result, executive secretaries must stay current on technological developments that affect office procedures and operations.
To contribute effectively and efficiently to the attainment of the organization’s goals and objectives, executive secretaries must be retrained and provided with a continuous learning environment in order to become acquainted with new difficulties in the office.
Nonetheless, there is no denying that technological advancements have changed and transformed the way executive secretaries carry out their jobs. In-service training programmes can produce qualified and effective executive secretaries.
To be effective, an in-service training programme should be divided into three phases: pre-service training, on-the-job experience training, and in-service training (Diraso, 2007).
In-service training is a lifelong process in which a person continuously learns and adapts to new job circumstances. This he accomplishes by reading books, journals, and periodicals in his field of specialisation, discussing professional issues with colleagues and supervisors, and attending relevant seminars and conferences.
In-service training seeks to refresh and revamp employees’ professional knowledge, skills, and competences, as well as broaden two areas of specialisation (Itotoh, 2009). Itotoh stated that such areas may include:
writing, editing, producing and distributing correspondence (publications), maintaining all corporate books and accounts, receiving and disbursing funds (finance)
assisting in recruiting new members by responding promptly to telephone and e-mail inquiries, maintaining all membership, maintaining all records and filing all forms (regulatory), and being fluent in Hyper-Text Markup Language (computer literacy).
According to Osuala and Okeke (2006), training entails providing employees with directed experience that allows them to be more effective at completing the many tasks that make up their jobs. If effective, training events affect employees’ attitudes, work habits, and performance.
Based on the descriptions provided above, in-service training is a method of developing skills by reading professional literature, attending conferences, and seminars in order to perform well and increase productivity at work.
Aminu and Ibeneme (2005) described in-service training as a deliberate attempt to improve an employee’s abilities, knowledge, and attitude in order to gain qualitative and quantitative output from him.
Workers or employees require in-service training when they are unable to keep up with new approaches and developments in their fields. They stated that in-service training is a well-planned and organised attempt to change an employee’s behaviour and enhance the skills acquired so that they can perform to an acceptable standard on the job. 3 In-service training is an essential component of organisational management.
This is because it is an investment in people, with the goal of enabling employees to gain more knowledge and better practices through higher work standards and quality, as well as assisting in the creation of job happiness.
It should be mentioned that in a rapidly changing technology age, the importance of employee in-service training cannot be overstated; therefore, it should be promoted, organised, and ongoing (Ofordile, 2007).
Several authors, including (Onah 2003), Mahapatra (2002), and others, have emphasised the importance of in-service training because it improves both the quality and quantity of output, fosters self-confidence and good judgement, develops a positive attitude towards work, and is critical in organisations, particularly in the changing environment in which executive secretaries work.
According to Mahapatra (2002), in-service training is critical in public enterprises to improve and sustain service quality and standards for both employees and the organisation itself. As a result, executive secretaries require proper training in order to confidently perform increasingly diversified and demanding duties.
He maintains that the organization’s aims and objectives will be met by the motivation, dedication, quality of work, and abilities demonstrated by the training personnel at their workplace. He strongly believed that in-service training is critical in ensuring that the organization’s staff is prepared to take on their roles.
According to Bryson (1990), every organization’s primary goal is to fulfil a set of roles in human resource management. 4 This is accomplished by enhancing the performance of organisation members in order to attain a specific organisational goal or target.
This is because the productivity or success of any organisation is heavily influenced by the quality of its employees. This can be accomplished by developing and appropriately managing the human potentials that serve as the organization’s backbone.
If employees are adequately developed, their knowledge, skills, and competence can propel the organisation to enviable social and economic heights in achieving its aims.
Training and development are intended to guarantee that the organisation has a competent and qualified staff to satisfy current demands while also taking steps to ensure that new skills and knowledge are acquired to meet future requirements.
These in-service training programmes could be completed by attending university classes as well as pertinent conferences, seminars, symposia, and workshops. Also, through study leave, self-tuition, the use of online packages, and taking on new tasks (Ade, 2007).
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Technological innovation has expanded to all aspects of human endeavour. Offices are constantly modernised with the latest equipment and methods. These have an impact on the executive secretary’s role and profession.
The challenges of new techniques and technologies need executive secretaries to take on far more responsibility and perform better on their tasks. 6 The purpose of offering in-service training for executive secretaries is to help them grow professionally and stay up with new information and technology in their office procedures and operations.
However, Mahapatra (2009) discovered that public establishments pay only lip service to in-service training for its employees, which explains for staff deficiencies such as poor job performance. Gbosi (2008) asserts that if in-service training exists, it is poorly planned, supervised, and organised.
According to Ofordile (2007), in-service training programmes continue to be limited by a lack of funding. This is because employee retraining at public institutions is deemed costly in terms of time and personnel retention during the programme.
He maintains that employees’ willingness to be retrained is low, and some long-term employees may be uninterested in in-service training programmes that have no weight for assessment purposes, and they rarely take retraining seriously as a means of changing organisational behaviour.
In addition, management is unable to recognise its employees’ in-service training needs. The workforce is often undertapped and underutilised, and hence falls short of its expected contributions to achieving organisational goals.
As a result, if these deficiencies are not addressed, they will lead to poor performance, trouble achieving organisational goals and objectives, and a lack of individual development, among other things.
These irregularities must be remedied immediately for the benefit of both the organisations and their employees. It is consequently critical to determine the in-service training requirements of executive secretaries at public institutions in Kaduna State.
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