There are a variety of reasons your company may have created or would like to establish a training program. Some professions require continuing education credits and/or proof of compliance that expires every year or so. Training also gives employees the opportunity to enrich their knowledge base or expand their expertise in ways that will help the company grow.
Research shows that companies that provide employee training opportunities have better retention, develop future leaders within a company, build camaraderie among employees, and empower employees, which in turn increases trust between management and employees.
Training programs can cover topics such as management, sales, on-the-job, or personal studies in addition to required continuing education or required compliance training.
Imagine your staff fresh out of a training program: processes are clear; productivity and performance improve after finding solutions for bottlenecks; questions and redundant issues are resolved; morale is boosted across the board. (Did you hear the collective sigh of relief?)
So how can you develop a training program that will benefit your bottom line and the dedicated employees willing to grow with you?
It’s simpler than you think:
- Identify training needs. These may include optional training like sales updates and personal development workshops, or your employees may need to coordinate time for continuing education credits or mandated compliance certifications.
- Define objectives. Answer the following questions: Who is the training for and why? Is it mandatory? If not, how many employees do you need to enroll to host the training(s)? What will attendees take away from the training, and what should they do with those learnings afterwards?
- Design the training. Work with a professional instructor or outline the main points that need to be covered during the training. Will this be a self-paced online course or a live event? Is the training a single session or split into modules?
- Get employees invested. Mandatory training does not really apply here but offering to track when employees need recertifications is a strong way to keep employees satisfied and confident in the management team. For voluntary training, give employees the opportunity to contribute to the objectives ahead of time by sharing ideas or topics they’re interested in learning.
- Coordinate the training. Training programs that are managed and scheduled efficiently will decrease the risk of an employee missing a renewal or continuing education credit deadline. Do you need to hire someone to come in to facilitate the training? If it’s self-paced, do all the employees have easy access to their login information and a clear deadline? Give yourself, or the person organizing the training, time to put the logistics together.
- Document the training. It’s important to have a record of who attended training and when their certifications or continuing education credits need to be submitted to state or local boards. TrainingTracker can help simplify this process, allowing your HR or administrative staff to easily manage the development of employees or contractors.
- Evaluate and adjust the training for future employees. Keeping employees feeling empowered and invested after training does not need to be complicated; a simple form asking for feedback and suggestions for future company-sponsored development.
If you’re ready to develop training for your employees, it may be time to learn how TrainingTracker can simplify your back-office documentation. Schedule your free demo here.
