Investing in training can be a serious commitment for an organisation.
All too often organisations cease investing in people when budgets are tight. Don’t freeze training and development look at ways to ensure training is more effective.
People learn in different ways and understanding different learning needs and adopting different methods ensures everyone receives the best learning experience for them personally. When emotions are engaged we remember things better. Some people work well with online learning whereas others benefit more from face to face interactive sessions. Don’t be tempted to choose the option which is most convenient. Choose the one that is right for the learner.
Training has many benefits including increased job satisfaction, lower staff turnover and enhanced business image. Be it sending one person or a group of people on a one day course or providing the opportunity to gain a recognised qualification.
The most successful training courses are those that get the commitment of senior managers. Training briefs need to focus on outcomes that have been considered from the start and are linked to business objectives.
If what you want the learning to achieve is defined and measurements put in place then training will be more likely to have a lasting impact on improvement and performance as well as show a return on investment.
Ways to make your training budget go further
- Agree desired outcomes – discuss your training needs with the trainer
- Consider how the training links to business objectives
- Look at how things have worked up to now and how you would like things to change. Be it a change in behaviour or process
- Consider who would benefit most from the training. Could they train others?
- For bespoke courses work with the trainer to contextualise to your organisation and use relevant examples
- Consider the delegates and discuss with the trainer how to get the best from them
- Consider post training support to reinforce what has been learned
Knowledgeable, skilled staff are more effective in dealing with your customers. In today’s climate we must ensure our staff are multi skilled in order to get the most from resources.
