Professional Development - Vol. IV, Part I

which spans the first year of employment, with the bulk of the induction training
happening in the first two weeks to ensure they have built up the background
knowledge before learning about job or role particular training. The right balance of
training will not be too intensive an information-giving session as this will be ineffective
as individuals will start to lose concentration and may end up missing crucial
information.
Alternatives to Induction Training
An alternative to Induction training is Coaching. Coaching is a partnership in which
employees aim to achieve support and advice from a more senior colleague whilst on
the job. Staff Retreats is another form of introduction for new starters to an organisation.
Businesses pause once or twice a year to analyse policies and procedures and also
look through their systems and processes. The main objective is looking at ways to
improve efficiency of their business. On the job training is also an alternative to
induction training and is given to an employee at their workplace while they are doing
the job. Group discussions are another possible alternative for induction training. Group
discussions are informal gatherings of individuals in order to discuss ideas and
information while suggesting how new recruits can cope with the new environment.
Benefits
The induction process familiarises new employees with the business and the people.
Induction training enables a new recruit to become productive as quickly as possible.
The cost of not training is considered higher than the cost of training. The main
advantage of induction training is that it can be brief and informative allowing
businesses to save time and money on planning and conducting the training whilst
supplying key information to new entrants. Induction training also helps to provide
individuals with a professional impression of the company and its aims and objectives
allowing new entrants to work towards these aims and exceed them.
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