Recruitment is important in selecting the right kind of extension personnel. Since the job of extension personnel calls for technical skills as well as commitment and willingness to educate rural people, an appropriate selection system is essential to ensure the right selection.
The success of extension depends heavily upon selection of qualified and motivated personnel. Extension organizations in developing countries use two major sources of recruitment: from outside and from within.
Entry-level positions such as village extension workers and agricultural extension officers are filled by outside recruitment, using the services of government placement agencies.
Other channels of recruitment are advertisements, private placement agencies, professional search firms, and educational institutions.
The selection of extension staff starts with making the job opportunities known to all potential applicants through advertisement. The help of extension workers' training centers, agricultural colleges, rural institutions, and local government agencies may be sought to give wide publicity, as well as to inform candidates living in rural areas. This is followed by screening applicants to short-list suitable candidates and by evaluating potential candidates through various tests.
A typical selection process consists of the following steps: completed job application, initial screening, testing, in-depth selection interview, physical examination, and job offer.
In general, extension organizations in developing countries use a simple knowledge test and a brief interview to select extension personnel. By using the above method, it is impossible to discriminate an effective candidate from an ineffective candidate, because selecting extension personnel demands thorough, in-depth testing of cognitive and no cognitive abilities.
Testing cognitive ability includes a knowledge test, a skill or ability test, and an aptitude test. A no cognitive test is a measure of behavioral dimensions which are important for field-level extension personnel, including concern for and commitment to rural people, empathy, problem-solving orientation, high motivation to influence and educate farmers, ability to work under unsupervised and difficult village conditions, patience and persistence, and team spirit.
The final selection procedure consisted of five days of testing skills and attitudes in actual village situations. The test included testing attitudes towards menial tasks like cleaning some cattle shed or digging a compost pit. The candidates' responses to emergency situations are also tested by dropping them into isolated villages.
A clear job description, performance standards, and performance appraisal will help in evaluating extension worker.
Rewarding extension program officers.
Rewarding Superior Performance by recognizing the good ideas of field workers or awarding honorable titles will also help in improving performance.
Improved Working Conditions at the Field Level: the living conditions of field extension workers must be improved by providing adequate facilities for housing, transport, and medical and educational allowances for children.
Career Planning and Development for Extension Personnel: extension organizations have to develop suitable career paths and advancement for different categories of extension personnel on a systematic basis. Extension personnel should be provided with opportunities to develop their technical and managerial skills to enable them to occupy higher positions.
Fun gifts: Celebrating your extension officers through gift-giving. Gifts are great incentives for company-specific holidays, like work anniversaries, customer service week, global wellness day, or boss’s day.
0724229776 answered the question on May 13, 2022 at 13:02