Availability of Relevant Resources as a Predictor of Transfer of Learned Skills in State Corporations in Kenya

Abstract

Transfer of Learned Skills in State Corporations in Kenya 1. IntroductionTransfer of learned skills is defined as the application of what is learned in a training programme back on the job (DeSimone, 2012). According to Brown (2013), transfer of learned skills is the application of skills gained from training back in the workplace. It includes the maintenance of the skills learned and the behaviour change over time (Ford, 2018). The skills possessed by employees in the work place are critical to the success of every organization. According to Daneshmandi (2017), training is one of the vital strategies of organization, which helps employees to achieve necessary attitudes, skills, and knowledge to deal with changes and challenges. Training plays a vital role in organizational development, improving performance, increasing productivity, and eventually puts organizations in the best position to face competition and stay at the top. According to Ngure, & Njiru (2013), training is one of the ways through which the government ensures that its employees are kept abreast with global trends, emerging issues and technology.At global level, Tumentsegtoo (2013) conducted a study in Mongolia based on the Mongolian public service. The study indicated that the Government of Mongolia has invested a significant amount of capital, time and energy to train and grow workers or civil servants with the requisite expertise and skills to enhance their job performance. Several training programs for civil servants have been developed to strengthen their awareness, skills and productivity. However, many complaints have been directed toward civil servants for their ineffectiveness and inefficiency (Tumentsegtoo, 2013). This means that most of the training programs did not achieve the desired results. According to Tumentsegtoo, the reason behind that was the work environment, which did not facilitate easy transfer of learned skills. The work environment was described as hierarchical, bureaucratic and centralized (Tumentsegtoo, 2013).In South Africa, according to Raliphada (2013), many government departments spend 1% of the payroll on training of public servants. The South African Qualifications Authority ensured that the training was of good quality. Nevertheless, she observed that the transfer of learned skills to the workplace was still low. A study conducted by Kekwaletswe (2016) in South Africa on medium to large enterprises found that the extent to which employees are engrossed in organizational commitment and fully involved in their jobs would drive them to be desirous in making persistent and intense efforts towards utilizing skills and knowledge learned in the work settings. In addition, the findings of the study highlighted that transfer motivation is a fundamental element in the transfer of learned skills. The author concluded that the issues of relevant skills shortage may be curbed through knowledge and skills transfer using learning management systems as enabling tools, so long as the systems are contextualized to the organizati...