It is acknowledged that Human Resource Development (HRD) practices such as On Job Training (OJT) and Job Placement (JP) are linked to employee performance. However, research is yet to focus on how performance is affected by mismatch of new knowledge and skills acquired from OJT and those required to perform their allocated responsibilities, especially in public universities in Kenya. Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) devotes some of its budgetary allocation on OJT of administrative staff and any mismatch between knowledge and skills acquired and those demanded by administrative jobs can be counterproductive. Thus a need exists to establish the relationship between OJT as HRD practice and JP of trained administrative staff. The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between on-job training and job placement of administrative staff at MMUST. This is aimed at finding out if the OJT programmes match the staff’s skills and knowledge. The study employed a case study design with target population of 149 administrative staff. Since the target population was small, it formed the sample therefore census sampling. Data was collected using structured questionnaire and an interview schedule. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and was presented verbatim according to the themes while quantitative data was analyzed descriptively using percentages and frequency distribution techniques. The results indicated that majority of the respondents acquired most of their knowledge and skills while in their current positions, with a few others had the knowledge and skills that matched with the positions they held. The study concludes that properly placed employees perform optimally while misplaced employees feel demotivated and tend to have a high turn-over rate. The study recommends that organizations should ensure that they hire competent and qualified administrative staff and also, enact policies on proper placement to ensure that employees who are misplaced have a chance to be properly placed to the right positions.
Keywords: Administrative staff, Job Dissatisfaction, Job Placement, Knowledge, Skills
