Title: The design of training programs and its contribution to developing the desired skills in employees: the case of three companies operating in Greece

Authors: Paraskevi Psoni

Addresses: School of Business, Deree College, 6, Gravias Street, Aghia Paraskevi, 15342, Greece

Abstract: The present study examines the design, the implementation and the evaluation of training programs of three companies operating in Greece, in order to understand their influence on the employees' acquisition of the desired skills as well as on the enhanced job performance and effectiveness for the company. The methodology followed is based on qualitative tools and in-depth interviews with the responsible managers or directors of each company. The findings indicate that all three companies utilise effective and innovative methods of adult training, according to the skills they intend to train employees on, but they face difficulties in implementing Kirkpatrick's four stages of training evaluation. The present findings are significant for policy-makers and training managers worldwide, as they provide holistic and valuable insights about the training trends and best practices in Greece, which however also constitute paradigms for companies at an international level. Deficiencies in the process of evaluation of the training programs have also been highlighted, and in this way, can provide policy-makers with valuable insights for improvement.

Keywords: training programs; training design; training evaluation; experiential training; experiential learning; learning-by-doing; sociogram; psychodrama in training; training implementation; Greece.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLC.2020.110839

International Journal of Learning and Change, 2020 Vol.12 No.4, pp.428 - 443

Received: 24 Sep 2018
Accepted: 16 Apr 2019
Published online: 30 Oct 2020 *

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