According to a recent LinkedIn study on workplace learning, training for soft skills is the number one priority for those in talent development roles. The study also reveals that 68% of employees prefer to learn on the job and that 94% of personnel would stay longer with an employer that created an employee training plan and invested in their careers.
Employee training plans improve employee performance and satisfaction. But, conceiving and implementing an effective strategy can be time-consuming and draining. Of course, there's no one-size-fits-all employee training plan. The most successful strategies encompass several elements.
Establish Needs
Before you can create an effective employee training plan, you should determine what's necessary and why it's required. Start by identifying the goals you want to meet. They should be consistent and correspond with your organization's short- and long-term goals, vision, and mission.
Pinpoint the instructional requirements for specific departments as well as individual roles. Working to define your target audience keeps unique personalities and learning styles top of mind. Narrowing the goals around that audience help prioritize what needs attention first. Determine the current baseline for both productivity and quality.
Assess employee knowledge of your organization's general operations and their specific responsibilities. Having a clear understanding of who you're creating a plan for and why will strengthen and clarify your strategy.
Include the Team
Engaging your workforce in the planning process has many advantages. Organizations that value employee opinions see lower turnover rates, fewer safety incidents, and increased productivity.
Involving employees in your training development can expose potential issues before they arise. It might also reveal information that will help you create and deliver effective instruction.
Talk to staff members individually or in small groups. Send out surveys or questionnaires to gather qualitative data. Pick your team's collective brain to discover pertinent information you might have overlooked. This feedback can help you find out what would make employees more confident in their jobs.
Determine the Best Time to Train
If employees often lament that there isn't enough time in the day, they're not alone. A recent study found that the average employee only has twenty-four minutes a week available to devote to learning. That's less time than the average lunch break.
The learning solution you devise should fit the schedules of your team members. Your training plan should have on-demand training available for employees to train when their workday allows for it. This flexibility keeps employees from having to drop what they're doing to attend predetermined group training meetings.
Tracking and Evaluations
It's essential to determine how you'll gauge instructional exercises as part of your training programs. After determining your objectives, establish the best metrics that correspond with these goals. You should have plans in place to measure training success and how well your team members are retaining the information.
Evaluations help you find opportunities to change delivery methods, improve training content, and identify training approaches that aren't working. Be sure to provide a plan for continued education, as well. Ongoing training guarantees that your team's skills and knowledge are current.
Choose the Right Training Platform
Your training strategy should include a plan for the educational delivery system you'll use. Look for a Learning Management System that can deliver engaging, personalized experiences. The ideal platform will also offer training with immediate usefulness so employees can transfer the information they've absorbed to their day-to-day tasks.