Factors and the Importance of Formal Training in Knowledge and Skills Acquisition and Development of Employees in Small Technology Firms (Uwarunkowania i znaczenie szkolen w zdobywaniu i rozwijaniu wiedzy pracowników malych firmach technologicznych )

The purpose of this article is to determine the learning opportunities through formal training, identify factors shaping the possibility of participation in trainings and evaluate the importance of trainings in knowledge and skills development of employees in small technology firms in Poland. Based on qualitative research – interviews with employees of technology firms – the conditions related to participation in trainings were defined and the factors influencing the availability of training to the employees were identified. The lack or shortage of necessary knowledge and skills noticed by the management of the firms was found to be among the main conditions for participation in trainings, and the main determinant of an employee’s participation in trainings was the position held by the employee and the job character. The article assesses the factors and importance of training in the development of appropriate knowledge and skills among employees of small technology companies. In the light of the research, the main considerations in terms of the possibility of training employees of small technology companies are the training offer available in the market and expectations of the management of companies for critical knowledge and skills acquired and developed by individual employees.