Findings and Analysis

Training and Development at Rahimafrooz: Training and development is the field concerned with organizational activity aimed at improving the performance of individuals and groups in organizational settings. It has been known by several names, including employee development, human resource development, and learning and development. Training: This activity is both focused upon, and evaluated against, the job that an individual currently holds Education: This activity focuses upon the jobs that an individual may potentially hold in the future, and is evaluated against those jobs Development: This activity focuses upon the activities that the organization employing the individual, or that the individual is part of, may partake in the future, and is almost impossible to evaluate.

Rahimafrooz classifies training into Corporate and Strategic Business Unit (SBU) based training, based on whether the training is initiated and managed by the local (SBU) HR Division or by corporate HR. Each is independent and has its own budget and training schedule. Corporate HR tends to focus on leadership and personal development while the SBU focuses on functional and technical training. Within each HR division, training is broken down further into three categories, based on the training provider, namely in-house, local and overseas. In house training is provided by a trainer from within the organisation itself. This is usually done by the local HR unit to provide Professional Skills (or Functional in Rahimafrooz terms) and General Skills training to entry and mid-level employees. In addition, Rahimafrooz also operates workshops for training employees of client organisations in the use of their products. The

corporate HR unit provides leadership training to all SBUs as well as organizing some specific functional training across SBUs if the local unit cannot find suitable trainers. Local training includes training workshops, lectures and seminars organized by various bodies within the country including bdjobs.com. Rahimafrooz also organizes training through local vendors for specific training needs. Local SBU HR organizes functional and technical training, while corporate HR focuses on management techniques and change management. At times, either the local or corporate HR unit may invite local specialists to give a lecture on their own specialised fields. Overseas training is supplied by foreign vendors either abroad, or, if the demand is great enough, by a trainer provided by the vendor within Bangladesh. In order to qualify for overseas training, an employee must by nominated by his or her line manager, who makes the recommendation to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the SBU. If the COO approves, the recommendation is passed on to corporate HR, who examine their list of approved vendors for the particular training, based on past experience with those vendors, and choose one based on the relevant constraints, such as cost and timing. Corporate HR also arranges specialist and Leadership training abroad for upper management.