Effect of Training and Development Programs on Employee Retention in Rwamagana District
Janet Nshemire and Ruth Odengo
University of Kigali
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3892-1717
Email: nshemirej@gmail.com
Abstract: This study examined the effect of training and development programs on employee retention in Rwamagana District. The study focused on onboarding and induction training, leadership and management development, and professional development and compliance, and assessed their joint predictive effect on employee retention. Expectancy Theory, Human Capital Theory, and Social Exchange Theory guided the study. A descriptive and explanatory quantitative research design was used. The target population comprised 409 employees, from which a sample of 202 respondents was determined using Yamane’s formula. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, item-level standard deviations, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Documentary sources were reviewed to provide institutional and contextual background for the study. The regression model was statistically significant, F(3, 183) = 5915.848, p < 0.001, and explained 99.0% of the variation in employee retention (R² = 0.990). Onboarding and induction training (B = 0.114, p = 0.008), leadership and management development (B = 0.754, p < 0.001), and professional development and compliance (B = 0.118, p = 0.030) each had a positive statistically significant coefficient. Because the predictors were exceptionally highly correlated, the relative size of the individual coefficients should be interpreted cautiously. The study concluded that coordinated training and development programs are important for strengthening employee retention in Rwamagana District. It recommends structured onboarding, continuous leadership and management development, sustained professional development and compliance training, and continued evaluation of the three measured training and development dimensions.
