Human resource management practice I also available by michael armstrong

Transferring training

The problem of transferring training was raised by 

Reynolds (2004: 47) as follows:

Some types of intervention [can] disrupt self-directed 

learning by paying insufficient attention to the 

needs of the learner in the work context. Methods 

that rely heavily on the transfer of external 

expertise or content to employees... carry the 

highest risk in this regard, since their design is 

often removed from the context in which work is 

created. As a result it is impossible to meet 

learning needs adequately.

This is a fundamental problem and applies equally 

to  externally  and  internally  run  training  courses 

where what has been taught can be difficult for people 

to  apply  in  the  entirely  different  circumstances  in 

their  workplace.  Training  can  seem  to  be  remote 

from reality and the skills and knowledge acquired 

can  appear  to  be  irrelevant.  Transfer  of  learning 

problems  often  occur  after  management  or  super-

visory training, but even the manual skills learnt in 

a training centre can be difficult to transfer.

To tackle this problem it is necessary to make the 

training as relevant and realistic as possible, antici-

pating and dealing with any potential transfer diffi-

culties. Individuals are more likely to apply learning 

when they do not find it too difficult; believe what 

they learnt is relevant, useful and transferable; are 

supported  by  line  managers;  have  job  autonomy; 

believe in themselves; and are committed and engaged. 

Transfer  is  also  more  likely  if  systematic  training 

and ‘just-in-time  training’  approaches  are  used,  as 

described below.