Competence Level, Productivity Differentials and Age-Based Variation in Training Participation: Evidence from Corporate Employees in India

Abstract

This study examines three related questions concerning corporate employees' soft-skill competence, productivity and training participation: whether competence level predicts employee productivity, whether productivity differs significantly across competence groups, and whether training-programme participation differs significantly across employee age groups. Data were collected through a structured, cross-sectional survey of 418 corporate employees across five sectors (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance; Fast-Moving Consumer Goods; Information Technology; Real Estate; and Pharmaceuticals), selected through non-probability convenience sampling. A structural equation model (Maximum Likelihood estimation) showed that competence level has a positive and statistically significant impact on employee productivity (unstandardised estimate = 0.619, β = 0.581, z = 9.21, p < .001). Welch's one-way ANOVA showed a highly significant difference in mean productivity across five competence-level groups (F = 30.7, df1 = 4, df2 = 74.9, p < .001), with mean productivity rising from 2.85 in the least-competent group to 4.20 in the highly-competent group. A second Welch's ANOVA showed a significant difference in training-programme participation across four age groups (F = 3.53, df1 = 3, df2 = 105, p = .017), with employees aged 36-45 years reporting the lowest mean participation. The results suggest that competence is a measurable construct that is relevant to performance and that age is a factor that should be considered when designing a training-engagement strategy, and that the cross-sectional, convenience-sample design should not be interpreted as causal relationships.