Are you investing your training dollars wisely?

Did you know that most employers schedule employee training sessions prior to identifying the reasons why they need to conduct the training?

To ensure that you invest your training dollars wisely, make sure you identify the reasons you need employee training. Typically employers schedule onsite training for one of three reasons:

1. As part of regular employee development
2. To expose a group of employees to the same material
3. To correct a performance gap

If your reason falls into the first category, the biggest challenge you will face is selecting topics that are relevant to the group. The easiest way to overcome this challenge is to ask the participants what courses they would like to attend, what they expect to learn, and how the training will improve their performance back on the job.

If you are planning training to expose all employees to the same materials, the biggest challenge you face is the range of knowledge among participants. For instance, those working at an advanced level may feel the session is a waste of time. To avoid this problem, try to use material that is applicable to all levels of employees. The goal is to have every participant learn something new.

Finally, if you are planning onsite training to correct a performance gap, you need to make sure that training is really the answer. Used alone, training will not change behaviors that can’t or won’t change.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/