DEVELOPING A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

The systematic development of an individual's knowledge, abilities, and attitudes necessary for them to successfully complete a specific task or employment is described as training. Another definition of training is stated in the Thesaurus of Training Terms (Manpower Services Commission, U.K.) as "a structured procedure to improve attitude, knowledge, or skill behavior through learning experience to achieve effective performance in an activity or range of activities. Effective training programs enable employees to adapt to change, think creatively, persevere in the face of fierce competition, and successfully contribute to the success of the firm.

The costs associated with training are intended to be demonstrated by the examples below. IBM invested $2 billion annually in training to make it efficient during the 1970s and 1980s, which explicates why IBM rose to the top of its industry. Dell also invests $80 million in training. The Petroleum Development Oman Company spent a total of $7.3 million on training in 2005. As a result, it gained recognition as the best organization and was able to produce enough oil to pay for the Sultanate's ongoing expenses and development programs. McDonald's invests over 10 million pounds ($18,200,000) in continuous staff training each year, training close to 55,000 workers and giving them access to useful knowledge.

According to renowned management author Peter Drucker, the substitution of industrial workers with knowledge workers will cause the training and development sector to rising at a rapid rate. According to one statistic, technology is de-skilling 75% of the population in the United States, for instance. This is valid for both emerging countries and those on the verge of progress. With more women taking on traditionally male-dominated jobs in Japan, for instance, training is vital to convey both the essential job skills and to prepare them for physically demanding jobs. They receive training on everything, including sexual harassment policies and the abilities needed for the job.

One of the most crucial components of any training program is the trainer. Additionally, a trainer's expertise in the program's subject matter must be their most important quality. Discussions with the HR Department had indicated that classroom lectures, games and simulations, and on-the-job training are the most often employed instructional techniques in the training programs set up (OJT).

There are several factors to consider when creating the training plan. Planning and developing training should be done in advance. The following factors should be taken into account while creating a training program:

• Needs assessment and learning objectives
• Consideration of learning styles
• Delivery mode
• Budget
• Delivery style
• Audience
• Content
• Timelines
• Communication
• Measuring the effectiveness of training/ feedback

Identifying the organization's training needs is the first stage in creating a training program. The assessment of training needs has three levels;

·      Organisational Evaluation: This kind of needs analysis allows us to pinpoint the competencies that a business requires to achieve its strategic goals. This kind of evaluation considers things like shifting demographics and technology changes. This kind of evaluation examines how the company might manage its flaws while highlighting its assets.

·      Occupational (work) Evaluation: This kind of evaluation focuses on the precise duties, skills, and expertise needed to carry out activities within the business.

·      Individual Evaluation. An individual evaluation examines each employee's performance to identify what training has to be done for that employee.

A learning objective is something you want the learner to be able to accomplish, describe, or exhibit by the end of the training. Positive learning objectives are performance-based, transparent, and have a defined ultimate result that can be quantified in some way. The following is an example of a learning objective:

•        Be willing to describe the company's sexual harassment policy and provide cases of sexual harassment.

•        Be able to demonstrate how to properly take a customer's order.

•        Use company software to conduct a range of client requirements evaluations.

•        Learn how to use and comprehend the new expense-tracking software.

•        Describe the chemical-handling safety process.

•        Explain the different sorts of communication skills and solutions for dealing with each one.

•        Be ethical while addressing customer complaints.

•        Be able to delegate successfully to staff.

Recognizing learning styles is essential for any training program. A competent trainer strives to create training that caters to the three distinct learning styles:

•        Visual learner: Learns best reached by graphics, photos, and numbers.

•        Auditory learner: Learns by listening to a lecture or explaining how to do something.

•        Kinesthetic learner: Develops sentiments toward an experience to learn.

Depending on the sort of training required, you will most likely select a different form of delivery. Orientation may be best suited for vestibule training, whereas sexual harassment training may be more suited for web-based training. When selecting a delivery mode, it is critical to consider the audience and financial constraints. The following types of training and delivery modes are outlined;

Delivery Method: Mentor & On-the-job (OTJ) coaching

• Technical training
• Skills training
• Managerial training
• Safety training

Delivery Method: brown bag session / informal training

• Quality training
• Soft skills training
• Professional training
• Safety training

Delivery Method: Web-based

• Technical training
• Quality training
• Skills training
• Soft skills training
• Professional training
• Team training
• Managerial training
• Safety training

Delivery Method: Job shadowing

• Technical training 
• Quality training
• Skills training
• Safety training

Delivery Method: Job swapping & Vestibule training

• Technical training
• Quality training
• Skills training
• Professional training
• Team training
• Managerial training
• Safety training

The budget has a significant impact on the type of training provided. This wouldn't be the ideal choice if you decide that web-based training is the best delivery method, but you don't have the money to pay the platform's user fee. People's time is another cost factor in addition to the real cost of training. What is the cost to the company if employees are in training for two hours and are unable to do their jobs as a result? The exact cost of the supplies, refreshments, and other direct costs, as well as the indirect costs, including people's time, should be recorded in a spreadsheet.

What is the most effective way to provide trainings while taking the delivery method into account? Many people don't learn through "death by PowerPoint," but rather in several modalities, including aural, kinesthetic, and visual. This is an important fact to remember. What sorts of icebreakers, breakout sessions, and exercises can you include considering this to make the training as participatory as possible? Employees may find role playing and other activities to be entertaining during training. Online films, podcasts, and other interactive media are frequently used by trainers in their training sessions. This meets the needs of various learning types and makes the training more engaging.

A crucial part of training is taking your audience into account. How long have they worked for the company, or are they new hires? In what divisions do they work? These inquiries might assist you in creating an effective delivery method for improved training. In a mixed group, examples and conversations can cover a range of subject areas.

One of the most time-consuming and crucial components of training is content development. More targeted training is achieved by creating learning objectives, or the things you want your trainees to understand after the training. Consider learning objectives as goals; the following are a few examples.

• Can define and describe how hazardous materials are handled at work.
• Be capable of applying the model of the team decision-making process.
• Be aware of what constitutes sexual harassment and be able to spot it in the workplace.
• Be capable of describing the organizational structure and policies of the company.

A timeline might be a helpful guideline for completing an employee training strategy. Creating a predictable training schedule improves communication with your workers, leads to fewer communication challenges surrounding training, and helps all employees to plan ahead of time to attend training.

•        Develop elements of the employee training strategy. Divide the procedure into stages. For example, "Sales Training, Customer Service Training, Safety Training."

•        Establish fair expectations for the time required to accomplish each stage. Schedule inquiries and other events, such as lunch.

•        Put the time required to accomplish a task above the task based on your staff training plan.

Consider communicating the training using your company's internal network, e-mail, or even old-fashioned posters. You can also convey the timing to managers, staff, and anyone participating in the training to ensure that it works with their schedule.

Ask for feedback from attendees on the training. The following issues must be addressed:

·      Achievement of course objectives

·      Topic relevancy to learner requirements

·      Satisfaction with the trainer

·      Satisfaction with the facilities

Someone who has asked you to provide training is also your customer. Inquire about how effectively the training fit their needs and how they felt about working with you. Make use of the feedback to improve your instructional design and delivery.

Employee training is vitally necessary to facilitate this ongoing skill enhancement. However, business managers usually worry about this due to the ongoing expenditure it poses to the company. Beyond this, there are several compelling benefits that lend credence to the idea that improving employee training could be beneficial for the business and ought to be given top attention. If you have a sound training strategy in place, you can monitor your return on investment in your balance sheet.

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