Training and Development Programmes and Workforce Competency in the Enugu State Ministry of Health

The ability of healthcare bureaucracies to deliver quality services hinges substantially on the competency levels of their workforce, which in turn depends on the quality and frequency of training and development investments by employing organisations. This study examines the relationship between training and development programmes and workforce competency in the Enugu State Ministry of Health. The research is anchored on the Human Capital Theory, which posits that deliberate investments in education and training enhance individual productive capacity and, by extension, organisational performance. A descriptive survey research design was employed. The population comprised 578 health workers, including nurses, public health officers, health educators, and administrative staff in the ministry and its affiliated primary health centres. A sample of 234 respondents was selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected using validated questionnaires and analysed through multiple regression and descriptive statistics. Findings indicate that on-the-job training, continuous professional development workshops, and mentoring programmes are the training modalities most significantly associated with competency improvement. The results further reveal that training needs assessment before programme deployment significantly increases the effectiveness and relevance of training outcomes compared to generic, non-targeted training. It is concluded that systematic and needs-driven training and development is a cost-effective pathway to workforce competency enhancement in public health administration. The study recommends that the Enugu State Ministry of Health establish a dedicated Human Resource Development unit with a mandatory training calendar and post-training competency evaluation framework.

Keywords: Training and development, workforce competency, Enugu Ministry of Health, Human Capital Theory, healthcare workers