Does effective training address both personal development and organisational goals?
Personal development and an organisation’s goals go hand in hand. It’s reasonable for an employee to expect that sponsored training will somehow help achieve organisational needs as well as personal development.
“Effective” is the key word here. Effective training is usually not only achieved thanks to a charismatic trainer with excellent delivery skills but research would have been carried out in advance to ensure that the training really addresses the needs of both the individual attending and the organisation sponsoring that individual.
Also, a well-organised training programme usually has an element of practice-feedback-practice. It’s important that balance between these elements is maintained.
Moreover, there is also another important consideration: we also learn by doing.
How does investment in training help an organisation meet its goals?
Investment in training is absolutely crucial as long as it is not carried out in a vacuum. We always emphasise to clients that no matter how well a training course is received – based on feedback forms and verbal feedback we receive – it should also not be seen as an end in itself, but as the beginning or part of a journey of constant self and organisational improvement.
Such improvement should be continuous – we should always be learning and improving. In our case, we try and stay in touch with our training attendees and corporate clients to see how they are getting along weeks and months after we have carried out training interventions. We also ask our clients to define three clear and specific post-training objectives that are tangible and achievable within a reasonable timeframe.
Investment in training is as essential as regularly servicing a vehicle. It’s a means of retuning and oiling the operations of our organisation. Training is all about maintaining and improving standards and setting challenges for people to help with self-development so long as both the organisation and individual have completed some form of training needs analysis.
Ultimately, investment in training that inspires organisational improvements will benefit all the stakeholders, including clients and end users.
Having a varied and excellent CV is important for a job interview, but so is showing that you have the right skills
Do the training needs of an organisation change?
We live in a world of constant change and technological developments. Many of our short courses are in demand because of a perceived need to adapt to change. For instance, search engine optimisation and internet marketing skills are increasingly in demand, not only by specialist gurus within an organisation but by a broad spectrum of staff.
Tax and payroll regimes change and therefore training is needed to address this. Product and service requirements also change and we often have to react quickly and retrain accordingly.
Even the most conservative organisations invest in training to embrace change.
Is training an effective way of enhancing your CV?
Yes it is. However, the ultimate aim of training is to maintain and improve your skills. Increasingly, shortlisted candidates for a particular job are asked to take additional tests anyway, no matter how wonderful the CV that they present is. This is particularly so, for instance, for software developers. So yes, having a varied and excellent CV is important for a job interview, but so is showing that you have the right skills.
Apart from formal qualifications, employers also look for evidence that people have kept up to date with supplementary training. Personal development – soft skills such as time management, leadership, sales and communication skills – are also important.
Both a person’s skills set and mindset are important in the modern workplace, as are social activities such as sports, voluntary service and hobbies.
Does training also engender employee loyalty?
It often does, but not always. Training will in no way guarantee employee loyalty but will certainly increase the chances of this. We should invest in training anyway as the potential benefits for clients far outweigh the risks of a disgruntled and incompetent workforce.
Continuous learning
How can an organisation encourage a learning environment?
Organisations can invest in:
• Training with follow-up objectives and achievement goals.
• Empowering more people in decision-making processes.
• Rewards for good ideas and suggestions based on research.
• Applauding and recognising the small steps forward that people take and not just bigresults.
• Encouraging discussion groups, blogs and critical reasoning.
• Creating a mindset that encourages a passion for learning and personal improvement and not just obtaining certification.
For more information visit www.people.com.mt.
David Cutajar is founder CEO of People & Co Limited, incorporating People Learning. He holds an MSc in applied and occupational psychology and is a longstanding corporate trainer. He is also a development rugby coach.