Training Practices and Employee Performance at Alutkot Savings and Credit Co-operative Society in Oyam District, Uganda

Abstract

This article analyses the role of training practices on employee performance in Alutkot Savings and Credit Co-operative Society (SACCO) in Oyam district, Uganda. The article also analyses the loopholes in training programmes of the Society. The problem of concern is that despite the heavy investments in training, with the aim of improving staff performance, the benefits from training are not commensurate with the resource-input and stakeholder expectations. Alutkot SACCO still faces some performance challenges that have continued to affect client satisfaction and retention. Hence, revenues as well as profits margins have been lower than expected. Using interviews and document analysis methods, the authors established that while training has majorly been beneficial to the success of Alutkot SACCO, the way the training is managed has, over time, come to be riddled with loopholes. Otherwise, training practices (training planning, implementation and evaluation) still have positive effects on employee performance which have been incremental every year for the eight years (2009-2016) under study, but a lot is sometimes lost in the wrong choice of trainees; less committed trainers; and long distances to the training venues. Therefore, the authors recommend that employee training should continue to be emphasized as those loopholes get plugged in a bid to promote both employee and organizational performance.