ABSTRACT

This study examines manpower development and utilization in organizations using Uzo- Uwani L.G.A as a case study. The importance of personnel training and development in any organization cannot be overemphasize if we recognize the fact that the structure that sustains the organization depends on the individuals that operate it. The major aim for personnel training is to endow the staff with the required knowledge to qualify him for a particular position of employment. The theoretical framework used in the study is the process-systems model of the organization as postulated by Wendell French which explains organizations and human resources management. Data for the study were collected using primary and secondary sources. The results of the work indicated that training retraining and staff development are all important factor that affect staff morale in Uzo-Uwani L.G.A because they enhance their promotion, career prospect and responsibility. It is our finding that those with WASC/NECO are the major group favoured by the training and development programmes. It is also our finding that trained staffs are not effectively utilized after training thereby resulting in a good number of trained staff preferring other jobs outside Uzo- Uwani after training

CHAPTER ONE GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Introduction The development of indigenous manpower to serve as the propelling force for national growth and development is no doubt a key to Nigeria’s socio – economic and political development (Ake 1989). The is quite indispensable considering the argument of the concept of transfer of technology as a propelling force for the development of the developing countries of which Nigeria is one (Ake 1989) . However, it is important to state that the lack of adequate emphasis on manpower development as a tool for development in Nigeria on the part of government as well as organized private sector could not be far- fetched from the lack of understanding of both the concept and methods of manpower development in a post – colonial Nigerian state in which the process of human resource development for national growth was distorted by colonialism with the attendant negative orientation that was injected into political leadership ( Ekpo 1989). The conceptual framework of this work is geared towards having a proper understanding of the concept manpower development and also relate it to the concept of development of manpower. Although both concepts could be used interchangeably, it is important to accentuate that the concept manpower development could be defined as the existence of unskilled and / or skilled humans that need training or re-training to perform specific task in society “(Ekpo 1989). Thus manpower development could be seen as organizational specific. This is because it is largely a function of organizational manpower needed for job specification. That is it could be viewed as the adaptation of the human resources available in the country to the needs objectives and orientation of a given organization. Until recently there has been a general resistance to investment in training in the public service because of the belief that “employees hired under a system must be presumed to be qualified, that they were already trained for their jobs and that if this was not so it was evidence that initial selection of personnel was at fault”. (Stahl, 1976). This assumption has been jettisoned as the need for training became obvious both in the private and the public sectors. Many organizations have came to recognize that training offers a way of “developing skills enhancing productivity and quality of work , and building worker loyalty to the firm “ (http://www.bls.govn/oco/ocosn 21.Htm). In deed the importance of training has become more obvious given the growing complexity of the work environment, the rapid change in organizations and technological advancement which further necessitates the need for training and development of personnel to meet the challenges. Training and development helps to ensure that organizational members possess the knowledge and skills they need to perform their jobs effectively, take on new responsibilities and adopt to changing conditions. (Jones, George and Hill 2000). It is further argued that training “helps improve quality, customer satisfaction, productivity, morale, management succession, business development and profitability” (http://www.businessballs.com/trainer.htm). Elaborating further on the importance of human resources development (HRD), the international labour office (2000) affirmed that development and training improves their trainees “prospects of finding and retaining a job; improves their production at work, their income–earning capacity and their living standards; and widens their career choices and opportunities”. Management experts also argue that a major function of a manager is to develop people and to direct, encourage and train subordinate for optimum utilization. To Stahl (1986), training helps prepare employees for certain jobs that are unique to the public sector. Specifically on Nigeria, the public service review commission (PSRC) report in 1974 emphasized the importance of training and development: A result- oriented public service will need to recruit and train specialized personnel. The new public services will require professionals who possess the requisite skills and knowledge. . . Training should be part of a comprehensive educational planning programmes. . . of all the aspects of personnel management perhaps the most importance for us in Nigeria is training. Similarly, no nation in the world can carry out any of its development programmes without adequate and competent manpower. Of all the resources placed at the disposal of a nation, by far the most critical is manpower. Qualified manpower is a measure of a nation’s strength, security and well being. The human resources of a nation holds the key to its survival, prosperity and future economic and social development. At the same time, the leadership of a nation is related to the quality of the nation’s manpower development. Stressing in the role of human resources in a society, Ginzberg and Smith (1969) opined that, in every area of development, human resources play an indispensable role. Badly managed, the human resources of a nation can limit the progress of its people in every direction. If the human resources is effectively managed and planned, its knowledge, power, skills and competence can lead to enviable social and economic progress. According to them, the manpower resources is the total life of a society, a nation with inadequate manpower, even when it has other limitless resources will remain a poor and an underdeveloped country so long as it remains a country of illiterate people with no saleable skills and competence to explore the untapped natural resources at her disposal. In business terms, William and Paul (1960), stated that, the right man is the most difficult to come by and obviously, the most difficult to manage. Getting the right man means putting a round peg in a round hole. This is why psychologists and human analysts often lay emphasis on putting a wrong man on a particular job can adversely affect the organization. From the above background, the researcher’s conception of manpower development encompasses both organizational specific through training and retraining of staff to meet up with organizational requirements, as well as the turning–out of human resource that is needed for the economic development of the state and utilization of staff is the maximum use of competent employees, their deployment of strategic or relevant places and creating enabling environment for the practice of the acquired skills.