Do You Need to Update Your Training Program?

It’s easy to see when the carpet needs replacing in your office. Or to know when it’s time to update your computers. Or even when and how to update your employee benefits to appeal to the professionals you most want to hire. But how do you know when it’s time to update your training program? Answer these three questions to find out.  

Does Your Training Program Fit How Your Workforce Likes to Learn?

Legacy training programs were heavily classroom-based, with online training to supplement the skills and information covered in class. Today, many companies have a distributed workforce and advanced technology. Recent global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have further accelerated the shift towards remote learning, compelling organizations to quickly adjust to deliver essential learning while minimizing or eliminating personal contact. While these new ways of learning may evolve, this period of experimentation and collaborative creativity is likely to shape some lasting changes in how training is delivered. As a result, videos and virtual platforms have rapidly become standard for interpersonal interaction and training delivery, leading to more training being delivered via eLearning. Employers often have four (or even five) generations in their workforce, each with preferences for what and how to learn. And, with low unemployment, organizations must find creative ways to attract, train, and retain the talent they need. 

Answer these training program questions to see if your organization is keeping up: 

• Blended Learning: In a world where so many of us turn to Google or YouTube to find immediate answers, employees expect “just in time” learning to do their jobs well. While research indicates a strong preference for instructor-led training, modalities such as virtual instructor-led training, eLearning, and videos are also highly favored, and offering course content in multiple formats can improve overall training success. For more complex skills, instructor-led training (in person or online) can provide expert guidance and feedback. When moving classroom courses to online delivery, it’s beneficial to be intentional about engaging learners; for instance, using video cameras rather than avatars can encourage connections, while newer technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality can enhance virtual meeting spaces for collaborative learning. Recorded training sessions that combine instructor presentation with interactive online quizzes, polls, and practice exercises make content more memorable. Furthermore, short bursts of learning, or microlearning segments of five to ten minutes, can be particularly engaging and effective for employees and customers who have smaller segments of time available for learning or who need specific answers to defined questions. Even guest lecturers can still join your class via virtual learning or conferencing platforms, and if your experts usually join in person to help evaluate learners’ progress, arranging 1:1 or small-group virtual sessions can preserve the benefits of more personal attention. Do you have the right mix of blended learning, so your employees can get to tactical answers quickly and have the support they need to master more complicated concepts?
• Changing Demographics: Broadly speaking, each generation has its own set of learning preferences. Baby Boomers prefer in-person, classroom training. Generation X likes the flexibility of online learning. Millennials and Generation Z prefer technology-driven learning and often expect engaging video content. Are you catering to the preferences of the generations in your workforce?
• Internships and Apprenticeships: Many companies are building out internship, apprenticeship, and “returnship” programs to help shape the skills new employees need to succeed in their job – and in the workplace. Does your training program include strong internships and apprenticeships?  
• Formal and Informal Training: In addition to formal classes and courses, contemporary professionals learn from many informal situations. Do you have a learning culture that recognizes and celebrates all kinds of learning?  Moreover, an LMS like Avilar’s WebMentor™ LMS can be crucial for measuring and documenting what employees are learning, especially with the rise of virtual training and e-learning. For example, online quizzes and tests can reveal knowledge gaps, interactive tests can directly measure skills, and participant-uploaded videos can demonstrate proficiency to evaluators. Custom certifications can also be created within an LMS to document proficiency with essential skills. Does your learning management system easily capture formal and informal training?

Is Your Training Program Aligned with Company Goals?

According to a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study, most CEOs don’t believe they have the people, skills, and resources they need to execute their business strategies. Even if the structure of your training program is keeping up with how professionals learn today, you could be missing important opportunities to align your training program with your company goals. 

At least annually, check to see if your training program is doing all it can to support your organization’s success. Here are just a few examples:

• Technology Adoption: It’s common for companies to have goals that address keeping employees’ technology skills up to date. Certainly, this is true for software developers and other technology professionals. But it should be true for all employees. Do you guide employees to master and utilize the customer relationship management systems, customer service tools, learning management systems, and other technologies important to their jobs?
• Succession Management: Smart companies are planning for who will take on leadership roles when their current leaders step down. As part of your training program, are you including leadership training, mentoring, and cross-departmental experiences that support succession planning?
• Compliance: If you’re in a highly regulated industry such as banking, finance, or energy, industry compliance is core to how you do business. Even if you’re not, compliance with workplace safety (such as training on personal protective equipment (PPE), safe food handling, or social distancing protocols, especially during public health crises) and human resources regulations always comes down to the behavior of individual employees. As guidelines change, learning content may need frequent updates. Furthermore, periods of reduced operational tempo for some employees might present an opportune time to launch or catch up on compliance training or certification programs, strengthening both individual skills and organizational readiness. Does your training program track learning and certifications related to industry and company compliance requirements, and is it agile enough to respond to urgent needs and evolving guidelines?

Does Your Training Program Build Future Skills?

It’s not enough for your training program to address this year’s goals. You also need to prepare your workforce to support the organization five years from now. This doesn’t (and can’t) happen by accident. You need a specific plan and a reliable way to assess where the skills gaps are today – and how employees will close those gaps in the coming months and years. 

Here are three elements to consider:

• Competency-Based Learning: Competencies take the guesswork out of learning. A competency management system helps you assess the skills, knowledge, and behaviors your employees have today. Then, by identifying the skills people need for the future, competency-based learning plans provide you (and your employees) clear visibility into skill development. To inform recruitment and development activities, apply analytics to analyze and predict your skill supply and demand. Is your training program grounded in competencies?
• Behavioral Skills: According to IBM’s The enterprise guide to closing the skills gap report, digital skills remain vital; however, executives say that soft skills have surpassed them in importance. Companies have been focusing on technical skills, often overlooking some of the basic soft skills that are so important in a business world that constantly changes. Are you including enough behavioral skills in your training program? Are you putting the right emphasis on soft skills?
• Reskilling and Upskilling: In the same way that internships and apprenticeships train new employees, reskilling and upskilling initiatives build out new skillsets of current employees, based on business priorities. Are you reskilling and upskilling your employees whose skills are at risk of becoming outdated or obsolete?

If your current training and development programs haven’t quite kept up with how (or where) your company is growing, you’re not alone. Now is a good time to reevaluate your program to better align it for next year’s top priorities and goals. 

Are you thinking about a competency-based training program? Read our white paper, Mastering Competencies: How to Create the Best Framework for Your Organization. Or contact us to find out how Avilar’s WebMentor Skills™ competency management system  and WebMentor  LMS™ learning management system can help.

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