This study examined the relationship between manpower training and productivity in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Council, Ota, Ogun State. It also investigated the extent to which the nature of manpower training affects productivity and the challenges to effective training in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Council. The study covered the period of 2006 and 2016. The human capital theory was used to describe the importance of investing in human capital in an organisation. The study gathered data through primary and secondary sources. The primary data was collected through a well-structured questionnaire circulated to one hundred

(170) staff of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Council. The population of this study was the employees of Ado-Odo/Ota Local government council which was 548 as at December, 2016. Simple random sampling technique was used to administer the questionnaire which covered both the senior and junior workers. The Pearson Products Moment Correlation statistics was utilized in testing the validity of the hypotheses set for the study. The findings of this research indicates that there is significant relationship between manpower training and productivity in Ado/Odo Ota Local Government Council. The study also revealed that on-the-job training, workshops and seminars has a positive relationship on employees’ productivity. On the basis of these findings, Ado-Odo/Ota local government council should embrace manpower training as management approach to constantly increase the knowledge, skills and abilities required for employees to remain productive in a competitive environment. The study also recommends that employees who are willing to embark on training programmes should be provided with adequate funding and supervision to ensure a successful programme. It was concluded that higher government authorities should endeavour to monitor the implementation of training policies in Ado-Odo/Ota local government council in order to achieve its objectives.

The major objective of every organisation, whether private or public, is to improve its productivity, and this achievement to a great extent is determined by the abilities and competences of its workforce. Responsible organisations recognize that human resources are their main resource in achieving the desired objectives. Consequently, workers must be equipped and trained adequately to ensure that their knowledge, skills, and abilities facilitate the attainment of organisational goals and objectives. Onah (2003) affirmed that manpower is the premise of all other resources utilized in production and therefore an indispensable factor in converting other resources to the benefit of mankind. In this way, how well we prepare a worker is central to choosing the amount we will fulfill our dreams as a country. Therefore, manpower training should be an integral part of every organisation. This is because manpower training enhances employee productivity, thereby contributing significantly to the achievement of the organisational objectives (Banjoko, 2011). Manpower training, therefore plays significant role in guaranteeing that the predetermined goals of the public sector are achieved. This is important because the public sector consists of individuals who are major instrument that delivers public programmes, goods and services.

To validate this assertion, Singh & Mohanty (2012), posit that training is a central and powerful instrument for the effective attainment of organisational objectives and goals, resulting in greater productivity. As such, the accomplishment of an organisation to a great extent relies on the capabilities and skills of the employees at the administrative and lower levels of the organisation and such capacities and ability for the most part originate from the knowledge and training they receive (Dialoke, Ukah and Ikoro, 2016). Also, training is fundamental in view of the evolving technology; the automated work environment; the rapid transformation in administrative settings, accompanied by the demands of diversity management as hallmarks and symbols of globalization. The role of personnel training is inevitable, as many organisations have come to realize that training remains the only medium for increasing abilities, improving productivity, ensuring the retention of work standard and enhancing employee’s allegiance to the organization (Dialoke, et.al, 2016). In the Nigerian public sector, low productivity has given rise to several reforms and some of the commissions recommended manpower training as avenues to address concerns on low productivity.

The Nigerian public sector in the pursuit of improved productivity has experienced an extensive form of reforms which are centered on manpower training. These reforms have been grossly implemented to address the issue of productivity and bureaucratic bottlenecks in service delivery (Okorie and Odo, 2014). Also these reforms became very expedient to address the problems of low productivity and proffer the way forward. It aims at making government more responsive and effective. The overall objective is to ensure efficiency, service delivery, transparency, improved condition of service and productivity in the public sector. (Olaopa, 2008 cited in Okorie and Odo, 2014).

The initial commission or study group that was established by the federal government to reform the public sector was the Wolle Commission. The commission was initiated to investigate the training need of the federal civil service in 1967 among others. The Commission was headed by Professor C. P. Wolle, who consults for the Institute of Administration at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) (Mohammed, 2014). According to Isiwu, (2012:4), the report of the study were published in May 1968 with the title “Training Needs of the Federal Civil Service”. Therefore, the federal government gave vent to the report in April 1969 through: the federal government plan on employee training and development for the civil servants, with major components as: (i) the establishment of Department of training department for public officers with the role of assessing the need for employees education, the preparation and implementation of training courses to achieve the desired training needs;(ii) The restructuring of the Federal Ministry of Establishments to ensure that more preference is given to manpower development; (iii) the institution of a standing committee on training of the workforce and the encouragement of large departments/ ministries to establish a training centre suitable with the function and size of the ministry and (iv) The formation of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (Elozieuwa, 2012:45).