Effective Employee Training: Boost Your Team's Skills Now!

What is an employee training program?

As a business owner, providing employees with an effective training program is essential for success. Employee training programs are one of the most critical components of any employee management program. Training can help employees learn about their job, how to work with others, increase productivity, and be more effective.

Training helps your staff acquire the needed knowledge and skills for their job, boosts team engagement, and prepares everyone for workplace changes. When done correctly, employee training initiatives have proven to be invaluable investments.

Why do you need an effective training program?

According to a report presented by the World Economic Forum in 2020, the job outlook for 2025 is shifting in favor of workers. Prediction states that the number of jobs that might be taken over by machines or technology will drop from about 15% to just 9% of all jobs. Alongside this positive trend, exciting new job opportunities are on the horizon, expected to grow from approximately 8% to about 14% of the job market.

This report highlights the importance of effective employee training in the changing job landscape. As technology advances and automation gains prominence, specific jobs may become obsolete or evolve while new roles emerge.

With the decline of jobs that can be automated, employees in those roles might need to reskill or upskill to transition into new positions. Training programs that focus on teaching relevant skills for emerging professions will be essential to help employees remain employable. Effective employee training becomes crucial to equip the workforce with the skills and knowledge necessary to adapt to these changes. 

Are you ready to take your workforce to the next level? Fasten your seatbelts as we embark on this thrilling expedition together - let's dive straight into the world of impactful employee training!

Strategies for developing an effective employee training program

When developing an effective employee training program, there are a few key strategies that can help:

STEP 1. Training Needs Analysis: 

A training needs analysis (TNA) identifies and assesses training needs. By conducting a TNA, you can determine what type of training is necessary and how to deliver it best.

There are several steps involved in conducting a TNA:

1. Define the problem: What performance issue are you trying to address with training?
2. Identify who is affected by the problem: Who needs training?
3. Gather data: Collect data on the current situation, including information on employees' skills and knowledge levels.
4. Analyze the data: Use the data collected to identify employee skills and knowledge gaps.
5. Develop solutions: Based on the analysis, develop a plan for addressing the identified training needs.
6. Implement and evaluate: Once you have developed a plan, implement it and monitor its effectiveness. Make adjustments as needed to ensure that the training meets its objectives.

STEP 2. Set your objectives

As with any good plan, you need to set goals for your employee training program. These objectives will help to keep you and your team focused on what needs to be done.

Some objectives you may want to set for your employee training program include:

• Developing a skilled and knowledgeable workforce
• Improving employee productivity
• Reducing turnover and absenteeism
• Increasing employee satisfaction and engagement

Remember that these objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). By setting SMART objectives for your employee training program, you can track your progress and ensure your program is on track.

STEP 3: Consider what your team needs to learn

Based on the goals you've established in Step 2, consider what topics your team needs to learn and master to achieve those goals. Once you know what your team needs to learn, create a plan to teach it effectively.

When determining what topics your team needs to learn, it's important to consider your employees' expertise level. You must design your training program accordingly if you have a mix of new and experienced employees. For example, you may need to provide more basic overviews of certain topics for newer employees while offering more advanced content for management training or those with more experience.

Once you've determined the topics your team needs to learn, research different ways to deliver that content effectively. Many other employee training methods are available, so finding one that will work best for your team is important. Consider factors such as the learning style of your employees and the time constraints you're working within when making your decision.

STEP 4: Choose the training method that aligns with your objectives and budget

Employee training has a variety of solutions. The suitable method depends on your goals, budget, and choices.

Here are some common employee training methods to consider:

On-the-job training (OJT) is a hands-on approach where employees learn by doing the job under the supervision of a more experienced worker. OJT is a fast way to train new or current employees on new skills.

E-learning or self-paced learning allows employees to learn at their own pace and in their own time. This training is helpful for employees who need help with traditional classroom-style learning. It can also be a more cost-effective option since you won't need to pay instructor fees or other associated costs.

Classroom-style training is still a popular employee training method. This type of training typically involves an instructor leading a group of students through a lesson plan. Classroom-style training can be beneficial as it allows for face-to-face interaction and immediate feedback from the instructor. However, it can be costly if you need to rent space or hire an instructor.

Microlearning is another option to consider. It involves delivering content in small, bite-sized modules that are easy to consume and focus on specific topics or skills. This approach is well-suited for employees who prefer short bursts of learning and can be cost-effective, significantly, when leveraging online platforms.

By understanding your employees' needs and budget, choose the best training approach for your organization.

STEP 5: Develop a blend of diverse learning resources

An effective employee training program should include a combination of various learning resources. This will ensure that employees can learn differently and that the training is relevant to their needs.

Some examples of diverse learning resources include:

• eLearning modules
• Videos
• Job aids
• Cheat sheets
• Infographics
• Gamified Quizzes

STEP 6: Execute the training program

After you have designed and planned your employee training program, it is time to execute it. This is where you will implement your plan and train your employees.

There are a few things to keep in mind when executing your employee training program:

1. Make sure you have all the resources you need. This includes training materials, a room or space to hold the training, and any necessary equipment.
   
   
2. Choose the right employees to train. Only some employees will need or benefit from the same training. Pick employees who will get the most out of the training and can apply what they learn to their job.
   
   
3. Set realistic goals for the training program. What do you want your employees to learn? What skills do you want them to acquire? Once you know your goals, you can design activities and exercises that help your employees reach those goals.
   
   
4. Make sure the training is interactive. Employees should not just sit and listen during training; they should actively engage in the process of learning. Activities, exercises, gamified quizzes, and group work can help make this happen.
   
   
5. Follow up after the training is over. Just because the training program is over doesn't mean learning has stopped. Check-in with your employees after the fact to see how they are doing with their new skills and knowledge and offer additional support if needed.

STEP 7: Measure the success of your training

After you've implemented your employee training program, evaluating its effectiveness is important. You can use a few critical indicators (KPIs) to gauge the success of your training program:

1. Increased productivity: This is the most important KPI for any training program. If your employees can work more efficiently and effectively after completing the training, you know the program was successful.
   
   
2. Improved quality of work: Another key indicator of a successful training program is improved quality of work from employees. If they can produce higher-quality work thanks to the skills they learned in training, that's a good sign that the program was effective.
   
   
3. Lower error rates: The decrease in employee errors indicates a successful training program. If they're making fewer mistakes thanks to the new knowledge and skills they acquired, that's a big win for your company.
   
   
4. Greater customer satisfaction: If customers are happier with the products or services they receive from your company after your employees have completed training, that's a strong sign that the program was beneficial.

These are just a few methods to gauge the success of an employee training program. By tracking these KPIs, you'll be able to determine whether or not your program is making a difference for your business.

STEP 8: Gathering Learners feedback

Finally, the most important step is gathering feedback from learners. This helps you to understand what areas need improvement and makes the overall program more effective. Here are a few tips for gathering feedback:

1. Use surveys: Surveys are a great way to collect feedback from many employees. You can create your survey through an online tool like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms. Be sure to ask questions that will give you helpful insights, such as what employees thought of the training material, how useful it was, and what areas need improvement.
   
   
2. Conduct interviews: If you want to get more in-depth feedback, consider conducting interviews with employees who have completed the training. This approach lets you ask more questions and understand their thoughts and feelings.
   
   
3. Hold focus groups: Focus groups can help get feedback from a smaller group of employees. This method allows for more discussion and brainstorming around employee training.
   
   
4. Get input from managers: Another critical perspective to consider is that of managers. They are essential for employee growth and can show how well the training works.
   
   
5. Use social media: Social media is valuable for gathering employee feedback, especially when dealing with a large or geographically spread-out workforce. You can create a hashtag for employees to use when tweeting about the training program or open up.

CONCLUSION:

An effective employee training program is necessary for a business to stay competitive in the current market. By following the outlined steps, companies can create a comprehensive learning journey that will enable their employees to reach their full potential, and by utilizing appropriate technologies, they can make that journey more efficient. 

Zig Ziglar said it best: "The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is not training and keeping them." Ensuring your employees receive adequate training to remain fulfilled and productive while working for you is vital.

With the right approach, your training program can be delivered effectively with lasting results. If you want to help create a customized employee training program that works for your business, look no further than Brass Tacks. Sign up today and give your employees the proper foundation to help support not just their growth but also that of your business!

Resources:

https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Upskilling_for_Shared_Prosperity_2021.pdf 

https://resources.workable.com/tutorial/employee-training-program

https://www.timedoctor.com/blog/employee-training-programs/

https://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/how-to-develop-a-training-program#what-is-employee-training