Employee training programs offer value to businesses in several ways. From empowering employees to acquire valuable skills and onboarding new employees to helping businesses fill key roles through internal hiring, these training programs can benefit workers and employers alike.
However, training programs don’t work the same way for every business. For example, employers with a toxic work environment may not see any meaningful success even if they do offer a comprehensive training program. Conversely, workplaces that offer inclusivity and empathy may still have trouble getting results from an improperly structured training program.
Building the right instruction model is crucial to helping businesses derive more success from their training programs for new employees. The following tips may help employers structure a better employee training program, especially for new workers. Read on to discover more:
Table of Contents
Develop Goals and Metrics Aligned with Business Needs
As when testing out innovative ideas for talent sourcing, the first step towards any new employee training program is to define its goals and metrics based on business needs. This will help to structure the program around new hires’ primary need – acquiring the necessary skills and orientation required for the role before they begin active work. Without incorporating this crucial first step, it is unlikely that any business will realize sustainable success from its training programs.
Choose the Most Appropriate Type of Training
The type of training program in place will also be a primary determinant of success. Training might range from a classroom style to online programs to group sessions. Choosing the most appropriate model enables businesses to realize successful outcomes and onboard new employees in a far more streamlined way than any generic training program.
Build Training Material Around Adult Learning Principles
Depending upon the role, businesses might hire a range of multifaceted individuals, from young adults to older and more experienced professionals. Accordingly, training programs and material must be structured in a way that can work a multitude of candidates.
Adult learning principles can help create training material that leverages professional experience, real-world learning applications, willingness to learn, and other factors to raise the number of successful outcomes with each training program. This makes it easier to help employees acquire and learn the necessary principles of workplace safety or operating equipment, for example.
Develop a Plan or Outline for Desired Training Outcomes
Developing an outline or plan for a training program helps employers streamline their processes in order to realize better outcomes. This outline or plan will typically start with the topics and material that an employer wants to cover in the training program. For example, for talent sourced through manufacturing staffing, businesses would want to cover the machinery and equipment they are going to handle the most.
From there, the most important information can be prioritized, and employers can then start shaping how the program starts, proceeds, and ends. This exercise can help employers cover all necessary subjects in a training protocol and increase the chances of success for each participant.
Design/Develop Training Materials to Support Desired Outcomes
In this stage, employers must work towards building or developing training materials that can support the kind of outcomes they desire in a training program. When doing this, it is important to avoid the temptation to include too much information.
Instead, in order for meaningful learning to take place, the information must be broken down into digestible parts and visuals that are easier to understand than blocks of text. Each piece of training material must align with the objectives of the training program. It must also be equally appropriate for both fresh talent and experienced professionals.
Include Feedback Channels to Evaluate the Training Program
Employers must include feedback channels to evaluate the success of each new training class. Setting objectives, defining metrics, and developing training material are critical to the success of any training exercise, however, businesses cannot afford to overlook feedback from the most important stakeholders: the employees participating in the training program.
These individuals are best placed to give accurate feedback, which can offer valuable insights including identifying areas to improve. Building feedback channels can help trainees contribute to the success of future training programs and make them even more streamlined and effective.
Takeaway
Training programs for new employees can help businesses in several important ways. They can streamline the onboarding process for both centralized vs decentralized recruitment models. Training programs can also help new hires acquire the necessary information and skills needed for their role.
Participants can learn about workplace policies and even themselves with the best practices in place at their new employer. The value of training programs cannot be understated, but it is still important for businesses to structure the program and material correctly. Otherwise, they are likely to see a lowered rate of successful outcomes.
