A training program for your employees is good for them and for your organization. Investing in your team this way has been shown to improve productivity, reduce costly mistakes, and boost staff morale.
So you’re sold on the idea of training and development in the workplace. But how can you implement the most effective employee training program? Take a look at our step-by-step guide:
1. Identify Needs and Goals
Firstly, you need to identify the weaknesses in your company. Where is time lost or productivity reduced because of a lack of the required skill sets?
Consider both hard skills (knowledge of software) and soft skills (time management or leadership).
As well as weaknesses, consider short and long-term company objectives and whether your team has the skills to meet them.
2. Identify Staff
Talk with managers to identify staff members who are most in need of skill development.
You should also work to identify staff members who will be crucial to successfully attaining long-term objectives.
3. Find Training Resources
There’s an incredible variety of training resources available for almost every business area. Standard textbooks, software, and online courses are easy to find.
If you require some customization to make materials more specific to your industry or company, this is also possible depending on the vendor you choose.
When purchasing materials, consider the resources you need to have in-house. Will you be able to run the software you’ve chosen? Do you need a dedicated training room with extra computers?
4. Find a Trainer
The most effective training programs involve interaction with a real human being. This means recruiting a dedicated trainer or an experienced member of staff to guide your trainees, answer their questions, and encourage course engagement.
Self-study can be a big part of your training program. But it’s important to incorporate trainer interaction as well.
5. Create a Training Schedule
Work out your priorities to boost skills in areas where they are most needed first. But bear in mind that all employees should be given the opportunity to develop their skills within the company.
Your schedule should factor in the time staff will need to take away from work, ensuring teams aren’t left too depleted during training, and how long to leave between training sessions.
6. Staff Induction
Inducting your staff into the training process can have a huge effect on your program’s success. It is essential to help your employees understand the aims of the training, what they will learn, how it will be conducted, and how it will benefit them and the organization in the coming years.
This information can help staff to engage with the training process and really strive for success.
7. Training Follow Up
With a training program, there’s always room for improvement. Find out about the strengths and weaknesses of your training program by regularly following up with staff who have undertaken it.
Get their immediate feedback after the training has ended on the learning methods and topics they found useful.
You should also ask for feedback a little further down the line to determine how helpful the training has been to the day-to-day work of the employee and their wider team.
These findings can then inform the direction of your training program in the future.
By training your staff, you help to move your company forward and maximize its potential. Putting a great training program in place takes a lot of hard work, but the long-term rewards will certainly be worth it.
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