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Having high-potential employees does not guarantee that they will succeed. In order to provide new employees or current employees with the skills they need to perform their jobs, an employer must provide training. Training provides your employees with the tools they need to do what you want them to do; how you want them to do it. Without training, your employees will be able to do only what they know to do - the way they know to do it; and worse case scenario, to do nothing productive at all. Good training is vital to the health of your organization and ignoring good training for your employees is dangerous if not fatal to your organization.
In an article by AP Economics Writer, Jeannine Aversa, Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, is quoted as saying: "Education - lifelong education for everyone from toddlers to workers well advanced in their careers - is indeed an excellent investment for individuals and society as a whole."
The trick to effective training is two-fold:
The trainee must be motivated by the training.
The training must provide the information necessary to benefit the trainee and the organization.
It is easier for trainees to understand and remember materials that are meaningful and are presented in ways that hold their interest. People have different methods of learning and the more of these methods that can be woven into the training, the better the opportunities for all types of learners to succeed upon completion of the training.
Choosing not to invest in training your employees is a choice to not invest in the future of your company.
In order to be most successful, the training should make it easy to transfer the new skills and behaviors to the job of the trainee. The more similar the training is to the actual work situation, the better. Good training should also include adequate opportunities for practice.
Considerations for deciding what training to select include:
Determine what training will enhance your workplace:
What "gaps" exist in your organization that existing employees could fill if they were properly trained (rather than hiring additional staff)?
Are there regulatory requirements for your business or industry that need to be met?
Could additional training benefit the organization through greater levels of output by existing employees?
Determine who will best benefit from the training you select:
Will training create a better environment (more enjoyable, safer, etc.) for your employees?
Will training promote better customer relationships?
Will training allow some employees to be promoted to higher level positions?
Determine how much you can afford to spend on training (realizing that you may need to cut somewhere else to invest in training):
What will the training cost in actual company investment dollars?
What will the training cost in "time away" from the job?
How much are you currently spending on training (include all dollars spent and/or otherwise forgone)?
Determine how you will know if the training you select is (or has been) effective and useful:
What changes in behavior and outcome should be expected as a result of the training?
What measurement will you use?
What measurements should be taken before implementing the training?
How long after the training should you measure again to determine the effectiveness?
Deciding to train your employees is a very important business decision, followed very closely with selecting the correct curriculum to meet your needs. Choosing not to invest in training your employees is a choice to not invest in the future of your company.
It is easier for trainees to understand and remember materials that are meaningful and are presented in ways that hold their interest. People have different methods of learning and the more of these methods that can be woven into the training, the better the opportunities for all types of learners to succeed upon completion of the training.
Determine how you will know if the training you select is (or has been) effective and useful:
