Lakhasly

Training and Development, Performance Appraisal, and Career Planning

Training and Development:

After recruitment, selection, and induction, training and development (T&D) are crucial for employee growth. Organizations see T&D as an investment, aiming for skilled and knowledgeable employees in today's competitive landscape.

Definitions:

1. Training enhances an employee's knowledge and skills for a specific job.
2. Training equips new and current employees with job-related skills.
3. Training improves employee aptitude, skills, and abilities for specific roles.

Training vs. Development:

Training focuses on immediate skills and performance gaps, while development prepares employees for future organizational needs.

Purpose of Training:

• Increase employee performance in current roles.
• Prevent industrial accidents through proper job techniques and machine handling.
• Prevent manpower obsolescence by equipping employees with the latest methods.
• Boost employee morale.
• Reduce wastage.
• Minimize supervision requirements for trained individuals.
• Enhance employee adaptation to workplace changes.
• Reduce absenteeism and turnover.
• Fill vacancies as needed.
• Contribute to overall employee growth.

Training Process:

1. Assessment of Organizational Objectives: Analyze organizational goals to adapt to technological changes, improve quality, and boost productivity.
2. Assessment of Training Needs: Identify employee training needs through task and performance analysis.
3. Establish Training Objectives: Define what trainees should achieve upon successful completion of the program.
4. Designing the Training Program: Determine program content, trainers, and methods.
5. Implementation of Training Program: Select a suitable location, schedule the program, monitor trainee performance, and track progress.
6. Evaluation of Training Program: Measure program effectiveness by assessing:
   • Trainee reactions.
   • Learning of principles and skills.
   • Improvement in on-the-job behavior.
   • Results compared to objectives.

Training and Development Methods:

On-the-Job Methods:

• Understudy: Trainee learns under the supervision of a senior employee.
• Job Rotation: Employee shifts between roles at regular intervals.
• Special Projects: Trainees work on projects related to departmental objectives.
• Experience: Learning through practical application.
• Committee Assignment: Trainee participates in a committee to solve problems.
• Coaching: Supervisor acts as a guide and instructor.

Limitations of On-the-Job Methods:

• Limited facilities and environment.
• Lack of group discussion and participation.

Off-the-Job Methods:

• Special Courses and Lectures: Company-designed or externally provided courses.
• Conferences and Seminars: Participants share ideas and perspectives.
• Selected Readings: Self-improvement through trade journals and magazines.
• Case Study Method: Analysis of real-life scenarios.
• Programmed Instruction/Learning: Step-by-step learning through textbooks, computers, or internet.
• Brainstorming: Creative problem-solving technique.
• Role Playing: Acting out a scenario to learn and practice skills.
• Vestibule Schools: Simulated shop environment for training.
• Apprenticeship Training: Structured training combining classroom instruction and on-the-job experience.
• In-basket Exercise: Managing a simulated workload of documents and tasks.
• Business Games: Teams of trainees make decisions in simulated business situations.
• Behavior Modeling: Structured approach to teach specific supervisory skills.
• Sensitivity Training (T-Group): Unstructured group sessions for personal development.
• Multiple Management: Junior board members provide recommendations to senior management.

Executive/Management Development:

Management development aims to improve current and future managerial performance through knowledge, attitude change, and skills enhancement.

Objectives of Management Development:

• Prepare managers for technological and social change.
• Ensure a pool of competent managers at all levels.
• Prepare junior managers for future leadership roles.
• Prevent managerial obsolescence by introducing new concepts.
• Promote high employee morale.

Performance Appraisal/Management:

Performance management is a systematic process of gathering, analyzing, and recording information about employee performance. Its primary focus is on measuring and improving employee performance and identifying future potential.

Definitions:

• Flippo: Systematic, periodic, and impartial rating of an employee's current performance and future potential.
• Scoot, Clothier, and Spriegel: Evaluating employee performance on the job against job requirements.
• Yoder: Formal procedures to evaluate personalities, contributions, and potential.

Performance Appraisal as a Systematic Review:

• Review of an employee's work and achievements over a recent period.
• Develop future plans based on the review.

Process:

1. Examine and evaluate employee work behavior against standards.
2. Document the evaluation results.
3. Provide feedback to the employee regarding areas for improvement.

Uses of Performance Appraisal:

• Identify training needs.
• Determine promotions, demotions, retention, and termination.

Importance:

• Strengthens management-employee relationships and communication.
• Assesses employee performance over time.
• Provides feedback on past performance.
• Identifies gaps between actual and desired performance.
• Analyzes strengths and weaknesses to identify training needs.
• Plans career development and human resource planning based on potential.
• Provides a scientific basis for rewards, wage fixation, and incentives.

Training Methods:

• On-the-Job Methods:
  • Job rotation.
  • Special projects.
  • Experience.
  • Committee assignment.
  • Coaching.
• Off-the-Job Methods:
  • Special courses and lectures.
  • Conferences and seminars.
  • Selected readings.
  • Case study method.
  • Programmed instruction/learning.
  • Brainstorming.
  • Role playing.
  • Vestibule Schools.
  • Apprenticeship training.
  • In-basket exercise.
  • Business games.
  • Behavior Modeling.
  • Sensitivity (T-Group) training.
  • Multiple Management.

Traditional Approach to Performance Appraisal:

• Past-oriented, focusing only on past performance.
• Ignored development aspects like training needs or career planning.
• Focused on judging overall organizational performance based on past employee performance.

Modern Approach to Performance Appraisal:

• Includes a feedback process to strengthen relationships and improve communication.

Traditional Methods:

• Essay Appraisal Method: Supervisor writes a free-form description of the employee's performance.
• Straight Ranking Method: Employees are ranked from best to worst.
• Paired Comparison: Employees are compared pairwise to establish rankings.
• Checklist Method: Appraiser uses a checklist of behaviors to rate the employee.
• Critical Incident Method: Supervisor records critical events and employee behavior during those events.
• Field Review: A training officer interviews the supervisor about employee performance.
• Graphic Rating Scale: Employee performance is assessed on a scale for different traits.
• Group Appraisal Method: A group of assessors evaluate the employee's performance.

Modern Methods:

• Human Resource Accounting Method: Evaluates employee performance in terms of cost and contribution.
• Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS): Rates employee behavior against specific critical incidents.
• Management By Objectives (MBO): Participative goal setting, performance measured against set standards.
• 360 Degree Performance Appraisal System: Feedback from multiple sources (peers, superiors, subordinates, customers).
• Assessment Centre: Simulates the job environment to evaluate performance.

Career Planning:

Career planning is a deliberate process of self-awareness and development to achieve career fulfillment. It involves identifying individual needs, aspirations, and opportunities, and implementing programs to support career development.

Features of Career Planning:

• Bottom-up approach starting with the individual.
• Ongoing process of identifying needs and fulfilling them.
• Matching individual career goals with available opportunities.
• Achieving employee progression and organizational efficiency.
• Shared responsibility between the individual and the organization.
• Adaptable to dynamic environments with rapid changes in labor market, technology, and competition.

Training and Development: Meaning and Definition, Purpose of Training,
Process, Methods
Performance Appraisal: Meaning and Definition, Process, Methods Career Planning: Meaning and Definition, Importance

Training-Meaning and Definition:
After the recruitment, selection and induction of an employee, the next human resource management function is to provide the employee training and development facilities. No person is fully fit at the time of procurement and some training is always essential. In today’s era of competition, organizations view training and development (T & D) programmes as an investment in the employee, not an expense. Organisations want their people to have the best skills and full knowledge.
Definitions:

1. 
   

   Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skill of an employee for
   doing a particular job.

   
   


2. 
   

   Training refers to the methods used to give new or present employees the skills they need to perform their jobs.

   
   


3. 
   

   Training refers to any process by which the aptitudes, skills and abilities of employees to perform specific jobs are increased.
   Training and Development
   Training focuses on providing employees with specific skills or helping them correct deficiencies in their performance. In otherwords, training is used to correct the skill deficit. In contrast to it, development is an effort to provide employees with the abilities the organization will need in the future.
   Difference between Training and Development Training
   Development
   Current and future
   Work group or
   Long Term Prepare for future
   Focus jobs
   Scope organization
   Time Frame
   Goal work.
   Purpose of Training:
   Current job Individual employees
   Immediate
   Fix Current skill deficit
   Training is essential in organizations because of the following reasons: 1. To increase employees performance on their current assignment.

   
   


4. 
   

   To prevent industrial accidents. Through training workers know the right way of doing the job and how to handle the machines.

   
   


5. 
   

   To prevent manpower obsolescence. Due to technological changes and competition, workers are required to update and well –equip themselves with the latest ways of job performance. So, training helps them in learning new methods.

   
   


6. 
   

   To increase employee morale.

   
   


7. 
   

   To reduce wastage.

   
   


8. 
   

   A trained person needs less supervision as compared to untrained person. 7. To enhance employee’s adjustment with the latest changes at workplace. 8. To reduce employee absenteeism and turnover.

   
   


9. 
   

   To fill the vacancies when need arises.

   
   


10. 
    

    Training is essential for the overall growth of the employees.
    Training Process:
    The training program consists of the following six steps:
    I. Assessment of organizational objectives – Every organization should make a proper assessment of objectives. Employer’s today have to adopt to technological changes, improve product and service quality and boost productivity to stay competitive.
    II. Assessment of Training needs – Before an organization takes decision regarding training of its employees and allocate huge resources for it, they need to assess the training needs of the employees. The two ways of identifying training needs are task analysis and performance analysis.
    (a)Task analysis – It is a detailed study of a job to identify the specific skill required and is suitable for determining the needs of employees who are new to their jobs.
    (b)Performance analysis – It is the process of verifying that there is a performance deficiency and determining if such deficiency should be corrected through training or through some other means. (like transferring the employee).
    III. Establish the training objectives – The training objectives are established which specifies what a trainee should accomplish after the successful completion of a training program.
    IV. Designing the training Program – It refers to deciding the contents of the training program, viz deciding about trainers, methods and techniques of training.
    V. Implementation of Training program – It involves finding a suitable place to conduct the training, schedule the whole training program without disrupting the smooth function of the organization, keep record of the performance of trainees during the training period and monitor trainee’s progress.
    VI. Evaluation of Training program - It is done to check whether the training program accomplished the specific training objectives or not. It is essential to convince the top management that the benefit of training program outplays the cost of training.
    Measuring the effectiveness of Training: While evaluating the training programme, the experts should collect information on the following:
    a) Reaction - of trainees towards the training programme.
    b) Learning – Whether the trainees learned the desired principles and skills. c) Behaviour – Whether the trainees on the job behavior improved.

    
    

d) Results – The results of the training programme are compared against the set objectives.
Training and Development Methods:
Training Methods can be classified into two categories:
I. On- the – job Methods – This refers to the methods of training in which a person learns a job by actually doing/performing it. A person works on a job and learns and develops expertise at the same time.
(a) Understudy – In this, the employee is trained by his or her supervisor. The trainee is attached with the senior and is called understudy or assistant.
(b) Job rotation – This refers to shifting/movement of an employee from one job to another on regular intervals.
(c) Special projects – The trainees may ask to work on special projects related with department objectives.
(d) Experience – It refers to learning by doing. This is one of the oldest methods of on the job training.
(e) Committee assignment – The trainees become members of committee. The committee is assigned a problem to discuss and make recommendations.
(f) Coaching – Under this method, the supervisor acts as a guide and instructor of the trainee.
Limitations of On- the – job training Methods
➢ Lack of facilities and environment
➢ Lack of group discussion and full participation among the trainees from
different discipline.
II. Off- the –job – Training – Under these methods, the trainees are required to leave their work place and concentrate their entire time towards the training objectives. The development of the trainees is the primary task. The following are the main off-the-job training methods:
(a) Special Courses and lectures – Special courses and lectures are designed by the company itself or by the management/professional schools. Companies then sponsor their trainees to attend these courses or lectures.
(b) Conferences and seminars – Under this method, the participants are required to pool their thoughts, ideas, viewpoints, suggestions and recommendations. By attending conferences and seminars, trainees try to look at a problem from different angles as the participants are normally from different fields and sectors.
(c) Selected readings – This is a self-improvement training technique. The

trainees acquire knowledge and awareness by reading various trade journals and magazines.
(d) Case study method – A case study is provided to trainees for discussion and analysis. Identification and diagnosis of the problem is the aim in case study method.
(e) Programmed instruction/ Learning – This is a step by step learning method where the medium may be a textbook, computer or the internet. This is a systematic method for teaching job skills involving presenting questions or facts, allowing the person to respond and giving the learner immediate feedback on the accuracy of his or her answers.
(f) Brainstorming – This is creativity-training technique, it helps people to solve problems in a new and different way. In this technique, the trainees are given the opportunity to generate ideas openly and without fear of judgement. Once a lot of ideas are generated then they are evaluated for their cost and feasibility.
(g) Role playing – In this method, the trainees are assigned a role, which they have to play in an artificially created situation.
(h) Vestibule schools – Large organizations frequently provide what are described as vestibule schools, a preliminary to actual shop experience. The shop conditions are duplicated, but instruction, not output is the major objective. A vestibule school is operated as a specialized endeavor by the personnel department.
(i) Apprenticeship training – It is a structured process by which people become skilled workers through a combination of classroom instruction and on –the-job training.
(j) In-basket exercise – In this technique the trainees are provided background information on a simulated firm and its products, and key personnel. After this, the trainees are provided with in-basket of memos, letters, reports, requests and other documents related with the firm. The trainee must make sense out of this mass of paperwork and prepare memos, make notes and delegate tasks within a limited period of time.
(k) Business games – Business games involves teams of trainees. The team discusses and analyse the problem and arrive at decisions.
(l) Behavior Modeling - This is a structured approach to teach specific supervisory skill. The trainee is provided with a specific model of behavior and is informed in advance on the consequences of engaging in that type of behavior.
(m) Sensitivity training (T-Group) – In this type of training, a small group of trainees consisting of 10 to 12 persons are formed which meets in an unstructured situation. There is no set agenda or schedule or plan. The main objectives are more openness with each other, increased listening skills, trust, support, tolerance and concern for others. The trainers serve a catalytic role. The group meets in isolation without any formal agenda. There is a great focus on inter-personal behavior in this method.
(n) Multiple management – Under this method, a junior board of director is established. Authority is given to the junior board members to discuss any problem that could be discussed in senior board and give recommendations to the senior board. Innovative and productive ideas became available for senior board. EXECUTIVE/ MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT
Management development is any attempt to improve current or future management performance by imparting knowledge, changing attitudes or increasing skills. The objectives of management development are:

1. 
   

   To Train and develop the managers to meet the technological and social change.

   
   


2. 
   

   To ensure a ready pool of competent people at all levels to meet organizational needs at all times.

   
   


3. 
   

   To prepare the junior managers for future replacements

   
   


4. 
   

   To prevent managerial obsolescence by inculcating new concepts in their areas.

   
   


5. 
   

   To promote a high morale among employees.
   Performance Appraisal/Management:
   Performance management is the process of obtaining, analyzing andrecording information about the relative worth of an employee.The focalpoint of the performance appraisal is measuring and improving the actualperformance of the employee and also the future potential of the employee.
   According to Flippo, “Performance appraisal is the systematic, periodicand an impartial rating of an employee’s excellence in the matters pertainingto his present job and his potential for a better job.” Performance appraisalis a systematic way of reviewing and assessing the performance of anemployee during a particular period of time and planning for his future.
   Scoot, Clothier and Spriegel have defined merit rating or performanceappraisal as the process of evaluating the employee’s performance on thejob in terms of requirement of the job.
   According to Yoder, performance appraisal refers to all formalprocedures used in working organizations to evaluate personalities andcontributions and potential of group members. An evaluation of how wellan employee performs his or her job compared to a set of predeterminedstandards.
   Performance appraisal is a systematic review of a person’s work andachievements over a recent period, usually leading to plans for the future.
   Process by which a manager or consultant (1) examines and evaluatesan employee’s work behaviour by comparing it with preset standards, (2)documents the results of the comparison, and (3) uses the results to providefeedback to the employee to show where improvements are needed and why.Performance appraisals are employed to determine who needs what training,and who will be promoted, demoted, retained, or fired.5
   Importance:
   Training Methods
   • It facilitates the relationship and communication between managementand
   employees.
   • To assess the performance of the employees over a given period of time.
   On- the-Job Methods
   Off- the-Job Methods
   • To give feedback to the employees about their past performance.

   
   


6. 
   

   Special Courses and • To fi1nd. Uountdtheartsatunydygap between the actual and the desired performanceof the
   Lectures
   • Provide clarity of the expectations and responsibilities of the functionsto be
   employees.

   
   


7. 
   

   Job rotation

   
   


8. 
   

   Conferences and

   
   


9. 
   

   Special project performed by the employees.
   seminars •Toan4a.lyEzxeptheerisetrnecngethsandweaknessesoftheemployeessoastoidentifythe
   training and development needs of the future. 3. Selected reading

   
   


10. 
    

    Committee
    • To plan career development, human resource planning based onpotentialities.

    
    


11. 
    

    Case Study method • Performance appraisal can help in development of scientific basis forreward
    assignment

    
    


12. 
    

    Programmed
    • To reduce the grievances of the employees. instruction/ learning

    
    


13. 
    

    Coaching
    allocation, wage fixation, incentives etc.
    Methods:

    
    


14. 
    

    Brainstorming

    
    


15. 
    

    Role Playing

    
    


16. 
    

    Vestibule Schools 9. Apprenticeship
    TRADITIONAL APPROACH
    ● This approach was a past oriented approach which focused only on thepast performanceoftheemployeesduringapastspecifiedp1e0ri.odIno-fbtimasek.etexercise ● This approach did not consider the developmental aspects of the
    training

    
    

employeeperformance like his training and development needs or career
developmentalpossibilities.
● The primary concern of the traditional approach is to judge theperformance of
the organization as a whole by the past performances ofits employees.
MODERN APPROACH
13. Sensitivity ( T-
● The modern approach to performance appraisals includes a feedbackprocess that
helps to strengthen the relationships between superiors andsubordinates and improve communication throughout the organization. 14. Multiple
Management
TRADITIONAL METHODS
• Essay Appraisal Method—It is also known as “free essay method”.
Under this method immediate supervisor is playing a role of appraiserand he appraises their subordinates on their past performance. Supervisorwrites feedback in their own hand writing. The description is always asrealistic and actual as possible. It is easy and can be done without anyadequate preparation is the benefit of this method. A major drawback ofthe method is the inseparability of the bias of the evaluator.
• Straight Ranking Method—In this method an appraiser appraise theappraise on their whole contribution in the organization. They rankemployees from the best to the poorest. It is one of the oldest and simplestmethods of performance appraisal. This is the simplest method ofdifferentiate efficient from least efficient and quite easy to develop andapply. But the limitation of this method is to become difficult when thelarge number of employees should be ranked and this method tellsemployee relation to the others in a group but it does not identify howmuch better or worse he/she is than other.
• Paired Comparison—This method is overcome the limitation ofstraight ranking method. Under this, individual is compared on the basisof every trait with other individuals in their group. After all thecomparisons on the basis of the overall comparisons, the employees aregiven the final rankings. From this method judgments become easierand simple than other ordinary ranking method. This method is notapplicable where the number of individuals is large.
• Checklist Method—The appraiser is given a checklist of the descriptionsof the behaviour of the employees on job. The checklist contains a list ofstatements on the basis of which the appraiser describes on the jobperformance of the employees. And the final rating is done by the personneldepartment. The major drawback of this method is personal bias on thepart of the appraiser and also it is difficult to develop checklist for differentclasses of job.
• Critical Incident Method—The employee performance would bechecked on certain events that occur in the performance of the rate’sjob. The assessor rates the employee on the basis of critical events andhow the employee behaved during those incidents. The supervisor keepsa written record of the events that can be recalled and used easily.Limitation of this method is, unfavorable incidents are generally morenoticeable, and may supervisor forget to record the concerned employeebehaviour.
• Field Review—Under this method, a training officer basically appointedby or even from HR department discusses and interviews the supervisorabout how they appraise them respective subordinates. The supervisoris required to give his view about the level of performance, progress,weakness, ability, promotability and others of respective employee. Thismethod reduces the supervisor biasing.
• Graphic Rating Scale—In this method, an employee’s quality andquantity of work is assessed in a graphic scale indicating different degreesof a particular trait. The factors taken into consideration include boththe personal characteristics (like leadership, co-cooperativeness, loyalty,devotion, attitude, creative ability, initiative etc.) and characteristicsrelated to the on-the-job performance (like responsibility, attendance,quality of work, etc.) of the employees. For example a trait like JobKnowledge may be judged on the range of unsatisfactory, average, aboveaverage, outstanding.
• Group Appraisal Method—As a name suggest, the appraisal shouldbe done by the group of assessors. Which consist of their supervisor andfew other supervisors
11. Business games 12. Behavior
Modeling
Group) training

who have some knowledge of respective subordinateperformance. The immediate supervisor explains to the other assessorsof the group the nature of his subordinates duties and responsibilities.The group then evaluates subordinate actual performance with thestandards. If any deviations exist they suggest for future improvement.It is simple and very useful method which removes any biasing but it isvery time consuming.
MODERN METHODS
• Human Resource Accounting Method—Human resources are valuableassets for every organization. Human resource accounting method triesto find the relative worth of these assets in the terms of money. In thismethod the Performance appraisal of the employees is judged in termsof cost and contribution of the employees. The cost of employees includeall the expenses incurred on them like their compensation, recruitmentand selection costs, induction and training costs etc. whereas theircontribution includes the total value added (in monetary terms). Thedifference between the cost and the contribution will be the performanceof the employees. Ideally, the contribution of the employees should begreater than the cost incurred on them.
• Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS)—Under this methodfirstly critical incidents was set up which is based on some jobperformance qualities like inter- personal relationship, co-operation,reliability etc. than appraisal should be done on these critical incidentsand evaluate on the graphical rating scale. Basically BARS is a relativelynew technique which combines the graphic rating scale and criticalincidents method. In this method, an employee’s actual job behaviour is judged against the desired behaviour by recording and comparing thebehaviour with BARS. Developing and practicing BARS requires expertknowledge.
• Management By Objectives (MBO)—The concept of ‘Management byObjectives’ (MBO) was first given by Peter Drucker in 1954. It can bedefined as a process whereby the employees and the superiors cometogether to identify common goals, the employees set their goals to beachieved, the standards to be taken as the criteria for measurement oftheir performance and contribution and deciding the course of action tobe followed. Management by objectives (MBO) is a systematic andorganized approach that allows management to focus on achievable goalsand to attain the best possible results from available resources.
MBO also described as “a process whereby the superior and subordinate managers of an organization jointly identify its common goals, define eachindividual’s major areas of responsibility in term as of result expected ofhim and use these measures as guides for operating the unit andassessing the contributions of each its members”.
The main objective ofMBO is to participative goal setting, alternatives course of action anddecision-making. The performance will be measured on the basis of setstandards. The subordinates have been involved with the goal setting andthe choosing the course of action to be followed by them, so they are morelikely to fulfill their responsibilities. And it also makes sure thateverybody within the organization has a clear understanding of the aims,or objectives, of that organization, as well as awareness of their own rolesand responsibilities in achieving those aims.
• 360 degree Performance Appraisal System— It was developed bythe GE Company, USA in 1992. 360° feedback, also known as ‘multiraterfeedback’, is the most comprehensive appraisal where the feedbackabout the employees’ performance comes from all the sources that comein contact with the employee on his job. It may be their peers, superior,subordinates, team members, customers, suppliers/ vendors—anyone whocomes into contact with the employee and can provide valuable insightsand information or feedback regarding the “on-the-job” performance ofthe employee.
360° appraisal has four important elements—self appraisal, superior’sappraisal, subordinate’s appraisal and peer appraisal. (i) Self appraisal givesa chance to the

employee to look at his/her strengths and weaknesses, hisachievements, and judge his own performance. (ii) Superior’s appraisal formsthe traditional part of the 360 degree appraisal where the employees’responsibilities and actual performance is rated by the superior.(iii) Subordinates appraisal gives a chance to judge the employee on theparameters like communication and motivating abilities, superior’s abilityto delegate the work, leadership qualities etc. (iv) Peers can help to findemployees’ abilities to work in a team, co-operation and sensitivity towardsothers. It is also known as internal customer.
● Assessment Centre—The basis of this method is to test candidate ina social situation, with the group of assessors and with the variety ofprocedure. Assessment centres simulate the employee’s on-the-jobenvironment and facilitate the assessment of their on-the-job performance.Usually, employees are given an assignment similar to the job they wouldbe expected to perform if promoted. The trained evaluators observe andevaluate employees as they perform the assigned jobs and are evaluatedon job related characteristics. The assessment is generally done with thehelp of paper-pencil test, interview, business games, psychometric testsand simulation exercise.
Career Planning:
A career can be defined as a sequence of separate but related work activities that provides continuity, order and meaning in aperson's life.'
Career planning and development is a deliberate process through which a person becomes aware of personal career-related attributes and lifelong series of stages that contribute to his or her career fulfillment. Career planning and development is not a one-shot training programme. It has longer time frame and wider focus. It is an ongoing organised and formalized effort that recognizes people as a viral organisational resource.
In human resource management, career planning aims to identify needs, aspirations and opportunities for individuals’ career and the implementation ofdeveloping human resources programs to support that career. According to Edgar Schein career planning (Manolescu, 2003) is a continuous process of discovery inwhich an individual slow develops his own occupational concept as a result of skills or abilities, needs, motivations and aspirations of his own value system . Career planning is seen as a very systematic and comprehensive process of targeting career development and implementation of strategies, self assessment and analysis of opportunities and evaluates the results.
The career planning process involves both the organization and the individual responsibility. Thus, the individuals must identify their aspirations and abilities, and through assessment and counseling to understand their needs of training and development; the organization needs to identify its needs and opportunities, to plan its employees and to ensure its staff the necessary information and appropriate training for career development.
Therefore, career planning (PopescuNeveanu, 2003) must link individual needs and aspirations with organizational needs and opportunities, evaluating,advising and informing its staff on career planning, individual development efforts with training and development programs. Most often this match is not done, theorganizations paying a differential attention to its employees, planning career of the high performance individuals with greater opportunities for promotion and not taking into account the performance potential employees.
Features of Career Planning
• Career planning normally follows a bottom-up approach in which
the process begins with the individuals, works upwards, and ends with organizational intervention

• It is not a one-time affair but an ongoing process by which an
employee identifies the needs and also the methods to fulfill those
needs on a regular basis.
• It aims at matching the individual's career goals with the
opportunities available.
• It is a means of achieving employee progression and organizational
efficiency and not an end in itself.
• It is the collective responsibility of both the individual employee
and the organization.
• It is normally made in a dynamic environment where the changes in
the demand for and supply of labour, the characteristics of labour, technology, competitive conditions and market strategies are rapid and often radica