So you’ve decided to increase your focus on learning and development. You’ve looked at your workforce and decided what skills gaps need addressing and that training is the solution. The next step is to figure out just how this training is going to happen. Think back to what you remember learning at school – the odds are that the things that have stuck with you come from the teachers who engaged you at the time, rather than just from poring over lists of facts and figures. The same principle applies in adult learning, which is why the managing staff training plans is where any learning and development project will stand or fall.
Begin with the goals
Of course, there is little point in training at all unless you have established what the goals of that training will be. To this end, having a clear job description is vital, as well as a firm idea of the development you would like to see in your team. Ask yourself where you see your business in a year’s time and structure your learning and development activities around developing a workforce which will help you get there. Self-assessment can be an important component in this enabling you to help align your workforce’s goals with your own, meaning you are all helping each other achieve the same ends.
Engage your employees
It is vital that the employees feel engaged in the process, so it can often be a good idea to let them have some sort of input into the development of the training scheme, if at all possible. Try to include examples of actual events that have happened in your business to illustrate your lessons, as this will provide the learners with something to focus on when considering more abstract concepts, for example those concerning values and behaviours, both of which can be important tools in ensuring that your workforce are all pulling in the same direction. These events could be situations which have occurred with clients, new legislation being introduced which will affect your sector, or incidents and problems which have arisen in the workplace.
Above all, always make sure your plans include ways to keep your learners interested. Group activities, quizzes or problem-solving exercises will ensure your team are putting their own thoughts into the process, which will make them far more receptive to the lessons you are trying to teach. Remember – you all want the same thing, and training is as much for their benefit as it is yours!
