How to Develop an Effective Employee Training and Development Program

Workplace learning through various employee training and development programs is no longer optional. Today's workforce desires to be skill savvy, and they rely on their organization to provide them with the necessary programs and resources to do so. According to the LinkedIn 2023 workplace report, a people-centric organization will thrive and outgrow the market with ease. 83% of businesses are attempting to achieve people-centricity, with 81% of training and development departments assisting them with it.

The report emphasizes how progress toward career goals acts as the number one motivator for employees, which can be achieved through consistent and effective employee training. To that end, here's how to develop an effective employee training and development program:

Defining the Goals and Objectives

"Learn as if you were not reaching your goal and as though you were scared of missing it." - Confucius

Learning without a desired end goal in mind may not produce effective results. When starting a learning and development program, it is critical to establish specific goals and targets. This can be in line with business objectives and what is expected of employees in terms of KPIs or KRAs. It is critical to assess the value that the entire program provides to both employees and the organization.

So, if your company's goal is to provide better solutions and strategic advice, the employee training program must be able to empower the trainees to deliver on that promise. For example, if your company is onboarding a new client from a different industry where no one has any expertise, the training program's KPI should look something like this: "Ability to meet client expectations through industry knowledge and problem-solving tactics."

It is critical to link training efforts to actionable goals, which are at the heart of both an employee's and an organization's evolution. To accomplish this effectively, businesses frequently invest in a learning management system, which aids in tracking and measuring progress toward a predefined set of goals and objectives. It is an excellent way for leaders to monitor how the program is performing on the ground.

Conducting a Needs Assessment

Employee training and development programs require a thorough needs assessment. This entails identifying gaps in knowledge and skills and attempting to close them through an effective training program.

Taking feedback via a survey from all employees can be an excellent way to understand the gaps. Following that, the material can be rechecked to see if anything else should be added to the learning repository. Once all these parameters have been addressed, the organization can implement new learning models and training sessions by utilizing an integrated LMS software that allows for easy and seamless course upload and usage.

Developing a Training Plan

Once the objectives have been defined and the needs have been identified, the next step is to create a training plan. Here are some components to consider when creating a training plan for an effective employee training and development program.

• Formulating the training content and sharing the right training material in a desirable format
• A training schedule should be set, but flexibility must be offered.
• Trainers can be from the team or external industry experts and should be chosen carefully.

A training plan must be compatible with the various learning styles of employees. Some people prefer video-based learning, while others prefer to listen to audio lectures while on the move. Whether these will be group lessons or individual learning sessions is also an important consideration. To bring it all together, a learning solution that meets all aspects, pin-pointing these different needs, should be chosen.

Implement the Training and Development Program

The most extensive as well as crucial task for the program to be effective is implementation, which must be completed with zeal and care. Once all the material is ready, with best-in-class trainers to fill the skill gap, it is time to launch the program by informing employees about it. Communication should be clear and concise, with no room for ambiguity about what is expected of employees.

It is critical that employees do not feel pushed into the program and instead are drawn in by the value it can provide. This becomes simple with a modern LMS and its flexible learning features. The learner of today cannot be time-bound, so accessibility via mobile, in-transit, video, or audio format is essential. Gamification, progress tracking, and certifications can all help accelerate the learning process. The training program completion rates can then be used to understand the effectiveness of the employee training and development program during progress meetings.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

The effectiveness of the program must be evaluated using predefined SMART goals. It is critical to monitor how the program is progressing so that better strategies can be developed and implemented to improve the overall initiative. These assessments can be carried out by conducting surveys either on the learning platform or internally on parameters such as the effectiveness of training material, trainers, or the training platform.

Using assessments to determine how much the learners have grasped from the course can be extremely beneficial. This can inform program organizers about the training's effectiveness and the probable room for improvement. One-on-one meetings can be an excellent way to understand the underlying issues and potential bottlenecks obstructing the learning process. All this information can be easily gathered within the LMS by assessing employee performance, retention, and satisfaction after or during the course.

Conclusion

By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce, indicating how employee needs will change with time. As millennials strive to become a skill-first workforce, they will demand more effective and fruitful employee training and development programs. Companies would need to rethink their present L&D models and provide a robust mechanism that is effective. Investing in an LMS system that is ahead of the curve by being cloud-based, offering mobile and language support, and providing simple navigation can be a game changer.

Gyrus provides all of this and a tad bit more to organizations that are looking to improve their learning and development model. Contact us to learn more about our offering.