Manpower training and development in the Nigerian public service

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 organisational members possess the knowledge and skills they need to perform their jobs effectively, take on new responsibilities , and adapt 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. " (h t t p : / / w w w. b u s i n e s s b a l l s. c o m / traindev.htm). Elaborating further on the INTRODUCTION 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 merit 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 organisations have come to recognize that training offers a way of " developing skills, enhancing productivity and quality of work, and building worker loyalty to the firm. "