Your employees are your most valuable resource and training them might be one of your most significant responsibilities. The Association for Talent Development has reported a steady increase in employee learning since 2014, and with good reason. Companies that provide a comprehensive training course see a 24 percent higher profit margin as well as a 6 percent increase on shareholder returns than those who do not.
Nobody has to tell you that your business and your workforce is unique. There are distinctive skills and tools that employees need to learn and exceptional personalities, learning styles and schedules to be considered. Tailoring initial and ongoing learning to meet your organization’s exclusive needs is the ideal approach.
Creating a custom training course for your team will provide an outstanding ROI almost immediately. Learning how to meet the unique needs of your employees will enable you to customize initial and ongoing learning for your organization.
Understand the Advantages
Knowing why staff development is so important should be your first priority. Having a clear comprehension of the numerous benefits of a tailored training course will help with both planning and implementation. Collecting data on these advantages could help convince stakeholders of the value of such a program. Presenting this data to direct management can improve investment at all levels.
Some of the benefits of staff development include:
- Increased employee retention; staff members feel more loyal to companies that invest in their development.
- Boosted morale and engagement; promoting knowledge and capability fosters a positive environment.
- Amplified efficiency; well-trained employees create a workplace that runs like a well-oiled machine.
- Improved productivity and quality; team members who are skilled and confident are more effective, which increases both your company’s reputation and your bottom line.
- Increase innovation; expanding staff members’ knowledge and competencies can encourage them to develop better procedures as well as new products or services that are in line with your organization’s goals.
Determine Who and What
Before you can fine-tune a training course, you must establish who needs instruction and why. Will all staff members across departments be involved or only a specific subset? Clarify and classify which employees require a customized training course. Pinpoint the skills and knowledge they need.
Look for performance gaps and areas in which your team seems to struggle. Ask employees for their input regarding tools with which they feel unqualified or inexperienced. Request participation in assessments, which can identify and isolate areas with the greatest opportunity for improvement.
Make sure the determinations you make are in line with business goals, mission, and vision. Will your training goals help your organization meet specific short- and long-term targets? In addition, ensuring that all training meets or exceeds any legal obligations is a must. For instance, will the training course satisfy standards for OSHA, DOT, certifications or other required responsibilities? If not, consider making further customizations.
Establish Appropriate Training Method
It’s no secret that adult learners have unique learning styles. The primary learning styles are visual, auditory, verbal and kinesthetic.
- Visual learners are detail-oriented and have strengths such as spatial thinking and image recall.
- Auditory learners can remember and repeat information they have heard.
- Verbal learners excel at comprehending and retaining data they have read. Involving training methods that engage a variety of learners will increase the effectiveness of any training course.
- Kinesthetic learners tend to learn through hands-on experience. Moving and doing while hearing and seeing works best.
Look for a platform that integrates all learning styles. A combination of videos, slides, stories, examples, activities and simulations or practice demonstrations allows every type of learner to absorb, understand and retain the information that is essential to your organization’s unique needs.
Self-direction is another essential piece of the puzzle. All employees should be able to dive into training without much hand holding. Every training course should include motivation as well as both positive and negative reinforcement to encourage workers to not only begin and complete required training but also give their best efforts.
Retention is crucial, as well. Put planned, ongoing testing into practice and provide the ability to put learned information into play right away to boost retention as well as engagement. Consider transference and applicability of any information you include. Can your team bring what they learn directly into the workplace?
Know Your Workforce
Along with learning styles, consider the backgrounds of your employees. How much previous training have they had? What methods have been used? What approaches worked wonderfully and what procedures fell flat?
Bear demographics in mind, as well. Is your team primarily comprised of young, entry-level employees or is your workforce made up of seasoned staff members with college degrees? Consider overall attitudes and expectations. A team who looks forward to learning more or views training as a means to increased opportunities will perform better than one that sees ongoing education as one more task on an overwhelming to-do list, or one that is not largely invested in their respective positions.
If your workforce falls into one of the latter categories, take steps to help them become engaged and invested. Ask what they want and need. Offer incentives for completing lessons and attaining certain scores. Make it easy for them to tackle required training by providing lessons on a user-friendly platform that is consistently available. Be sure to provide the time and space necessary for them to reach the goals you set before them.
WestNet Learning provides tools and features that enable you to create a robust training program that meets and exceeds the unique needs of your organization. Expert support is available that will allow you to develop a curriculum with an immediate and significant ROI.
WestNet Learning is an all-in-one LMS solution to easily train employees, increase employee productivity, and address safety needs. With customizable eCourse builders, analytics, reporting, certification, and re-certification tracking will help manage staff and stays on top of what matters most.
If you would like to learn more about how to engage and train your employees with efficiency so that you may increase your training course completion rates, feel free to reach out and schedule a 1-on-1 strategy session
