Organisational and Personal Determinants of Training Effectiveness in Nigerian Public Sector Institutes

Abstract

This study examined the roles of organisational and personal variables in training effectiveness in Nigerian public sector institutes, using the Centre for Management Development (CMD) and the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC) as case studies. The study was prompted by ongoing concerns about the lack of meaningful performance gains despite significant investment in staff development through many public sector training programmes. The study adopted an explanatory cross-sectional survey design and used a quantitative approach. The target population consisted of 1245 employees and trainees, and 303 respondents were selected using Yamane's sampling formula (n = 1 + N (e) ^2/N). Of the 294 questionnaires, 276 were valid and analysed quantitatively using SPSS Version 29 through descriptive statistics, multiple regression, and hierarchical multiple regression. The results showed the mutually adjusted full hierarchical model bettas (β = 0.332 and β = 0.318). Organisational variables significantly affected training effectiveness, and personal variables also significantly and positively affected training effectiveness. Moreover, hierarchical regression showed that organisational and personal variables together accounted for 61.8 per cent of the total variance in training effectiveness, with a slightly larger effect for organisational variables. The study concludes that effective training combines supportive organisational systems with employees' personal commitment to learning. It suggests that public sector training institutions need to improve organisational support mechanisms and, at the same time, build employees' motivation, self-efficacy, and lifelong learning to get the most out of the investment in training.