The training and development of employees offer the company’s human capital the opportunity to develop their skills to better perform their current and future role. This increases productivity, motivation and, surely, the results. Upskilling employees is an important part of the process for the success of your company.
In this article, we explain in detail what the professional development of your employees’ skills consists of, benefits, the types that exist and how to create a program step by step. You will understand the importance of maximizing the skills of your workers. In addition, we will update you on new trends when it comes to training your employees.
- What is staff training?
- What is the importance of training and development of workers?
- Is it important to know the types of training for upskilling employees?
- How much do companies invest in upskilling employees?
- What are the stages of the training process in companies?
- What are the steps for upskilling employees?
- Are there currently new trends in employee training?
- How can we help you obtain more information about upskilling employees?
1. What is staff training?
The training of personnel aims to improve or acquire the skills or knowledge that the professional needs to be more efficient in his job or to opt for others of a higher category. That is, it enhances learning and development. . A worker can learn a lot from experience, but training is also very important.
It is the transmission of knowledge related to work, attitudes towards aspects of the organization of the task and development of skills. This is essential for any organization. This should not be confused with Human Resources management, since it is in charge of daily tasks. In this case, it is a strategy to maximize the capabilities of workers.
It can be considered an educational process for the training of human resources aimed at acquiring the skills for a specific task. This seeks to improve organizational culture and increase employee retention. To achieve this, it is essential to implement professional growth strategies, such as courses, coaching or continuous training. This will incentivize the employee in the long run.
Also, staff training is the set of actions that allow a person to achieve and develop the essential knowledge to occupy a job and increase the skills necessary for their professional progress, with the satisfaction of their technical and human needs and those of the company. Doing this makes the worker feel identified with the company’s values and feels somehow attached to it
2. What is the importance of training and development of workers?
Training is a key asset in the organizational culture of a company. The main reason is how fast markets change and evolve. What works today may be totally obsolete tomorrow. Therefore, establishing continuous training processes helps the workforce to remain up-to-date and quickly adapt to new developments that may arise.
Offering incentives through training with growth strategies and targets can be very beneficial. Companies that invest in upskilling employees are not only better valued by their workers but also by external professionals.
The same goes for career plans. These are the individual training project of each employee with a view to occupying, over a certain period of time, a position of greater responsibility. Developing a career plan in the company motivates workers to grow and makes them feel better valued.
To this must be added an internal plan in the company that determines when is the time, and what objective factors an employee must meet to effectively promote within the organization. In this way, together with the training, and the career plan, the worker knows what his path is within the company and what steps he must take at all times to achieve his goals.
3. Is it important to know the types of training for upskilling employees?
Yes, because they vary depending on the situation of the company.
- Online training: It is that training that takes place through internet platforms. Sometimes the courses are offered live or deferred so that users can access the materials whenever and wherever they want. It is very popular because of the flexibility it offers and because of the number of third-party resources and platforms that exist on the internet today.
- Internal training: In this case, workers receive training in their own offices and in person. Companies hire other companies or an expert to come to the business and provide the training. It is always good to have an ally in this type of movement to be carried out by a company.
- Collaborative training between colleagues: This type of training consists of organizing sessions given by the company’s own employees who have specific knowledge in an area. Thus, among themselves, they share information, experiences and practical advice. This also helps improve communication and atmosphere between teams.
- Subsidized training: In the case of subsidized training, the company does not assume any cost. Therefore, it is free and publicly funded. It is aimed at workers but the unemployed and self-employed can also opt for it. The professional can decide the training itinerary and is not obliged to inform the company.
4. How much do companies invest in upskilling employees?
Budgets for employee training and development are very comprehensive. These usually include all the costs of the program (content, materials, operating costs), as well as the expense of the hours dedicated by the workers who attend the course. It is a cost that, after all, is worth it because the productivity of your workers increases.
Knowing this, how much do companies spend on courses and training for upskilling employees? Some companies have an expense of AED 29,384.80 per year per employee. However, these figures vary depending on the size of the company and the function that the worker performs within it.
The expense per employee used to be lower the larger the size of the organization. Thus, large organizations spent an average of AED 2,865. It all varies depending on the state of the company and how much importance it places on training. If a leader is very interested in improving their employees, they will invest much more in it than other companies.
It has also been seen that experience and seniority can be determining factors in the cost of training. Senior employees received an allowance of AED 34,527.14 per year while mid-level employees get about AED 33,057.90.
5. What are the stages of the training process in companies?
There are four stages:
5.1 Analysis of training needs
The first stage consists of establishing a starting point, analyzing the current knowledge of the employee and listing the training needs detected. In this way, we ensure that workers acquire new knowledge and skills that are useful in their current or future position. Usually, the purpose of the training is related to the objectives of the company.
5.2 Determination of learning objectives
In the next step, the training needs have to be converted into learning goals. A training goal should consist of three elements: Be specific, be related to effective behavior, and be measurable. In this way, the objectives help create effective training aimed at improving the skills of workers.
5.3 Method definition and content design
It is time to make decisions about the training material, the teaching method and the activities to be carried out. This is usually done by an external provider or trainer and ideally also involves the learner. In this phase, the techniques to be used, the pace of learning, the place where it is going to be celebrated and many other important factors are usually determined.
5.4 Monitoring and training
The last stage of learning development is checking and calculation. At this time, the learning goals are analyzed and compared with the results obtained to measure the effectiveness of the training. It can also be a good time to measure the ROI of training; that is, the economic return generated.
6. What are the steps for upskilling employees?
A training plan contains a set of actions aimed at improving the skills and knowledge of the workers who make up a company. They are usually designed, as we have seen, based on performance evaluations to personalize the training proposal as much as possible. Here are the steps for effective team training:
- Identify needs: The first thing you should do is assess the training needs of the staff. The most useful, as we have said, is to resort to a performance evaluation since it will provide us with all the information we need about the employees. Always dedicate yourself to investigate the weaknesses and strengths of each of your workers
- Set program goals: Try to align the objectives of the training with those of the company and establish clear goals. This step is very important in order to later be able to measure the effectiveness of the courses taken.
- Involve workers: If the team is part of the ideation and strategic planning process, they are much more likely to feel with motivation. In this way, the training and the program will have better results.
- Create useful, personalized and engaging experiences: Design attractive and personalized training experiences using new learning methods such as gamification. In this way, you will get the workers to become more involved in the process.
7. Are there currently new trends in employee training?
In the changing world we live in, learning and professional development strategies are constantly evolving. Companies are beginning to abandon that old idea of closed courses for the entire workforce to opt for personalized, dynamic and online training.
These are the trends we currently detect in the area of employee training:
- Companies have begun to involve the top management of the companies in the training processes to create an effective learning culture that goes from the top down. If team leaders understand and value training, they will facilitate and motivate their teams to participate in it.
- In general, investment in training tends to increase as companies are increasingly aware of its importance and positive impact on the company. We know that to upskill employees it is not necessary to incur large expenses, today there are many online materials that are free.
- Staff training through online channels has become a trend in itself due to the crisis caused by COVID-19. During these months of social distancing and teleworking, companies have chosen to continue offering training to their employees but through online platforms.
8. How can we help you obtain more information about upskilling employees?
As mentioned before, there are multiple benefits if you make a training program for your team within each department of organizations, but we must not forget the importance of stimulating the work with the existence of good leaders who act as responsible for the group encouraging the participation and involvement of each member of the team.
At PEO Middle East we offer solutions to improve skills in the modern workplace, through advising leaders, employees, partners and collaborators. Transforming the work environment and providing staff (face to face or online) with the skills they need to adapt to changes in the market and demand. Also, with us, you can find the best worker for your company.
Offering workers upskilling employee plans constitutes an added value. It not only brings a great benefit to the professional sphere of the person but naturally, to the personal. Feeling valued beyond salary is, in today’s highly competitive job market, more than important to reduce the rate of turnover.
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