Printer Friendly Version                                    Back to Capsules    Training & Development Training and development opportunities are vital for retention of your staff, as well as for increasing productivity. Training indicates confidence in your employees, demonstrating that the company is willing to invest in staff. It raises the value of the worker to the organization; acknowledges the need of employees to keep skills marketable and to continually challenge themselves; and it counters boredom. Start with What's New Developing a training and development program begins with understanding the latest trends in the field and reading about new methods and technologies that are affecting or could affect your industry. After that, you need to assess both organizational and individual needs. You should assess your strategic plan and operating objectives for the short term, and review the jobs currently being performed in your company. Out of that effort should come a determination of the specific needs of your employees for career development and training. You will want, however, to integrate any career development program you're planning into the performance review process since that provides a logical opportunity for supervisors and staff to discuss present performance and future goals. On-the-job and Formal Training Many small businesses use on-the-job training for career development rather than formal training programs. Those can include: mentoring and coaching, job rotation, filling in for supervisors when they are away to learn other skills, cross training in which employees are taught tasks beyond their normal position, job shadowing, and, job enrichment. Most training is provided through formal courses. In contemplating those, you need to consider the direct costs of the program – the tuition or registration fee which you may pay, – as well as the indirect costs associated with lost productivity while the employee is taking the course. For some training, self-learning may be the solution, through books or online material. Managing the System You need to develop a system to manage your training efforts effectively. That will probably include assigning responsibility to somebody to oversee the program, since employees will become frustrated if you promise a program and don't deliver. You also need to evaluate the training, through a short questionnaire. If you would like more information or assistance with Training and Development for your organization, please contact us.