Staff training and employee performance: Perspectives of the workplace

Abstract

Whenever the issue of poor employee performance arises, the question of the provision of staff training takes center stage. Staff training is seen as the principal driving force and central to effective and efficient job performance. The quest to achieve high performance at the workplace has always been derailed by an acute lack of skills. Despite the plethora of studies of staff training and employee performance in different sectors, the literature has not yet explored the relationship between the two variables in the transport sector, particularly in the South African context. However, the relationship between staff training and employee performance has been engulfed in and apprehended by complexities, mistrust, and misunderstandings. It is through this premise that this paper seeks to evaluate the influence of staff training on employee performance in the transport sector. The study adopted an exploratory research design and tapped into a qualitative research approach. Using the purposive sampling technique, a sample of 15 respondents, comprised of skill development representatives of organizations operating in the transport sector in Durban, were interviewed. Unstructured interviews were used to collect data from the respondents. The key findings revealed that staff training has a positive influence on employee performance in the transport sector. The study plays a pivotal role in extending knowledge in the fields of staff training and employee performance.