Despite significant investments in training and development initiatives, organizations are still struggling to see the benefits of their training programs in improved performance in the workplace. Previous research has focused on different aspects of training effectiveness, but the literature is disjointed on what factors affect successful learning transfer and the importance of the support and transfer climate in the workplace. The main purpose of this review is therefore to review and identify importance of employee training and workplace support and transfer, challenges to be faced in achieving effective training, and summarise the major challenges facing training and learning transfer, organizational, training related and employee related factors affecting training. The results of a narrative literature review show that the training needs assessment, training design, relevance of the training contents, training delivery method, employee motivation, employee support within the workplace, transfer climate, and evaluation mechanisms are significant factors influencing the effectiveness of training. This paper gives an integrated overview of training effectiveness and gives some practical suggestions for organizations and higher education institutions.
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