According to a Gallup Poll, 80 percent of employees said the availability of company-sponsored training programs was a factor in deciding whether to accept a new job or stick with a current one. And yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the average number of hours of formal training per employee per year is only 10.7.
More companies are starting to realize that it's smart to invest in training, but faced with so many choices, how can an organization make sure it's getting the most out of its educational investment?
What do you need?
Training can take several forms, from simply encouraging subscriptions to key trade magazines to reimbursing tuition for degree programs. Before you decide where to put your training dollars, it's vital to do a full needs assessment. This might involve polling general employees one-by-one during evaluations or en masse via e-mail polls. It could even mean asking customers where they'd like to see your company improve in areas such as customer care, product innovation, communications technology or billing.
Another piece of needs assessment weighs training outcomes against big-picture strategies and operational requirements. It's relatively simple to evaluate individual progress, but if the company as a whole doesn't gain a competitive edge by saving money, processing information faster, serving customers better, decreasing harassment complaints - or whatever the goal is - then another training method should be considered.
Which Type of Training?
After the needs assessment, you then need to analyze which type of training is best for your company. Below are the most common training formats and the pros and cons of each.
Online Training
There are literally thousands of online options available; some involve weekly e-mail correspondence with a teacher, while some are automated, set-your-own-pace programs.
Pros:
Cons:
Onsite Training by Consultant
If many people in the company need to be trained at once or if training is for onsite computers or equipment, then bringing a trainer to the office may make the most sense economically. This method also works well for personalized subjects, such as supervisory skills, fair hiring practices or anti-harassment.
Pros:
Cons:
Onsite Training by Company's Own Management
Many companies send a few employees to training, then they rely on those people to come back and spread the knowledge to the team. Or, they create their own courses and enlist employees to impart their wisdom on colleagues.
Pros:
Cons:
Offsite Classes at Training Center or Community College
Nearly every metropolitan area has a community college that offers adult or continuing education classes. Some cities also have learning centers that offer courses taught by successful entrepreneurs or industry gurus.
Pros:
Cons:
One-off Seminars
For specific or motivational topics, employees can attend one-shot "celebrity" seminars, given by professional speakers or executives. Several non-profit and professional organizations also hold development courses, designed for busy people who need fine-tuning in one area.
Pros:
Cons:
Degree Programs
For employees who want to get to the next level or change their career focus, offering to cover all or some credits towards a degree ensures that they stay at their jobs as they increase knowledge and enhance skills. Many companies require that employees stay with the company or repay some of the tuition money if they decide to leave after receiving the degree.
Pros:
Cons:
Regardless of the type of training that you decide to offer, it's important to gather constant feedback, to make sure you're always spending your money and time wisely. Perhaps you'll find that you need to offer more than one type, so employees with different learning styles can get the most out of the training. And don't forget to sign yourself up-employees at every level can benefit!
About The Author
Jeff Turner is the President of Praxis HR and a Seattle-based authority on high-impact human resources, organizational development and training practices that help companies increase their profits by investing in their human capital.
He is on the SBA's National Advisory Council, serves on the Board of Directors of the Seattle Society for Human Resources Management, and is a member of the Labor & Employment Law section of the Washington State Bar Association.
To contact Jeff, or for more information on training that ensures more productive and smarter employees, or to sign up for our short monthly e-newsletters, visit www.praxishr.com, e-mail us at info@praxishr.com, or call 206.262.8133.
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