Factor affecting transfer of training in public higher learning institution in southern region of Malaysia

Employee skills and motivation are critical factors for organizational success. This has always been true, as modern changes are drawing increased attention to the ways that human resource development activities can be used to ensure that organizational members have what it takes to successfully meet their challenges. To meet these challenges, employees must be competent, and many organizations spend their budgets annually to send their employees for training. Competent workers can bring the organization to greater heights; furthermore, this helps to retain and grow skills to remain competitive. Training is one of the learning processes arranged continuously to change the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of employees so that they become competent. A successful training program will provide advantages for both the organization and the workers. The success of the training is based on the extent to which what has been learned in the training program can be implemented at the workplace; thus, organizations need to ensure that the transfer of training happens. The purpose of this research is to identify the relationship between trainee characteristics (ability, motivation, and personality) and organizational factors (technology support and organizational culture) towards the transfer of training. This study also investigates the dominant factors between trainee characteristics and organizational factors regarding the transfer of training. A questionnaire was the method used to collect data, and Pearson Correlation Analysis was used to determine the strength of the relationship between each independent variable and the dependent variable. The findings showed that trainee characteristics and organizational factors were positively related to the transfer of training. The individual factor was the most dominant factor influencing the transfer of training. Specifically, the most influential factor identified by the respondents was the trainee characteristic of employee ability on the job.