THE IMPACT OF MANPOWER TRAINING AND RE-TRAINING IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

The impact of manpower in the social, political and economic training and retraining of any local government can hardly be over-emphasized. The organization more especially local government system is never known to have attained or sustained any high level of economic growth and retraining without an ample supply of qualified or effective administration and management to the establishment.

People of that locality are usually used to manage their affairs and achieve the set goals of the community. The above statement explain that local government system are establishment and expected to perform and as well carry out some specific responsibilities in improving the living standard of their local dwellers and this cannot be achieved without improving the workers productivity through training and retraining.

According to Orewa. A and Adewumi, E. (1992) “ local government is a system of local communities and towns which are organized to maintain law and order to provide some limited range of social service and operations to the inhabitants in joint endeavors toward. The improvement of their condition of living”.

This simply implies that local government provides the community with formal organization framework which enables them to conduct their affairs effectively and regulate the actions of members.

According to Akingele (1981) defined it as “a political submission of law which is constituted by law and has substantial control of local affairs “this connotes that they are established for the improvement of the standard living of the local dwellers.

According to federal republic of Nigeria guidelines for” local council is government exercised through representative council established by law to exercise specific powers within ones as. Local government system constitutes the third tier of government in a direct contact with the grassroots. By this very fact it is therefore, expected to play a major role in the rural or local communities. More specifically, they have to find solution consistently to the pyramids of socio-economic problems paying the administration of local government of Owerri municipal council.

These problems include poor finding, lack of qualified staff or personnel material inadequacies, poor manpower disposition reflected staffing, placement, ineffective or greedy leadership and lack of motivation, use or poor training and re-training of staff. Use of wrong personnel. Etc. The fact has been widely acknowledged that local government of Owerri municipal council is still a far cry from their mission. Today it is recognized as part of the reason why most of the local government cannot completely make use of both human and material (non-human) resources available to them.

The manpower training is a critical favor in economic development of Owerri municipal council. The local government which is unable to employ skills and knowledge of its manpower and utilize them effectively will not develop. The essence of any manpower training is to enhance the welfare of workers by maximizing their skill and the quality of their employment opportunities and in so doing. It will add to the country's economic strength.

According to Nwankwo (1993) defined manpower as “the process by which an organization ensure that it has the right number of people and the right kind of people, at the right place at the right time. Doing things for which they are economically most useful”.

Thus all manpower training is aimed at human resources development and utilization. The quality of manpower as the most important factor that will determine whether an organization will be successful and achieved its stated objectives.

Manpower training is usually essential for new local government members, as well as seasoned chairman, councilors, personnel, treasure etc. Which requires skill and knowledge to carry out administrative work, employees at all levels in the local government such as the clerk, secretary, accountant etc, will requires some training and retraining at one or more points in time to enhance productivity on the Owerri municipal council local government area.

Development and Structure of Owerri Municipal Council

The Owerri municipal council of Imo state was created under the eastern region legal. Notice No.218 of 1955. But it was abolished because of many military interventions. In 1982. Governor Sam Mbakwe, created new local government area in Imo state during the second republic and Owerri urban was created. This did not last long as the military struck again in 1984 and returning all government to their original state before the civilian regime.

By 1989. Following the adjustment made by degree 15 of 1989 Owerri local government was spilt into two Ngor – Okpala and Owerri local government area. But another major local government review headed by chief author Mbanefo was carried out during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida and on December 5, 1986, the federal government gave Owerri, urban.

The original owerri people a municipal council area which comprise the following villages; Umuoronjo, Awawon,Umoyeche Umuodu, and Umuoyima popularly called Owerri Nchise. Others were divided in the federal and state housing estate as well as commercial and adjusted layouts. The Owerri municipal council has about fifteen (15) winds, each council wind elects that will be representing them in the municipal. They also have a state constituency and senator district with about five hundred and nine (509) staff that is

• Administration 222
• Finance 74
• Health social welfare 100
• Planning unit 14
• Agric department 29
• Work transport 70 / 509

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1.2 Statement of Problem

The major problem confronting Owerri municipal council today is how to determine the best way to encourage training and retraining of high level of manpower required for the local government system. This has been a problem because no local government has ever attained a high level of economic growth and retraining without amply supply of qualified manpower.

There is a well known fact that this local government system continue to lack behind in the retraining despite her abundant supply of natural resources and it is difficult to see on the ground any evidence of service been rendered by them with the huge revenue they account and revenue generated from taxes rates, growth and fines etc.

The inefficiency and low productivity their characterize manpower training and retraining especially in Owerri municipal council attributed to the shortage of qualified and skill manpower.

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1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objective of the study is to know the impact of manpower training and retraining in Owerri municipal council of local government system. The essence of this research work is to determine the expected benefit for manpower training in the organization and the training and retraining programmes. The objectives of manpower training and retraining include:

1. To know how human, material and resource should be appreciatively managed in order to achieve the goals of the local government
2. To know how use of wrong personnel officer affect effective training and retraining on the local government system
3. To find out if organization on the job training or off- the-job training will be applicable to staff in order to see if it can bring efficiency and effectiveness
4. To know the motivation and leadership style that will help to improve productivity
5. When staff in local government is not properly placed in the local government. It affects their performance badly.
6. I observed that manpower training and retraining is a veritable tool for improving the relationship within and outside the local government system in the sense that the staff are taught how to conduct themselves properly
7. I equally observed that inadequate material for teaching contributed for poor training in the local government system
8. I observed that poor funding contributed to the lack of manpower training in local government system in the sense that Owerri municipal council finds it difficult to generate enough revenue to embark on training programme especially for their staff.

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1.4 Research Questions

• What impact does poor funding has in manpower training and retraining in the local government system?
• Inadequate material in local government system does it affect staff training?
• Improper placement of staff, does it reflect on the productivity of the local government?
• Does inadequate finance hinders effective staff training on the local government system?
• Why is it that some organization prefers on the job training rather to off-the – job training?
• Manpower training and retraining is it a veritable tool for improving relationship within the organization?
• Is motivation and leadership style essential on staff training and retraining in the local government system of Owerri municipal council?
• Does effective utilization of human and material resource has any impact on manpower?
• Does wrong of training officer affect effective training in the local government system?

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1.5 Statement of Hypothesis

In order to make a through investigation on the research topic the following hypothesis was been formulated.

Hypothesis i:

• Ho: manpower training and retraining does not improve employee's performance
• Hi: manpower training and retraining improves employee performance

Hypothesis ii:

• Ho: manpower training and retraining does not improve relationship within outside the municipal council
• Hi: manpower training and retraining improve relationship within and outside the municipal council

Hypothesis iii:

• Ho: staff training does not help subordinates for higher responsibilities
• Hi: staff training help subordinates for higher responsibilities.

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1.6 Significance of the Study

This research work will help to understand the need for man power training and retraining in the Owerri municipal council of local government system. Staff training is a product of determining workers efficiency and productivity. The significance of the research work includes;

1. To improve the relationship within the establishment and even outside it.
2. To increase productivity and improved quality of work out put
3. Easy copying with changes in establishment policies and techniques.
4. Maximum utilization of available manpower and reduction of wastes.
5. It helps in the orientation of new employees and those who take up new jobs
6. Reduction in rate of labour turnover and absenteeism
7. Training makes man see machine as something made for man and not man for machine
8. Training helps an .employee to feel sense of recognition of growth achievement, and responsibility of staff.
9. Staff training improved the skill and knowledge of the employee and sense of motivation and advancement of staff.

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1.7 Scope of the Study

The scope of this research work will cover the need for training and selection of qualified or appropriate trainees and trainers as well as the training and retraining programmes. The research was carried out under certain constraints in an attempt to make the study a meaningful one.

Information was based on both primary and secondary data from the civil service commission bureau for committee of the local government and chieftaincy affairs management committee of the local government, Nigeria union of local government employee (NULGE) Owerri municipal council chapter, department of personnel and administration and all the staff of Owerri municipal council. Other officers and staff within the Owerri municipal council were also covered in order to obtain sufficient information concerning the research work.

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1.8 Limitation of the Study

It is necessary to highlight some of the problems that i encountered in the course of carrying out this research work which includes;

Inadequate Fund:

This made the project a problematic one, hence as a student without a good +financial base struggled in collection of data for the project, and high cost of transportation in running to and fro, from one library to another. It was so difficult combining my assignment work with this project.

Insufficient Material:

This is another problem I encountered in the course of this work, going from libraries, internet, newspapers, magazines, journals, tertiary institution, textbooks and lectures, consultations before I could come up with the materials on the topic and all these involved money.

Non-Chalant Attitude and Unwillingness:

it is another problem on this research work, the respondents were unable to give out some vital information needed either for the fear of being implicated or not to disclose the secret of the establishment.

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1.9 Definition of Terms

Good research ethic demands those terms be defined on right sense where they are used to remove any ambiguous meaning. In pursuant of this belief, the following terms are defined as they are used in the study of public service. This refers to all members of all public institutions, financed and maintained by the tax payers, and the involvements of whose members regularly authorized by the legislature acting in concert with the execution.

Manpower:

This simply means the human resources that are required in any organization that engages in any form of production.

Human Resources:

This refers to the energies, skills and knowledge of people which are or which potentially can or could be applied to the production of goods and services.

Training:

This can be seen as any learning activity which is geared towards the acquisition of specific knowledge and skills of the purpose of an occupation or tasks.

Re-Training:

It is a process of learning new skills and methods of doing something in the organization in other to promote efficiency and effectiveness. Re-training is a process of involving employees to prepare for higher responsibilities in the future.

Orientation:

It is concerned with informing employees of the organization policies and benefits, thus acquainting the new employees with their job environment and co-worker relation.

Municipal Council:

This is seen as a system of local administration under which communities and towns are organized to maintain law and order. Provide some limited range of social services and public amenities and encourage the co-operation of the inhabitants in joint endeavors' towards the improvement of their condition of living.

Local Government System:

This deals with the role of government in managing the affairs of the local people in a particular locality