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Abstract
Studies exploring the linkages between training and turnover have produced inconsistent results. That inconsistency suggests a path for further study into the variables that might be confounding this relationship. The main purpose of this research was to test the mediating effect of organisational commitment in the relationship between training and turnover intentions. A sample of 124 participants took part in this study. Training was initially found to have a significant inverse relationship with turnover intentions. However, when organisational commitment was entered into the model as a mediating variable, the effect of training on employee turnover intentions became insignificant, suggesting full mediation. The impact of training on turnover intentions is not straightforward, but works first through the effect of training on attitudes, that is on commitment. The results demonstrate the importance of increasing the commitment of employees to the organisation through training, which can help companies to reduce turnover intentions.
1. Introduction
The constant change in the global market and in technological advancement makes training a key strategy for organisations that wish to stay competitive (Pineda 2010). Indeed, institutions are tending to invest more in training a greater number of their employees (Welsh et al. 2003) to help them to acquire new essential skills (Dooney and Esen 2009). Several industrial reports have suggested an increase in training. According to the Bersin-Deloitte 2014 Corporate Learning Factbook, investment in training for employees increased by 15 per cent to more than $70 billion in the United States, which was considered to be the highest in seven years. Moreover, on a global scale corporate training increased to more than $130 billion in 2013, according to the same report. The Association for Talent Development 2015 State of the Industry Report also confirmed an increase in training. Organisations spent an average of $1,229 per employee on training and development in 2014-an increase of 1.7 per cent from the previous year. Further, the number of hours that employees spent on training and development rose to 32.4 hours from 31.5.
Training improves employee attitudes and behaviour (Tannenbaum et al. 1991; Bhatti and Kaur 2009), which in turn improves an organisation's performance and profits. Training investment is only transformed into profits, though, when the trained employee actually stays in the organisation, and...