Learning & Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Learning & Development - Essay Example ave become increasingly varied, fluid and emergent as people make career decisions within a highly dynamic organizational, societal and global economic milieu’ Carter, Cook and Dorsey’s (2009, p. 12). As such, learning and development should be an integrative part in planning my career path to place me in the right track and to keep me always a valuable asset to my industry. In fact in the hospitality industry, hotels, themselves, aim to become learning organizations through constant coaching and self-development at all levels that one of the essential job descriptions of hotel employees is no other than for them to ensure their own learning and development; more than that, employees should ensure that what they learn is of high quality standards (Andrews 2009, p. 179). In short, employees are responsible for their own learning and development. They owe it first and foremost to their selves because today learning and development defines the future of employees in the or ganization; perhaps, this is true not only to employees but to organizations, themselves. Clearly so, learning and development is essential in defining one’s career path. Why this is so is the heart of this paper. To put matters in the right perspective, important terms, such as career, career path, career planning and development, and learning and development need to be defined. Career is viewed differently by many people. In fact according to Adams (1991, p. 3-5) since the 1960s defining this term has been a topic of many researches, yet until today, no single definition has been agreed upon. Nonetheless, Adams cited four basic definitions from which the term career can be understood. First, a career is viewed in relation to advancement. Meaning, a career is perceived as a sequence of upward or broadened movements in an employment’s hierarchical ladder during the time of one’s work life. Second, career is perceived in relation to a profession that allows promotions and advancements.