Building learning pathways for our valued people has significant benefits for the day-to-day operations of a business, and is also a foundation for establishing an effective succession strategy.
This article is the second in a series of three on building learning journeys for staff in small and medium-sized businesses in New Zealand. In the first edition, I talked about assessing organizational needs, defining learning objectives and designing the learning journey. In this edition, I discuss developing effective learning content, implementing training programs and monitoring their effectiveness.
Building learning journeys for your staff involves creating a structured pathway that guides them through the various stages of learning and development. Clear pathways help ensure that staff acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their roles effectively and advance their careers.
When developing learning content for your staff training programs, consider the following:
1) Understand Your Audience
Consider factors like the experience level of your employees, learning styles (visual, auditory, spatial etc.), and preferences. Adjust your content accordingly.
2) Use a Blended Learning Approach
Use a variety of formats and combine various methods (e.g. e-learning, workshops, videos, and hands-on practice) to keep employees engaged. Break down complex topics into bite-sized, easily digestible lessons. Also, try to make your content interactive by including quizzes, polls, and scenario-based learning to make the content more engaging and to reinforce learning.
2) Align Content with Job Roles
Ensure your content is relevant to the specific roles and challenges your staff face in their day-to-day responsibilities. Role-specific training is more likely to be retained and applied.
4) Update Content Regularly
Be sure to continuously update and revise training materials to keep them relevant, particularly in fast-evolving industries.
Now you will be ready to implement your training programs. Here are some guiding principles:
1) Plan and Organize
Structure your program delivery by creating a training calendar and make sure the training is spread out logically, avoiding information overload. Also ensure the programs are based on skill levels and employee roles, from beginner to advanced.
2) Involve Managers and Team Leads
Encourage managers to endorse and support the training program. They should integrate it into their team’s workflows and provide ongoing feedback.
3) Offer Continuous Support
Create channels (forums, Q&A sessions, mentorship programs) where employees can ask questions and get clarification during the training. This will help reinforce the learning. Also, use tools such as leaderboards, points, and certificates to add an element of competition and reward, which can increase participation and motivation.
Finally, you will need to monitor the effectiveness of the training programs. Consider the following:
1) Track Key Metrics
Start by tracking participation and completion rates. Measure how many employees are completing the training and staying engaged. Use quizzes, tests, or evaluations to measure knowledge gained post-training. Also, monitor job performance and productivity metrics to see if the training has had a measurable impact.
2) Gather Employee Feedback
Conduct post-training surveys to gather feedback on the quality, relevance, and delivery of the training. This can provide insights for ongoing improvement.
3) Monitor Business Outcomes
One of the best ways to monitor programs is to track if the learning has contributed to meeting business objectives such as reducing errors, increasing efficiency, or improving customer satisfaction. Aim to measure the return on investment (ROI) of training programs by comparing the costs of training with the improvements in business performance.
4) Conduct Follow-Up Assessments
Conduct on-the-job evaluations where managers can observe employees after training to see if they are applying new skills in their daily tasks. Provide ongoing assessments or refresher training to reinforce key concepts and ensure long-term retention.
By following these steps, you’ll ensure that your training content is not only relevant and engaging but also aligned with company goals. Additionally, regularly monitoring effectiveness allows you to make data-driven adjustments and maximize the impact of your training programs.
In the third and final edition, I will cover how to adapt and improve your staff learning programs over time, tools and techniques, and examples of learning journeys.
For hands-on advice around developing staff learning journeys in your business contact your nearest Advantage Business Advisor.