If you’re going to compete as a firm, it’s important not only to consider the value of your assets, or your cash flow, or how much goodwill you have among your consumers or clients, but rather, exactly what skills you have on hand.
This is why the recruitment process is so important, because often primary, secondary and tertiary skills compose an office or team which may or may not be more productive than a similar firm based on the competencies they have.
For this reason, constant investment in staff training is essential. However, it’s true that while much worthwhile training isn’t so expensive considering the return you get from it, training takes time from your labor pool that could otherwise be spent for the expansion and growth of your firm. Of course, training is not necessarily divorced from that in any way, but it does mean you have to make time for it, to ensure missed work is spread evenly out among other team members, and that staff are given the chance to apply their new training in a real life situation to solidify those lessons.
So, how can you identify worthwhile training opportunities worth this upfront cost? In this post, we’ll discuss that and more:
Qualifications
It’s good to know if your staff member requires any qualifications before deciding on a course. This might involve foundational accreditations or experience in the field. Some training courses may just require holding a job in the field, and acceptance might be sponsored based on your company’s vouching for them. It’s also worthwhile to consider what qualifications they may achieve thanks to their engagement and completion of such a program.
Relevance
How relevant is such training, and is your staff member likely to use that? For instance, those involved in logistics will absolutely benefit from Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment (LOLER) Awareness Training, while public speaking training, as useful as a skill this is, might only be used once every couple of years at larger events. When you have a limited budget and time to spare for training, opting for the most pertinent, essential accreditations is key, and can potentially enhance the day to day working life of such a employee.
Building Competence
Of course, it’s also important to consider how skills development is not necessarily related to building new skills, but potentially refining, specializing, or expanding current skills held. For instance, it may be a first aid refreshers course could be available for certain staff members from time to time, while allowing the programmers in your business to attend a new coding course to adhere to a new language principle can help them understand the innovation taking place in your industry. This is often the training that can have the most impact on staff satisfaction, as growth in a direct field they’re already trained in shows progress like almost nothing else.
With this advice, you’re sure to define worthwhile training opportunities for your staff in the best possible manner.
