Employees' Preferences for In-service Professional Learning in the Private Sector of Bahrain

Abstract

In a continuously changing work environment, an employee‟s knowledge and skills may quickly become obsolete, and the employee must continue to learn. Organizations can effectively motivate their employees to become continuous learners by identifying factors that improve the continuous learning culture and by understanding their learning preferences. This has the potential to lead to a sustainable competitive advantage for an organization and the economy. This paper presents a review of current research and practice of employees‟ in-service professional learning preferences in the private sector of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The literature reviewed portrayed a significant gap between employees‟ preferences and workforce demands in Bahrain. Therefore, this research study focuses on gathering information concerning employees‟ professional learning courses, in particular their learning preferences and what learning delivery method they favour. The study was conducted in 10 organisations in the private sector in Bahrain in the fields of business, trade, education, construction and other industries across both international and local organisations. A questionnaire was constructed to gather employees‟ points of view about professional learning in the private sector in Bahrain. Questionnaire items addressed personal and organisational background, participants‟ attitudes towards the online learning method and the face-to-face learning method, their views regarding professional learning and the methods they preferred. Using mainly quantitative research methodology, 207 web-based questionnaires were submitted by employees. Once the data was coded into categories, chi-square tests of independence utilised to analyse the categorical data. As a result of completing the above procedure, employees' opinions about learning preferences were determined. Participants identified their preferences for face-to-face learning methods and online learning methods. Factors that influence employees‟ learning preferences such as age and gender were discussed. This research study has made an original contribution to the literature in this field, being the first study focussed on Bahrain. Not only will Bahrain benefit from understanding employees learning preferences, but international employers and policymakers working in Gulf countries will also be able to benefit from the findings. Matching employees‟ learning preferences with market needs could increase the level of enrolment in professional learning courses, which in turn could lead to an increase in the professional skills and knowledge of employees in the workforce in Bahrain. It will also assist the accomplishment of the Bahraini government goal, which aims to invest in developing employees‟ skills in the private sector, enhance their skills and make Bahrainis the preferred choice for employment.