What Are Employees Looking For From An Employee Training Program?
Employee training goals aren’t a “one size fits all” approach but the need for work-based learning has become more important than ever and is top of many employees’ minds. Decades ago, the thought of receiving professional training opportunities often caused employees’ eyes to glaze over and for their minds to drift elsewhere. This is no longer the case. Employees now want companies to be taking a proactive approach when providing them with the upskilling opportunities they need to advance and develop in their careers.
Below, we discuss what it is that employees want from a workplace training program and how you as a business owner can create a valuable training program experience that your team members will gain value and knowledge from.
Do You Know What Your Employees’ Training Goals Are?
While as a business owner, you may have your own ideas about the skills that your employees need to focus on as part of their roles. Yet, you may be surprised to learn that many employees have their own needs and goals when it comes to training.
In fact, studies have found that there is often a disconnect between an employer’s opinion on what training program needs to be provided and the one that employees wish they can gain access to. It is safe to say that most industries are now aware of the need for continuous learning and upskilling in order to stay productive in a constantly evolving world. But if the training provided isn’t of true value to your employees then isn’t it more of a wasted opportunity?
There are many ways a business owner can determine the training needs and demands of your employees. When it comes to designing an employee training plan for your company, it is important to be aware of and do the following:
- Employee And Company Training Goals – Determine what organizational goals and employee goals need to be met by the training program
- Get Your Employees’ Opinions – Talk with your employees and ask them what skills they need to work on or develop in order for them to carry out their jobs better. Make it clear that you want to know the professional milestones that they to reach and how they would like an employee training program to help them achieve this
- Identify Knowledge & Skills Gaps – Break down and articulate what skills each employee needs at the end of training in order to reach these goals
- Evaluate The Performance Of Past And Existing Training Opportunities – Getting your employees’ feedback can be helpful here. Determine which parts of past and existing training plans and programs are not beneficial to the goals that you and employees are looking to achieve
As a company leader, to adequately provide an employee training program that is going to delight your team members then you need to truly understand what it is that they are looking to achieve. By understanding employees’ training goals, you’ll be able to help them develop and grow in a way that is beneficial for all parties involved.
Why Employees Are Leaving Companies That Don’t Value Skills Training
Every employee, both new and existing, look for growth and development opportunities within a company. The last thing that any professional wants to feel is their career becoming stagnated. When this happens, it can severely impact employee morale.
If employees aren’t offered continuous learning and development opportunities that allow them to grow their skills, learn new things that interest them and grow on a personal level then they are more willing to leave. In fact, many companies that don’t value skills training often note low rates of production, high employee turnover rates, increased business expenses and loss of costumers.
Employees value their ability and willingness to upskill. As a company owner, you should too. If you don’t wish to lose your highly talented employees then it is essential that you recognize the importance that employees place on learning and development training programs. If you fail to do this, then we guarantee that your employees will look elsewhere.
How To Create A Valuable Training Program Experience
So, how exactly can you provide a valuable employee training program experience to your employees that will:
- Keep them engaged and motivated
- Meet their training needs
- Allow your business to grow
Below, we walk you through the top steps you need to take when creating a professional training plan for your employees that will provide them with the value and benefits that they deserve to receive.
Listen To Employee Feedback
As we mentioned, employee feedback is essential when it comes to designing a training program that they will enjoy and gain value from. Speak with your managers and other team members to get their opinion on what they liked and disliked about previous training opportunities. This can help you ascertain which areas of employee training aren’t as highly valued among your staff.
As the learning and development industry continues to evolve along with new training methods, it is important to get your employees’ opinions on how they would like to access training content. Would they prefer to access training opportunities online? Or do they prefer in-person training classes?
Keep in mind that each employee’s preference may be different so designing an employee training program that incorporates all aspects of training such as a blended learning approach may be a good choice for your company.
Assess Their Learning Styles
Additionally, each employee has their own preferred learning style. For example, some employees are more visual when it comes to learning and prefer to digest information through the use of graphs and infographics. While others may prefer to have training opportunities that are provided via podcast and voice recordings.
Assessing how your employees like to learn new information and skills and keeping this forefront when creating a learning and development experience will ensure that each employee is being given the tools and training resources to upskill in the best possible way for them.
Plan For Sustainability
Workplace training plans should never be a once and done event. In fact, all business owners should approach employee training from a sustainable perspective. By planning for sustainability, you can build a foundation for upskilling that will continue for years at a consistent pace.
Sustainable training plans allow employees to access training content that is always relevant to their needs and will provide them with the skillset that they will value most on a personal and professional level.
How The Training Company Can Help You Delight Employees
Here at the Training Company, we understand that employees are beginning to take the reins when it comes to defining what they want from an employee training program. That’s why we want to help many companies across the country to provide their employees with the learning and development opportunities that they deserve.
As your training partner, we can help you identify the training courses and methods that will delight your staff most. We offer a wide range of professional upskilling opportunities from Leadership Skills training, Workplace Health and Safety training to Project Management training.
For more information on how you can create the best workplace training plan for your company, get in touch with our team of experts today and we’ll guide you in the right direction.